tiger1964 

Not interested in the bikes but, many decades ago, my brother and I used to chat about starting up a bike shop, "Wright Brothers" would have been the name (three guesses on our last name). Never happened, probably a good thing.

We are, however, going to order the T-shirts...

Darth Lefty 

So far as I can tell the Wrights' bicycles were nothing exceptional in the national market, nor did they have a large market share. It was a good living for a little while, which they chose because it was popular and they were handy. They built 300-ish bicycles and sold other brands, competing with other local shops, in a national market that was producing like a million bikes a year. They claim credit for reverse threading on the left side but I bet others do too. Very soon the boom crashed and the industry was consolidating which they even mention in their 1900 catalog on the museum website. By 1902 they had pretty much given it up.

cudak888 

An American Pashley was more or less what I envisioned, with a lineup similar to the Briton, Guv'nor, and Countryman. Heck, the Guv'nor is basically what would happen if you took a period Wright and modernized it.

At least the brand would somewhat match the product with stuff like this. Right now, it has all the warmth and commonality to it's history as a 1960's sitcom revived as a made-for-TV movie in the 1990's.

-Kurt

Kilroy1988 

Why has no one cared to mention that they also sell full-scale reproductions of various versions of Wright gliders and aircraft?

Undoubtedly that is the focus of this company and the bicycles are a marketing gimmick.

-Gregory

Kilroy1988 

Almost anyone seriously considering one of these new bicycles is obviously not interested in the bare-bones functionality offered by an actual turn-of-the-century bicycle.

cudak888 

You know, I missed that. They should have licensed some Guv'nors.

-Kurt

Dan Burkhart 

The bike shop itself doesn't really have much in it. It is but one of several locations they ran the bike business out of, and the only building still standing in Dayton that they operated in. One of the buildings they worked out of, perhaps the last one, I'm not sure, was re located to Greenfield Village in Dearborn by Henry Ford. I have seen that one as well.
The Dayton shop is located next door to the aviation museum, and the tour is conducted by the museum staff.

Lascauxcaveman 

Yeah, for $4000 I want an airplane, not some crude bike.

But for $4000, I could build my own, easily enough. I have some tools, and the internet exists, after all.

sykerocker 

I could easily see more of a market for that sort of product than what they're turning out. Plus, bring out a line of period correct cycling clothes (not that difficult a venture, currently if you want to do American Civil War it's almost not worth doing your own kit - you can just buy the stuff easily - unless, of course, you're one of those 'thread perfect' types).

Would give tweed rides a whole new look.

2old

Looks like a solution for a problem that nobody has, and BB5 brakes**********

Dan Burkhart 

Yeah, that is definitely not a spec I would expect to find on a bike at this price point. When I spoke to the guy, one of his stated goals is to source as many American made components as possible. I think a set of Paul disc brakes would better fit the price and stated objective.

nomadmax 

Should you or any other Bike Forums member find yourself in Dayton again, I would be happy to be a tour guide.

On Topic

For 4k I can buy 2 vintage steel road bikes and a 105 equipped carbon fiber disc brake road bike. Pass.

Bad Lag

With the topic of this thread and the mere fact that their menu lists "Bicycles" before "Flying Machines", I never saw that. You are spot on with the assessment.

The airplanes look great! Some versions are airworthy, too. The bicycles are still weird.

Has anyone emailed them for a price on any of the Flyers?

gomango

My neighbor just picked this Jamis Sequel up for a trip we are going on to our cabin.

Loads of braze-ons and hydraulic discs make it more attractive to me.

Add racks, lighting, three water bottle cages and your favorite saddle.

It was about $1,000 and the shop tossed in a bunch of goodies.

If "Wright Brothers" is going to make a dent in a very crowded adventure/bikecamping market, they'll have to bring a lot more value.

https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/sequel.html

merziac

+1 Agreed, however, like I said before, were are likely not the target market here and people who buy planes would have no problem spending another $4-5K on an accessory to go with one.

nomadmax 

Here's their problem ^. We, for the most part, are bicycle crack heads. If they can't sell us a bike, who can they sell it to? Heck, I patrolled that area in Dayton as a bike cop; I wouldn't be a buyer of either one of those bike for north of a thousand bucks.

Bad Lag

Positive aspects of the bikes -

Head badge: nice name brand
Belt drive: no maintenance, clean, QUIET!
Internally geared hub: 11 speeds, no maintenance, clean, quiet (14 speed Rohloff available)
Disk brakes: well, some people like them, so I'll put them here. I hate them.

Negative aspects of the bike -

Price: $4k - $5k OMG!

Bad Lag

Imagine how "clean" that bike would be if it had an 11 speed Alfine or 14 speed Rohloff hub instead of that mechanical monstrosity in the rear. One chain ring up front also means no chain tensioner or derailleur is needed. These new IGH hubs work out very nicely.

iab

You are correct in that we are the crackhead equivalent, in that C&Vers live for that ten-dolla high. That bike ain't for the cheapest collectors on earth.

That bike is for those who party with a kilo of pure Columbian goodness. Buying a six-figure replica of a janky old plane? Go ahead, throw in one of those $5K bikes. Can't spend six figures on a janky old replica? How about a "cheap" bike in the spirit of the company. Aviation rich guys know nothing about bikes.

Last ride 76 

Get ones from Seattle...

merziac

The GQ plane buyers are far more likely the target, not us penny pinching C+V crack heads.

Kilroy1988 

Hey, I'm not a rich guy, but I'm really into historical aviation, and I know a thing or two about bicycles!

Whether things have two wheels, four wheels, wings, are powered by locomotion, or float, there's plenty of crossover among gear heads of all sorts... Also, most guys who are interested in flying around in century old death traps are not stereotypical "aviation rich guys" by any means. I've read their forums and blogs - they're more like a cross between reenactors and hot rodders than anything.

-Gregory

cudak888 

Agreed. A few poseurs may buy them, and maybe a few rich fellows not really into the C&V bike scene but knowledgeable enough to appreciate an IGH bike (and like the novelty of owning a bicycle for daily use that proclaims their favorite hobby). Otherwise, it's a dead end product, likely conjured up by someone with too many niche ideas combined with enough money to make a bad idea happen.

That's the easiest way for a stupid marketing decision to move forward, come to think of it. Venture capital + (foresight - dreams) * barely any market research = Another boutique dud.

Come to think of it, Pashley got away with the Guv'nor because it was released at the height of a retro-vintage hipster market when nobody else was making a stripped down roadster with a light, steampunk aesthetic. Perfect timing.

Speaking of which, quite a few Guv'nors seemed to show up on the used market a few years later. I bet the buyers realized that 65 degree frame angles and forward-leaning riding positions look cool in practice, but do not make regular riding enjoyable.

-Kurt

tiger1964 

Followed that link, didn't see any shirts.

Kilroy1988 

For a while I was under the spell of many of Pashley's offerings, including the Guv'nor... Then as I learned more about the early twentieth century bicycles that the current lineup is supposedly inspired by, I realized how modern the vision behind the new bikes actually is... Very little semblance of what actually was, and much more of a facade created by trends such as those you mention, like Victorian steampunk. Now I wouldn't dream of owning any Pashley bike - especially because all of the 24.5" models, which is my ideal frame size, have silly double top tubes that would have typically been reserved for even larger or workhorse frames.

Marketing follies abound, even among the venerated!

-Gregory