1962 J.C. Higgins made in Austria

[juvela]

-----

have a faint memory of reading up a bit on Kent in the past

iirc company HQ located in Tacoma, WA

products not sold in bike shops afaik

sold only in chainstores from what i recall

another member is sure to have more accurate and full information...

---

edit -

juvela wrongo como normale

Kent International Inc. - Bikes, Bike Accessories & More

A family-owned business, Kent International has operated for over a century. We supply millions of sporting goods products to our customers all over the globe, every year. Offering a wide range of bicycles, safety gear, and accessories, plus sports & fitness products, we have what you need for...

kent.bike

this forum post explains co. history:

17

[and no connection to the folk who invented the micronite filter]

-----

 

[GTs58]

-----

have a faint memory of reading up a bit on Kent in the past

iirc company HQ located in Tacoma, WA

products not sold in bike shops afaik

sold only in chainstores from what i recall

another member is sure to have more accurate and full information...

---

edit -

juvela wrongo como normale

Kent International Inc. - Bikes, Bike Accessories & More

A family-owned business, Kent International has operated for over a century. We supply millions of sporting goods products to our customers all over the globe, every year. Offering a wide range of bicycles, safety gear, and accessories, plus sports & fitness products, we have what you need for...

kent.bike

this forum post explains co. history:

17

[and no connection to the folk who invented the micronite filter]

-----

While checking out a chain store before Christmas with my Father I saw this bike and really liked it. The store was like a Kmart but the name was Totem. My older Brother got a Black Royce Union three speed diamond framed bike that Christmas also.

Near the end of 1960, Wigwam expanded to Arizona but the state already had a business named Wigwam, which wanted $15,000 for the rights to the name.[citation needed] The partners of Wigwam decided that the name was not worth that much so they decided to call the Arizona store Totem.

The expansion soon made its way into Southern California. At the peak of the southwest division, the Southwest had 25 stores between the two states. In California, the stores that Wigwam took over were Malcum and Webb's. The group decided to keep the names of both stores. There were also some department stores with the name of Wigwam opened in California. After Wigwam moved to the Southwest, the company needed capital to continue the expansion, so it made an initial public offering in the stock market in 1970. Wigwam sold 250,000 shares at ten dollars a share as an "over the counter stock" that was not traded on the New York Stock Exchange.[citation needed]

 

[Oilit]

Wikipedia's got a little bit on Kent. It says the current company started in 1947 as Philkam Cycle, "supplying bikes and parts to stores in the eastern United States." Philkam Cycle became Kent International in 1958 and they started manufacturing bicycles in New Jersey in 1979, moved manufacturing overseas in 1990 but then opened a new plant in Manning, South Carolina in 2014. It also says Kent was originally founded in 1909 in NYC, so it sounds like Philkam Cycle must have bought them out. Maybe Philkam was ready to expand beyond the eastern US and buying Kent was the quickest way to do it. It also sounds like they were more of a wholesale distributer before 1979, selling bicycles made by other companies, although there aren't any explicit details..

Kent International - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[juvela]

-----

thanks very much for this additional history Oilit!

---

tip i forgot to mention for Styria product owners with 26.0mm steeerers:

a poster over at BF mentioned that he was able to locate new reproduction headsets from Asia of good quality

he ordered one for one of his holdings as was quite pleased with it

cost was a very reasonable 20USD

-----

 

[Oilit]

Thanks, Juvela! Always good to have options!

 

[juvela]

-----

advert of 1956 from a Styria products distributor located in Los Angeles:

one would thimk the importer be able to spell the noma keyrekt

-----

 

[Oilit]

-----

advert of 1956 from a Styria products distributor located in Los Angeles:

View attachment 1343990

one would thimk the importer be able to spell the noma keyrekt

-----

I've seen Steyr and I've seen Styria, I'm beginning to wonder if it's two different spellings or two different companies. But when you see how some immigrant names get Americanized, it's probably just two different spellings.

 

[juvela]

-----

company located in Graz

city of Graz located in a region called Styria

Styria - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

-----

 

[Oilit]

-----

company located in Graz

city of Graz located in a region called Styria

Styria - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

-----

So the Steyr Company is located in Styria? That makes sense. Two similar names, but not the same.