Chuckk

..

OLDYELLR

The Shwinn of Canada would be more like it. Or at least used to be. Back when the only imported bikes were from Europe and Japan, CCM was the best known bicycle maker in Canada. Like any big manufacturer, they also had a custom frame shop building bikes for sponsored riders. Can't remember when I last saw a CCM.

toomanybikes

They made lovely bikes actually.

What was CCM is now owned by a corporate holding company called Pro Cycle Group, the group also produces such brands as Opus, and Rocky Mountain among others which I can't remember right now.

frameteam2003

I'm waiting for the CCM silver ghost 531 main tubes to arrive.Also if I find the chainset then I'll get serious and do the 30s CCM path racer---sam

invicta

Theres a CCM silver gohst hanging from the ceiling in the art room at my old Highschool.... i was in the process of trying to acquire it when i graduated. Currently Im riding a mid 70's CCM Mistral, 531 tubes, simplex derailleurs, ambrosio hoops. all of which have been retired and its been turned into a fix but judging by the original spec id say it was an alright bike.

T-Mar

Here's a little advance peak at the history I'm working on for a proposed, unofficial CCM website.

'The Canadian Cycle and Motor Company was established in 1899, when several Canadian manufacturers banded together in reaction to a proposed Canadian facility by a US company. Unfortunately, the company formation co-incided with an unexpected depression in the industry, but the company rebounded with the emerging children's market after the Great War and settled into a long reign as Canada’s premier manufacturer of bicycles. Financial stability was cemented by entering the sporting goods market, with a successful hockey equipment line that provided the necessary continuity in manufacturing, during the winter season.

Undoubtedly, the company’s peak was the period between the World Wars. Emphasis on customer satisfaction , commitment to dealers and good management-worker relations reaped good quality and productivity on the shop floor and dealer loyalty. Most important though, the company image with the consumer was excellent.

After World War II, the company sustained it’s position thanks to the baby boom, new tooling and good manufacturing practices. However cracks were beginning to appear in the armour. Conflicts over unionization polarized the workforce and management. Marketing was shifted to department stores, which alienated the once loyal dealer network. By the time the 1970’s bike boom rolled around, the company was a shadow of it’s former self. The marque had little appeal to the knowledgeable cyclist, who was showing increased favour for the European and Japanese models.

By the late 70’s, the company was experiencing yearly losses and had to rely on the government for loans to keep itself solvent. In 1982, the name was officially changed to the CCM moniker long in use by the public. A change of ownership failed to improve matters and the company declared bankruptcy in January 1983. Pro-Cycle Inc. purchased the assets and trademark, retaining the bicycle division and selling off the hockey division.

To-day, Pro-Cycle manufacturers and markets CCM bicycles, primarily to chain stores throughout Canada. The line-up is primarily low end all-terrain, hybrid and children’s bikes. '

It's interesting that Frameteam2003 and Invicta have a Silver Ghost and Mistral. My sister owns a 1975 Silver Ghost, while I have a 1973 Mistral. What are the odds of that?

The notable marque missing from Toomanybikes' comment is Peugeot. Pro-Cycle manufactured the majority of the Peugeot models marketed in North America during the 1980s and 1990s.

While CCM did manufacture a high end model during the 1970s boom, it was not very popular. The company survived primarily on the sales of children's bikes, the entry level Targa model and the sales of the hockey equipment.

uxrider

Here is the top of the line CCM sold at Crappy Tire stores across Canada.

frameteam2003

top model --silver ghost

john_smith

My first bmx bike was a CCM Bobcat, back in '85.
I have searched the net for info and ... it doesn't exist.
I found out today on Wikipedia that the company went bankrupt in 1983, so my bike was probably a '83 model (?) Don't know..
Anyway, Pro-Cycle, should make a history page on the CCM site or something.
There's alot of history behind CCM so I think it's worth it.

divineAndbright

CCM bicycles were still built and sold after the company went bankrupt.. I dont know who made 'em, but they certainly werent built at the old weston factory; they were just "badged" as CCM. I bought a "CCM" cruiser at a flea market in may '05 that was probably from the same era as your bobcat.. had a 3piece crank instead of the usual "CCM" chainring all CCM bikes usually came with, no badges or decals- all stickers for identification. Someone here has a "Mustang" like that too.. do a search for it, same story.

CdnPeugeot

some pics of the formula one model i eyeballed in a local auction last year. what t-mar above mentioned as their top model, i think he could have one as a project, is "tour de canada" (we should beg him to post some pics please!) but it was their 70's style road bike. they made most young Canadian kids first bike (like me) everyone had them growing up in the 70's & 80's, some times via Canadian Tire stores.

