# Miami Cycle, Raycycle & Westfield Mfg



## MrColumbia (Jan 13, 2012)

xxxx


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## charnleybob (Jan 14, 2012)

Westfield acquired Miami in the late teens and used Racycle on one badge.
These are pretty rare badges.
Pat Cafaro or Catfish can tell you even more than that.


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## MrColumbia (Jan 14, 2012)

charnleybob said:


> Westfield acquired Miami in the late teens and used Racycle on one badge.
> These are pretty rare badges.
> Pat Cafaro or Catfish can tell you even more than that.




I have one Raycycle badge and two different style Miami badges (all Westfield Mfg). There is a 1936 Girls Westfield Made in the town I work in with a Raycycle badge that is completly different than the one I have.


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## catfish (Jan 14, 2012)

MrColumbia said:


> I have a question that I hope someone out there knows the answer to. The Miami Cycle Company in one form or another is listed on the Wheelmen site as existing from 1895 - 1918. They were the makers of the Raycycle and were in Middletown Ohio. They also made the Flying Merkel Motorcycle. At some point in the 1920's or early 30's Westfield Mfg. Co. started using both the Miami and Raycycle names on some of their bikes. Does anyone know how Westfield aquired the names? Did Westfield buy the former Miami cycle company or just buy the rights to the names? Did they simply start using the names if they had gone into public domain?
> Just one more piece of the Westfield Mfg puzzle I am trying to put together.




Ken,     I have some catalogs from Westfield for the Miami bicycle brand. As well as Racycle, Flying Merkel, and Miami badges, that all sya Westfield MFG. It was some time in the early 20s that they bought them out. Westfield bought out a lot of names. But you knew that. And they also used the Miami and Racycle names up into the 50s. I've onwed Five Stars badges with both.

  Catfish


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## MrColumbia (Jan 14, 2012)

It is staring to make sense. Pope/Westfield ended up with a lot of name brands from the collapse of the American Bicycle Company but I have found a lot more that were not involved with the ABC. Westfield was obviously buying up dying and defunct companies. I have noted others such as Fay Juvinile Bicycles that seem to fit this catagory. I hope to some day compile a complete list of these companies and the years Westfield aquired them. If only dad was here.


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## Adamtinkerer (Jan 14, 2012)

I believe that's how they acquired the Sterling and Rambler names, among others. Buyouts of post-crash defunct co.'s and their names.


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## bud poe (Jan 14, 2012)

I have a Monarch (Lions head) badged Westfield built motobike that I have posted here before.  I believe it to be from the mid 30's as it is a 28" frame/forks with fender spacers to fit 26" wheels.  I suppose it is possible that the bike was re-badged by a previous owner but more likely that Westfield had purchased the Monarch name and possibly overstock badges?
Hope this helps your research....


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## Larmo63 (Jan 14, 2012)

*Racycle badge...*

I am in need of an early Racycle badge if anyone here can part with one. I need the one that looks kinda like an iron cross.

I'm restoring my roadster, and it needs it headbadge......


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## bud poe (Jan 14, 2012)

Larmo63 said:


> I am in need of an early Racycle badge if anyone here can part with one. I need the one that looks kinda like an iron cross.
> 
> I'm restoring my roadster, and it needs it headbadge......




Put me on the list behind Lawrence for a 1910 era Racycle roadster badge....Good luck Larmo!


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## catfish (Jan 14, 2012)

bud poe said:


> Put me on the list behind Lawrence for a 1910 era Racycle roadster badge....Good luck Larmo!




I think I have an extra one. I'll check when I get home in a few weeks. Catfish


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## Larmo63 (Jan 14, 2012)

*Racycle badge....*

Thanks, Catfish.....

Let me know......


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## MrColumbia (Jan 14, 2012)

Adamtinkerer said:


> I believe that's how they acquired the Sterling and Rambler names, among others. Buyouts of post-crash defunct co.'s and their names.




By 1907 the list of name brands belonging to pope are as follows;

Columbia
Rambler
Cleveland
Tribune
Crescent
Monarch
Imperial
Hartford
Ideal
Westfield
Stormer
Sterling
Seminole
Daily Service
Fay Juvenile

I know most of these were aquired as a result of the ABC failure and I am assuming all of them are. Catfish knows better than me with all his badges that there is hundreds more names Westfield bikes were sold as. Many were for customers but names like Raycycle and Miami came later. Other ones that come to mind are Hudson, Crawford, Barns, Waverly, Niagra, Viking...the list goes on and on.


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## Larmo63 (Jan 14, 2012)

*It's not "Ray"cycle..*

Racycles were really not "racing bikes" per se, although there were some racing models made. The name was coined in tribute to the first president of the company; F.H. Ray. The Miami Cycle Co. of Middleton, Ohio made Racycle motorcycles, Flying Merkel motorcycles, (although not all of them,) Miami bicycles,(a lower line,) Musselman hubs, Flying Merkel bicycles, (ultra rare,) and the wonderful Racycle bicycles. You would think that there would be more surviving Racycles today, as the company was, in its' heyday, quite successful. They manufactured hundreds of thousands of (innovative, in their day,) bicycles. BTW, my 1912 is one of the latest known bicycles by local experts. 

Any other information out there on these amazing machines?


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## sam (Jan 14, 2012)

How does Musselman coaster brakes play out in this story? Were they part of Miami , Part of Murray of Ohio or an independent company?


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## MrColumbia (Jan 15, 2012)

Racycle...not Raycyle. Noted, I get typing too fast sometimes and misspelled my own post.


