# Looking for info on Premier Cycle Works



## Bicycleface (Feb 8, 2014)

Seeing if anyone has a catalog, a photo of there bike or any info on Premier Cyle Works. I believe they were Mead made. http://www.oldbike.eu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1913_Premier_Cycle_Works_Chicago_2.jpg


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## bricycle (Feb 8, 2014)

My 1933-34 Premier moto.


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## fat tire trader (Feb 8, 2014)

Yes, Premier seems to be Mead with a different name. I have at least one Premier catalog.


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## Bicycleface (Feb 8, 2014)

That moto is pretty cool!


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## bricycle (Feb 8, 2014)

Bicycleface said:


> That moto is pretty cool!




Thank you, here's part of a brochure...


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## chitown (Feb 9, 2014)

*1913 Lit*

George Lewis who designed the 1st silver kings was the man behind Premier. He was manager and vice pres at Mead for a number of years also.


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## Bicycleface (Feb 11, 2014)

Thanks for the info guys!


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## Balloontyre (Mar 2, 2014)

*Premier was its own prior to Mead purchasing*

The Mead Cycle Company: The British offshot of the American Mead Cycle Company 1901-1930 
Roger D. Bugg rogerbugg@tiscali.co.uk Veteran-Cycle Club Phone: 01332 832886  
Abstract  
In 1901 The Mead Cycle Company expanded its operations from the USA to the British Isles by establishing a business in Liverpool, the major transatlantic port. They acquired the British Cycle Manufacturing Company, also based in Liverpool, at the same time. Like the parent American company, the British based Mead Company, was primarily a mail order business, although it did sell through some retail outlets. While mail order was not unknown in the British Isles, it was less familiar as most purchasers bought from retailers. Mead did not produce its own machines but bought in from other manufacturers, which were badged as Meads. In 1907 they were advertising for Rider Agents, who could buy machines from them on hire purchase and would then promote Mead machines to gain further orders. One of these may have been Marcel Planes, winner of the Century Competition in 1911 with over 34, 000 miles, who purchased his Mead around 1905. Mead bought machines from Swift and Premier, both well-known Coventry manufacturers, and probably others. They established a factory, presumably for assembly, in nearby Birmingham. From around 1912 Mead went into supplying motor cycles and motor-assisted cycles such as the Wall Auto Wheel. The economic declin   n  h  1920’    d    M  d f       k n        h  struggling Premier Company in 1921 and they were themselves liquidated in 1927. Their assets were acquired by Cu  y’    h         ch  n       h   w  h  h        h Cyc   M nuf c u  n  C mp ny.  Cu  y’  h d been selling Mead Cycles from the start and continued to sell their own manufacture machines badged either with their own name or    M  d . In 1931 Cu  y’  d  c n  nu d m k n       wn m ch n         w   ch  p      buy d   c  f  m H  cu   ; however, they continued to sell cycles at least until 1939 and the Mead name probably continued to be used. Mead was successful because it could sell mail order machines cheaper than conventional retail outlets but its decline was due to the costs of running a mail order/hire purchase business in times of high unemployment and economic decline. Mead was innovative in its selling methods, which enabled it to sell quality machines at lower prices


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## bricycle (Mar 2, 2014)

Good info Ivo!


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## Nick-theCut (Mar 2, 2014)

Someone's been doing some homework.  We appreciate it.


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