How many bikes were made?
03-28-19, 10:14 AM
#1
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How many bikes were made?
Something I wonder about occasionally. Obviously it depends on which bikes. Let’s limit it to major manufacturers, not custom shops. Some bikes, like Team Raleigh’s and Motobecane Team Champions, are described as “limited production,” but what does that really mean? How about something like a boom era Super Course? Ironman models? Schwinn numbers? Can anyone shed light on orders of magnitude?
03-28-19, 10:25 AM
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Don't know specific #s , but hazard a guess that they are much larger than we realize: Don
Cycling during the Seventies: A History of US Bicycling in the 1970's
Cycling during the Seventies: A History of US Bicycling in the 1970's
Last edited by ollo_ollo; 03-28-19 at 10:25 AM. Reason: fix typo
03-28-19, 12:02 PM
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I think you have to look at specific models from the major manufactures. Look for upper mid-range to high-range models that were offered for only a few years. That may mean that they were unpopular because of price or market changes. The topic interests me.
03-28-19, 12:33 PM
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https://raleigh-sb4059.com/2016/07/1...on-production/
His info suggests that about 8000 bikes came out of the SBDU group from the mid 70's to mid 80's.
These bikes sit somewhere in the grey zone between custom and production. They received some real care and love when being built... although I can only speak for the 753 frame that I have. Having to build with silver solder required a level of care that wasn't needed for the typical brass brazing material.
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03-28-19, 12:53 PM
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Something I wonder about occasionally. Obviously it depends on which bikes. Let’s limit it to major manufacturers, not custom shops. Some bikes, like Team Raleigh’s and Motobecane Team Champions, are described as “limited production,” but what does that really mean? How about something like a boom era Super Course? Ironman models? Schwinn numbers? Can anyone shed light on orders of magnitude?
I like the names they have for cars.] Like, no baron has ever owned a LeBaron. Or the Ford LTD. "LTD." Limited. It's a "limited" edition...what did they make, fifty million of those? "Yes, it's 'limited' to the number we can sell."
joke aside, ive wondered this too. Especially something like the Ironman versus something like a comparable model from De Rosa or whatever.
03-28-19, 01:55 PM
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It's a really good question. Antonio Stradivari made several hundred to maybe a thousand violins. I don't know if that's relevant, but the topic is broadly interesting even outside the realm of classic bicycles.
03-28-19, 05:57 PM
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There were probably more bikes made since the origin of bikes than there are people alive today.
Seeing as how just the Netherlands bought 1 million new bikes in 2018 on a population of 17 million. That would be a 5.8% replacement rate each year. Let's make that 1% for the rest of the world each year and on a population of 7.6 billion people we are looking at 76 million bikes sold last year.
Seeing as how just the Netherlands bought 1 million new bikes in 2018 on a population of 17 million. That would be a 5.8% replacement rate each year. Let's make that 1% for the rest of the world each year and on a population of 7.6 billion people we are looking at 76 million bikes sold last year.
03-28-19, 06:19 PM
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It would be an interesting project to contact each manufacturer and get say numbers from 1900 to 2000. Many of them likely have the data in a musty file cabinet somewhere.
And, if not compiled now, it could well be lost forever, as companies get consolidated, and get broken up and sold off for their trademark names.
There obviously would be several spinoff questions, for example, how many bicycle actually made it to the USA.
Also, the "survival rate" of the bicycles. Especially of the quality road bikes vs cheap department store bikes.
And, if not compiled now, it could well be lost forever, as companies get consolidated, and get broken up and sold off for their trademark names.
There obviously would be several spinoff questions, for example, how many bicycle actually made it to the USA.
Also, the "survival rate" of the bicycles. Especially of the quality road bikes vs cheap department store bikes.
03-28-19, 10:26 PM
#9
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Here’s another (more general) piece about Raleigh with some historical numbers.
https://www.google.com/amp/letslooka...f-raleigh/amp/
https://www.google.com/amp/letslooka...f-raleigh/amp/
03-29-19, 07:23 AM
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A fellow on a FB group that I'm in claims to be the builder of all the 1973 Raleigh RRA's. He said that approximately 25 of these were built. I was surprised, as I have seen pictures of 7 or 8 of them online, but will leave that here fwiw.
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03-29-19, 07:46 AM
#12
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Take 1973 hight of bike boom 15,000,000 bikes sold in USA. Schwinn's 1,500,000 Paramount's 5000
03-29-19, 08:37 AM
#13
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If true, I'm a little sorry I sold the one I had!
03-29-19, 11:56 AM
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I searched for YEARS for a PRO10 in my size until finally I found the right one. The Peugeot bikes from the Prestige shop are rare, and while the numbers were always small, they built way more bikes in the mid-late 70's, and things began to taper off gradually until the shop closed 1983-84. To quote Phil Anderson, they are "A bit thin on the ground"...indeed.
03-30-19, 12:04 PM
#15
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I think Flying Pigeon made over 500,000,000 bikes.