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## Wcben (Jan 30, 2012)

Sam, I 'VE done a lot of research in the last couple of weeks and, do recall that I read that Miami was indeed manufacturing the Musselman brakes at one point anyway.


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## Barkeep (Jan 30, 2012)

I just acquired a large amount of miami pope westfield excetera literature and advertisements. I'm sorting them right now but olif anything specific is wanted I'll scan and post.


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## dfa242 (Jan 30, 2012)

Larmo63 said:


> I am in need of an early Racycle badge if anyone here can part with one. I need the one that looks kinda like an iron cross.
> 
> I'm restoring my roadster, and it needs it headbadge......




Is this the one you need?  Just came up on ebay -


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Racycle-Sel...905?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46009aa691


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## vw00794 (Jan 31, 2012)

Nicely put Lawrence. You certainly are into these funny bikes aren't you?





Larmo63 said:


> Racycles were really not "racing bikes" per se, although there were some racing models made. The name was coined in tribute to the first president of the company; F.H. Ray. The Miami Cycle Co. of Middleton, Ohio made Racycle motorcycles, Flying Merkel motorcycles, (although not all of them,) Miami bicycles,(a lower line,) Musselman hubs, Flying Merkel bicycles, (ultra rare,) and the wonderful Racycle bicycles. You would think that there would be more surviving Racycles today, as the company was, in its' heyday, quite successful. They manufactured hundreds of thousands of (innovative, in their day,) bicycles. BTW, my 1912 is one of the latest known bicycles by local experts.
> 
> Any other information out there on these amazing machines?


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## shoe3 (Feb 19, 2015)

*Westfield Stormed cataloge*



Barkeep said:


> I just acquired a large amount of miami pope westfield excetera literature and advertisements. I'm sorting them right now but olif anything specific is wanted I'll scan and post.




Looking for Westfield  Stormed cataloge turn of century photos. Thanks Phil Scott


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## shoe3 (Feb 19, 2015)

Westfield Stormer  sorry so check is cold


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## fat tire trader (Feb 19, 2015)

I think that 1923 may have been the last year for Miami built Racycles. I have two Racycles. This one
http://www.fattiretrading.com/1918_racycle.html
 is the newest that I have seen.


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## filmonger (Feb 20, 2015)

This is interesting...






The Miami Cycle and Manufacturing Company made several different brands of bicycles. Some of the different nameplates are seen here. On top from the left is the Racycle (1896-1924), Hudson (1896-1914), Racycle (Westfield, Mass.). Bottom row from the left is Miami (1896-1898) and Musselman (unknown dates).





From a 1935 Girls westfield.





Hoof hearted states that the purchase of Miami bicycle co - took place sometime in 1923 or later.





This is from the recycle Crank Blog....


When were Racycles built? It’s a valid question given how long they have been out of production, the dearth of Racycle information, and the confusing later introduction by Westfield of normal-looking bicycles with a Racycle head badge. 
Racycles were built by the Miami Cycle Company of Middleton, Ohio. The company identified 1896 as the first year of Racycle production. That much is certain and is consistent in a variety of the factory’s own publications.
But determining when Racycle production stopped is more difficult. I have seen Racycles and Racycle catalogs from 1913, so it is safe to say that they were in production that late. But the trail would seem to go cold at the end of 1913.
Enter Fred Fisk, who wrote a brief history of the Miami Cycle Co for the May 1989 issue of “The Wheelmen.” For his history, Mr. Fisk’s research included the resources of the Middletown Public Library, at least one collection of ephemera, as well as information from a Middletown historian who had written about the town's industrial history and the Miami Cycle Co. in particular. Mr. Fisk’s article included a photograph of catalogs from Miami and Racycle for 1916 and 1918, so maybe production continued through 1918 and perhaps even later. Mr. Fisk concluded that Racycle production ceased in 1924, but he did not cite his source for this conclusion.
Even if there is some uncertainty about how late the Miami Cycle Co. produced the Racyle, what is certain is that they had given up by 1925. In that year, Westfield Manufacturing Co., makers of Columbia bicycles, published a catalog advertizing “Racycle” bicycles built in their Springfield, Massachusetts, factory. The Racycles in Westfield’s catalog illustrations look like standard bicycles without the large sprockets and widely-spaced crank-hanger bearings that had characterized the Ohio-built Racycles. I will leave it to others to research and report on the Westfield-built Racycles, but various sources suggest that Westfield used the Racycle name periodically from 1925 into the 1950s.
If I had to keep it short, and it pains me to do that, I’d say that Racycles were built from 1896 to about the early 1920s, perhaps as late as 1924. By 1925, it appears that Westfield Manufacturing had bought the Racycle name and was using it to sell their products, which had no obvious connection to the original Racycles built by the Miami Cycle Co. in Ohio. These conclusions are subject to change as more information becomes available. Stay tuned!


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## mike j (Feb 20, 2015)

Once & a while Westfield put the badges on right side up.


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## rideahiggins (Feb 20, 2015)

*Racycle*

Here is a photo of the one I had at the Hoosier swap last month.


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## catfish (Feb 20, 2015)

Here are a few more.   Catfish


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## hoofhearted (Feb 20, 2015)

*Use Extra Care When ......*







===============
===============


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## Robertriley (Jun 30, 2016)

filmonger said:


> This is interesting...
> 
> View attachment 197561




I always thought this mid 30's Westfield looked like it was copied off of a Racycle badge.


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## catfish (Jun 30, 2016)




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## Freqman1 (Jun 30, 2016)

catfish said:


> View attachment 334923



That bike is awesome but I like this picture of it on my dock better! V/r Shawn


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## Joe Buffardi (Jun 30, 2016)

Oh man that is sharp!!


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