The History Of The Hercules Cycles

There are very few brands names in the market which gets mingled up with the products. One such brand is Hercules. In the middle of 19^th century bicycles were commonly known as Hercules cycles. Hercules became such a famous name that many people thought it were actually a type of bicycle.

Hercules Cycle Company was one of the largest firms in England. Much of their sales depended on exports and hence Hercules cycles were well known even in south Asian countries like Taiwan, Indonesia and India.

Rise of Hercules:
Sir Edmund Crane was the founder of Hercules cycle and motor company. He was the eldest son Jack Crane who owned Petros Cycle Company. Sir Edmund crane was popularly called Ted. He and his brother Harry started the Hercules cycle and motor company together in 1910. Ted selected the name ‘Hercules’ as it meant toughness.

Harry took care of the quality and production of cycles while Ted took care of the marketing side. From the very beginning Hercules cycles were known for its high quality and cheap prices. Their growth was enormous right from the beginning.

Enormous growth:
Initially they were producing 25 bicycles a week. Within four years they have setup their own factory in Aston producing nearly 10,000 bicycles a year. With the intervention of the First World War Hercules company produced bomb shells for some time and returned back to bicycle production shortly.

By 1921 Ted had doubled the number of cycles being produced in the company. Most of the cycles produced were exported to Asian and African countries. They were markets with continuous demands and Sir Edmund crane made best use of it.

Mass production and cheap cost:
Bicycles would not have been so popular in the 19^th century if it would not have been for Hercules. Owning a Hercules cycle was considered a symbol of status. Another best factor was that Hercules cycles were the cheapest in market. Mass production enabled them to maintain low costs.

By 1939, Hercules Cycle Company had produced nearly six million cycles a number hard to imagine by most of the best car manufacturers today also. They set up a 13 acre factory in Aston, England. Sir Edmund Crane was rightly know as the ‘the Henry Ford of the cycle industry’.

His brother Harry was the technical brain behind the company. He demised in a young age in heart attack. Sir Edmund crane was survived by a daughter Joan Vickers and two grandchildren.

Start of a decline:
In the middle of 19^th century bicycle manufacturing became extremely competitive and lot of new technologies was being introduced continuously. Crane was the shrewdest industrialist of that time. He sold the company to Tube investments for three million pounds. Tube investments formed the British cycle corporation combining the factories of Hercules, Philips, and other companies. Sir Edmund crane died on 18 the September 1957.

The history of Hercules could not be separated from the history of bicycles. Hercules cycles set up a standard for other cycles and will be remembered forever.

Read more about the History of Bicycles or in Dutch Fietsen Geschiedenis.