J T CUNNINGHAM

Mention should also be made of the , ' Flyer ' , Model . It was a Track Bike and c/w Wooden Rims . There are a number of collections in this city along with a gold plated example at The Sports Hall Of Fame within The CNE Grounds . ( Ex "Torchy" Pedin , Cdn 6 Day Champ.)
I destroyed mine, (top & down tube buckled) when I T-boned Vauxhall Station Wagon; the wooden rims/steel spokes, nary a whimper; the wrist & ankle both broke nicely though.

OLDYELLR

Yeah, probably contracted from Asia, using the CCM logo under license. Even the Schwinn bikes sold by Canadian Tire are just badged products, unknown to Schwinn USA, who import totally different Asian bikes.

T-Mar

Since 1983, all the CCM have been built by Procycle in Quebec. As far as I'm aware, there is no offshore sub-contracting of frame manufacture or assembly.

As for Schwinn, the brand owner just lisenses out the right to use the brand and model names to different companies in different countries. In Canada, the lisensee puts out tenders for various categories of bicycles. Distributors then submit their design and quotes. In the past two years, there have been at least four different suppliers of Schwinn bicycles in Canada and none are domsetic. This leads to wide variation in quality within the model line and sometimes within a model from year to year. At least with CCM, there is a single source, so there is some consistency. And if your patriotic, it's domestically manufactured.

-=(8)=-

My LBS had a Peugeot franchise and said he wouldnt carry them when
they reorganized and went CCM. Quality problems. Is that really the
consensus of most Pug-o-philes ?

T-Mar

More misinformation! Procycle started manufacturing Peugeot back in late 1970s. In 1990, the Peugeot head office considered abandoning the US market, but Procycle stepped in and purchased Peugeot USA, becoming the exclusive North American manufacturer and supplier and ensuring the Peugeot presence in the US through 2001. Many of those affectionately remembered 1980s models were actually built in Canada and it has been my experience that the Canadian manufactured models had better workmanship than the French manufactrured models.

If your LBS dropped Peugeot after 1990, due to going CCM, it doesn't make sense. He had been receiving Canadian Peugeot models for a long time. And Peugeot never went CCM. By the time the CCM brand was taken over by Procycle, Procycle had been manufacturing Peugeot for several years and was already shipping into the US.

moore1600

I actually passed a man who had one of these and two cheap schwinns for sale in his yard for $25, I gave him $30 and have pretty much stripped the CCM of everything except for the crank and chainring. If I was reading correctly, this is a Reynolds 531 tubing bike?

I'm pretty much upgrading everything on the bike as a first road bike... is this a frame that's worth giving the treatment to?

moore1600

Where does the Formula One rank in the CCM lineup?

T-Mar

2nd from the bottom of the adult, 10 speed line.

moore1600

Can you tell me anything more about the bike... Mine came without any braze ons, leather seat, Formula One, according to another thread it would be pre-1973

T-Mar

It's 1972 or 1973. What exactly do you want to know?

moore1600

Frame material?
BB size?

john_smith

T-Mar, you seem to know a lot about ccm,
I was assuming my bike was from 1985 because thats when i got it but
looking at the serial number on the dropout - TH83 - and with the info that ccm went into bancrupcy in 1983, im thinking that the frame must be from 83.....
Also looking at the 1980-1983 Redline MXII frames, they seem to be almost identical design...

T-Mar

It's not unusal for bicycles to sit in a shop for a year or so before being sold, especially during a lull in the market, like there was in the early 1980s. It may well be a 1983, it certainly sounds reasonable based on teh serial number prefixbut I can't say for sure. I'm not as familiar with the post bankrutcy CCM or with what I'm assuming is a BMX model. However, I do have all the pre-bankruptcy catalogs back to 1972, so if you post pics, we can at least eliminate that possibility. Also, I'm not sure if there was much component date coding on BMX parts, but you could always explore that possibility. And you could always try the BMX forum. I'm not trying to pass you off, but I just don't think I'll be able to help much on this one, as it's out of my area of expertise. But you never know, so post some pics.

john_smith

Yes, its a BMX model, I have searched the web for info, Vintagebmx forum, BMX museum, google, etc.. and nothing...
I will post some photos soon at bmxmuseum.com
It would be great if it shows up in one of your catalogs!

Im really thinking now that it could be a 1983 model, serial number, same style as '83 Redline, it had "rat" style pedals (mks or mongoose not sure of the make because I dont have them anymore) and that always made me wonder why a '85 would have 70's style pedals instead of DX's or similar.
That all seems to lead to an earlier model.