The Top Bicycle Companies You Should Know
Sometimes living in an urban area doesn’t mean the best of everything. Sometimes it means getting just more accustomed to the traffic and the daily hustle and bustle of urban living. Singapore envisions a car-light society where its citizens can freely and safely walk on pedestrian lanes and travel light by biking. The creation of cycling lanes gives proof to this vision. The history of cycling goes way back in the 19th century but its popularity has never waned. Recent times created only more useful purposes and different designs that make bicycles even better. But when it comes to the bicycle manufacturing companies, nothing beats those companies who have been there even in the early times and still continues to exist. These companies were able to develop new types of bicycles and enhanced the older models. They also are well-known for the list of many famous professional cyclists who are titleholders in the world of biking. Get to know the names of these bicycle manufacturing companies:
Bianchi Bicycles
This is the top on the list because Bianchi Bicycles is the world’s oldest manufacturing company to date. The Italian company was founded in 1885 when the owner, Edoardo Bianchi, was only 21 years old. It started as a bicycle business and the success spurred a motorcycle production from 1897 to 1967. It then entered the car production business as a joint venture with Fiat and Perilli with Fiat buying the entire ownershio in 1969. Bianchi Bicycles was the one to introduc the use of equal-size wheels with pneumatic rubber tires. They also became more famous when the company name became attached to a list of popular bicycle championship titleholders.
The Cannondale Bicycle Corporation
This American company specializes in aluminum bike frames and introduced the carbon fiber frames. It was first started in 1971 by Jim Catrambone, Joe Montgomery and Ron Davis for their business production in camping bags and backpacks and later on the bicycle trailers for bicycle touring. Unfortunately, the company’s venture into motorsport business led to their bankruptcy in 2003. It is now owned by Dorel Industries, a Canadian conglomerate for bicycle supplies.
Fuji Bikes
The name for this company is taken from Japan’s Mt Fuji which is Japan’s symbolic icon for strength and endurance. This now American-owned Japanese brand was first founded in 1899 and became the most popular bicycle brand in Japan in the 1920s. This company also organized a national stage race between Osaka and Tokyo in the 1930s – this race remains to be a premier race in Asia. In 1951, a Japanese biker in Fuji bicycle won the first ever Asian games that were set in New Delhi. Fuji contributed to the bicycle boom in the 1970s and developed the 12-speed bicycles, touring bicycles, and titanium frame bikes. Their bankruptcy in the 1990s led to several changes of ownership and it is now owned by Advanced Sports International of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Kona Bicycle Company
This Canadian company was first founded in 1988 and is still owned by Dan Gerhard and Jacob Heilbron. The company is popular for its long-standing tradition of bicycle racing and cycling advocacy. It also has a Kona Factory Team that is composed of elite professional riders from all over the world winning 200 National and World Champion competitions. The company specializes in mountain bikes but also produces and develops other types of bikes.