The Rise of the Goold Bicycle Company: Brantford's Cycling Legacy

Brantford’s most iconic manufacturing business was the Goold Bicycle Company, started by W J Knowles and Edward L Goold in 1887. Knowles had already built up a name as the seller of English-made imported bicycles at the same address on Dalhousie Street since 1873. The firm opened up shop on Dalhousie Street, and the factory quickly grew as bicycles became more widely needed across Canada. Eventually, Goold Bicycle Company went to bigger locations, at first the Schultz Brothers Building on Albion Street, then an Elgin Street factory, and the demand for their bicycles pushed the business to its limits.

When the cycling obsession took off in the 1890s, the Goold Bicycle Company reacted with impressive efficiency and innovation. The business was sending out up to 100 bicycles a day at its peak and showed how popular and in-demand bicycles were in Brantford and the surrounding areas. Its best-known product, the Red Bird bicycle, was strong and had an attractive design. The Red Bird gained global attention for quality, and its popularity positioned the Goold Bicycle Company as one of the leading Canadian bicycle companies. By 1897 the firm employed more than 200 people, helping to make the Red Bird and other models, helping Brantford to become a wealthy centre of bicycle manufacturing.

The Goold Bicycle Company, too, was active in competitive cycling. Just as the modern car creators sponsored racing teams, the Goold Bicycle Company sponsored a racing team that took over Canadian cycling races in the late 19th century. In this era, the Red Devils won all but one of the Class B championships in Canada. Their races were rewarded, and in 1896, when they triumphed at the Canadian Wheelman Association (CWA) race meeting in Quebec, the team was treated like royalty when they arrived back in Brantford. The team’s wins did not only highlight the quality of the bikes but also the effort and determination of the riders.

The Goold Bicycle Company was acquired in 1899 by a group of companies consisting of the Massey-Harris Bicycle Company, Toronto’s Lozier Company and St. Catharine’s Welland Vale Company. This unity created the Canada Cycle and Motor Company (CCM), which for a while built bicycles in Brantford. By now, bikes were not just a luxury; for many Canadians, they were a common mode of transport. But when automobiles began to take over in the early 20th century, Goold Bicycle Company’s Brantford factory closed down and the city’s once-prosperous bicycle industry fell into decline. But the history of the Goold Bicycle Company was still essential to Brantford’s industrial past, a reminder of a time when cycling was on top.

References

 https://history-api.brantfordlibrary.ca/Document/View/c35a2046-4306-441e-ab2f-3fade46ce2f3

Muir, G. (1977). Bits and pieces of Brantford's history: Boom years (p. 35). Brantford Public Library.

Trotter, L. (2022, October 1). Behind the scenes at the Goold Bicycle Company - Post #88. Louise Trotter Photography. https://www.louisetrotter.photo/globetrotter/behind-the-scenes-at-the-goold-bicycle-company-post-88