Location: Wichita

Wichita Bicycle Shop, Around 1910

Vintage photos of bicycles in Kansas are always interesting. This one shows a bicycle shop in Wichita, around 1910:

Wichita Bicycle Shop North Market 1910a

This image is from Kansas Photographs Collection at the University of Kansas, where it’s described as “New cars parked in front of Star Automobile Co. and bicycle shop”, and dated 1910-1920.

That sort of implies that the two shops were part of the same business, but that’s probably not true.

The Star Automobile Company was located at 137 North Market, and was formed in 1908. They sold cars from Brush (1907–1913), E-M-F (1909 to 1912), Maxwell (1904 to 1925), and Overland (1908 to 1912). Judging by those dates, a 1909-1912 timeframe sounds about right.

The current streetview of 137 North Market shows nothing resembling the photo, so apparently these buildings are long gone.

Here’s another shot, from the same era, showing a parade headed down the street:

Wichita Bicycle Shop North Market 1910b

This image from Kansas Memory is dated from “1908 to 1911”, and shows a similar scene

Does anyone have any further information about this early Wichita bike shop?

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About The Author

By Randy Rasa, editor/webmaster at Kansas Cyclist, the web's premier Kansas cycling information site, featuring authoritative guides to Kansas cycling clubs, bike shops, organized bike rides, touring, trails, and much more. [learn more]

One response to “Wichita Bicycle Shop, Around 1910”

  1. Randy says:

    Most everything I could find on Wichita bicycle history here http://locojoe.com/coasters/index.php?/categories/6-Wichita-Bicycle-History