# Chicago Cycle Supply Co



## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (Feb 11, 2014)

When did they go out of business?.. I see late 40s and early 50s bikes still using the head badges, but was this just using up stock?.. Anybody have a showroom floor pic??... Googled but can't find a thing...


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## filmonger (Feb 11, 2014)

Here is an Ad.... bet you know this much already!

Interesting lawsuit that might give you some clues.....Battery Patents Corp. v. Chicago Cycle Supply Co., 7 Cir., 111 F.2d 861, 862.

Here is a link to a 1915 Cat on ebay... Lots of pics.








http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335809022&icep_item=271394209487

Howie has a 1923 CATALOG - It has Shelby, Cadillac, Liberty, Chicyco ( own brand )

http://www.proteanpaper.com/scart_p...ic=000000000000007527&part=000000000000008204





In 1934, the Schwinn Aero Cycle-designed after an airplane fuselage-had a tougher frame and cost double what the competition was charging. Furthermore, it was designed as a thing of beauty. Its styling (a word not used when discussing bicycles up to then) made bicycle esthetics as much of a selling point as performance. The department stores, where most bicycle sales took place, wanted nothing to do with the high-end ride. Schwinn got the Chicago Cycle Supply Company to distribute the new bicycle and told them not to sell to the department stores. 

1938 advertisement for Chicago Cycle Supply

Prior to World War II, Schwinn utilized distributors to get their products into the hands of retailers and customers. Some distributors such as Chicago Cycle Supply would also sell their own branded versions of Schwinn bikes and/or contract to "make" private label brands for sale by larger retailers. This 1938 ad for Chicago Cycle Supply's three "Autocycle" models describes their standard features and available colors and sizes.







A Letter with address from 1956....


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## Thonyv1974_ (Jul 30, 2017)

I have a catalog I believe that it's 1961,  I'd have to locate it. ..


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## schwinnderella (Jul 30, 2017)

I may be confused and mixing up Chicago Cycle Supply with another company but likely not. I also may be confused about the date but as best as I can recall there was a going out of business auction around 1987 in Chicago. I had to work but a buddy went and remarked that there was very little there, although he did buy some stuff. Perhaps they had actually gone out of business earlier and sold stuff to other wholesalers before the auction.


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## markivpedalpusher (Aug 4, 2017)

I've seen catalogs thru 1973


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## hoofhearted (Aug 5, 2017)

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## GTXKen (Nov 14, 2020)

Hi, they did go out of business in 1987.  The original owners “Hansen’s” sold it in 77 or 78.  My dad worked there in the 60s and I started working there in the summers when I was 14 in 1976


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## cyclingday (Nov 15, 2020)

Chicyco lives on, in the hearts and minds of collectors all around, The World.


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## GTXKen (Nov 15, 2020)

Here are a couple items that I still have from Chicago Cycle if your interested in seeing them.  Kind of not bicycle related but its an employees apron.


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## GTXKen (Nov 15, 2020)

This is a letterpress block from when they printed their own catalogs.  They had tons of these things that were probably all just thrown out.  I should have kept more but I just saved the one small piece.


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## GTXKen (Nov 15, 2020)

filmonger said:


> A Letter with address from 1956....
> 
> View attachment 136666



If I can just add some context.  Chris Hansen was the son of the founder.  He was a super nice old man when I met him.  He used to come in every day wearing a starched white shirt, he would roll up the sleeve on his right arm so it wouldn't get dirty while he wrote out orders.  The warehouse was a six story old building and was very dusty.  I remember one day he sent us all home because it was too hot, there was no AC in the building


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## cyclingday (Nov 15, 2020)

Thanks, for the insight.
I’m sure most of us would enjoy reading any old stories you have about the place.
Not many, with first hand knowledge anymore.
Good stuff!


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## GTXKen (Nov 16, 2020)

I saved this from back in the day as well, took me a while to find it


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