# Info on my new Gendron



## filmonger (Apr 17, 2013)

I just bought this Gendron on E-bay and am curious if anyone out there knows anything about this bike - I have has no real luck dating it or giving it a Model ID. Here is the info I have so far - The guy said it was a 1920's bike. The thing is I have looked a photo's of an 1899 bike and it was very similar except the double tubes so in my opinion I think the date is in question as it could be a slightly earlier bike than indicated. It has Steel Clad wooden rims, A leather Troxel and fenders. The guy who I purchased it from said he thought everything was Orig. except the reflectors that he added. He was not sure of it had been repainted or not. It has a New Departure front hub & Internal coaster brake rear wheel w / markings "Eclipse Bicycle Machine Co. Elmira NY Patent Applied for. It has Torrington Pedals and 1inch skip touch sprocket. Top of the seat tube to the bottom of the BB is 23 inches. Back of the seat tube to the front of the headset along the crossbar is 24 inches. Any info would be fantastic.


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Apr 17, 2013)

Your bicycle is pre-1927.

The Gendron Iron Wheel Company was founded in 1872 in Toledo, Ohio by Peter Gendron (born Pierre Gendron 1844-1910). Gendron produced wire wheels for baby carriages originally. In 1890, bicycles, tricycles, invalid chairs, baby carriages, doll carriages, coaster wagons, toy wheelbarrows, etc. children's diecast toy replica pedal cars up until World War II.
In 1927, Gendron became a subsidiary of American National. American National was formed as a holding company for three companies: Toledo Metal Wheel, National Wheel, and American Wheel. American-National, Toledo, and Gendron products were sold under the trade names of Pioneer, Skippy, Express, Reliance, Hi-Speed, Hi-Way, Speed King, Blue Streak, Sampson, American, Streamline, etc.
In the late 1930s, American-National had financial difficulties. In 1941, the assets and all rights to the product line were purchased by a group of Toledo industrialists headed by Walter H. Diemer. Previously, Mr. Diemer was the President of American-National. The new company was incorporated as the Gendron Wheel Company, Perrysburg, Ohio. The company was organized "to manufacture, import, export, buy, sell, and in general deal in wheelchairs, playground equipment, and other juvenile conveniences of every kind".
All of American-National plants were closed except the Gendron Perrysburg plant. Due to the war effort, Gendron concentrated its efforts on wheelchairs and hospital stretchers. However, they continued to manufacture wooden wagons and playground equipment. Catalogs from the 1950s and early 1960s show playground equipment and hand car racers with the trade name Howdy Doody.
In 1959, Gendron Wheel moved most of its manufacturing to Archbold, Ohio. The Perrysburg plant was closed in 1963. In 1964, the company became a subsidiary of Howmedica. However the Gendron trademark continued. In 1971, Mr. Robert Diemer and Mr. Richard A. Bigelow purchased the company and it became Gendron-Diemer. In 1975, Richard A. Bigelow purchased Mr. Diemer’s interest and the company became Gendron, Inc. In 1997, Mr. Bigelow sold the company to Steven W. Cotter, Thomas A. Dewire, and Frederic W. Strobel.
Today, Gendron, Inc. produces mobile patient management systems for transport, trauma treatment, imaging, bariatric, and special procedures.


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## dfa242 (Apr 17, 2013)

I'm not familiar with these frames but there's a very similar Lovell-Diamond in the upcoming Copake auction.

http://copakeauction.auctionflex.co...982&archive=n&lso=lotnumasc&pagenum=7&lang=En


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## filmonger (Apr 17, 2013)

*Lovell*

Wow - that is very interesting....they are very similar in many ways. I would have thought there would be much more info on Gendron due to the company size.

Might be interesting to find out if Gendron made these for Iver Johnson or if Iver made these for Gendron or if one of the bikes is not badged correctly. The Frames look almost exactly the same. 

Though - after a bit of research it looks like the guy who devised the first  Lovell Diamond frame was Olaus Hanson and he was first employed by Iver Johnson - he then left Iver to satrt his own roller skate company and then returned to Iver in 1889 after finding he could not make as much money on his own. He then established the Cleveland Bicycle factory ( along with a few others )  in 1896 he then left and started to work for Spears bicycle manufacturing. He died in 1914.

Might he have worked for Gendron?


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## Iverider (Apr 19, 2013)

Although they are similar they do appear to be slightly different in the angle of the double top tube. Your beautiful bicycle appears to have a sloping top tube where the lovell diamond has a straight top tube.




I can't find the photo, but I think Emblem and Reading may have made a bike similar to this. Anyone have photos?


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## Iverider (Apr 19, 2013)

Not sure what the bike is in the foreground, but the photo is from a shop in Michigan.


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## filmonger (Apr 19, 2013)

*RE: Photo*

Thanks for the help....The bike in the foreground of the photo does seem to look the same and there do seem to be very slight differences from the Iver - looks like slightly diff size tubing may have been used.

I could only find one ref to the gendron in this style and it is just a small post card.


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