The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-09
Bicycles Soon 10
Become Cheaper
Reasons Why the Present High Prices
Must Soon Give Way.
VERY BEST WHEELS FOR $40
The Time Is Coming, and 1t Is Believed to
Be Near, When This Will Be tho
Market Price of the
Silent Stecd.

The golden age of the wheelman has
not yet arrived, but it is fast approaching
ing. A few years ago the old ordinary
which will soon be a museum relic
cost the enthusiastic pedaler, accord
ing to the size ,f the wheel, all the way
fl ON $125 to $3.50. In 1883 the first safe
ty bicycle was built in America, and as
soon as the new machine came INTO
poralar favor the star or the orGtnar"
began to wane, until at the present
time no dealer would have the nerve to
ask more than S. at the most for one
OF the old-style wheels. When the
safety first came in, the manufacturers
claimed that the new machines cost
much more to manufacture than the
ordinary, and made this an excuse for
raising the standard price to S135. OF
course the riders objected but there
We're so few manufacturers in the coun-
try that there was no difficulty in main
tanning the price, and later, when the
pneumatic tire came into use, in rails
ing the price to $3.50.
Lured by the stories Of the immense
profits there was in manufacturing
wheels, new factories were started and
competition soon became so active that
| the old concerns, in order to maintain
their supremacy, announced in the
spring of 1894 cut in price to S125,
which was the standard list price of all
the leading makes last season. Even
this reduction did not check the rapid
multiplication of factories, and the in
creased competition forced the price
| CT fttrf fl,nt Il &c.
announced as the list price for 1895.
According to the Buffalo Express 1t
must not be inferred, however, that the
list price always means the selling
price, as during last season a cash offer
of $50 to $50 was enough to buy any one
of the best makes, although, of course,
1T would be hard to get any one of the
dealers to admit it, and this will un-
doubtedly be the case during the COM
ing season.
| What Competition Will Do.
By the end of 1895 it is safe to pro-
phesy that almost any bicycle can be
bought for almost any price, for in
spite of the fact of the almost unprece-
dented increased popularity of the
wheel during the last year and the
likelihood of a still greater increase
during this season, there is no ques-
tion that the supply of bicycles manu-
factured this year will greatly exceed
the demand. The opening of 1894 found
the makers with quantities of leftover
stock on hand which was disposed of
at or below cost to get it out of the
way and this accounts in a great meas
| a cal ne
son, as many of these cheap wheels
were bought by men who would never
think of paying SlOO for bicycle. Aside
from this old stock, the sales during
the season were comparatively light.
as makers had not fully recovered
from the disastrous season of 1898 and
were inclined to go slow. The end of
the season found warerooms cleaned
out and all goods converted into cash
and the predictions on all sides of a
remarkable year for 1895 stimulated
manufacturers into adding to their
plants. and making preparations for
doubling or trebling business. Leaving
out of consideration the immense num-
Der of new makers who will enter the
field for the first time this year this
! ldCl Ill ltSell lllulCdteS lnat the enQ OF
1895 will find manufacturers in the
same condition that they were at the
end of 1S93-with a big leftover stock
that must be disposed of at any price
to meet pressing obligations. Then
there will be rich picking for impecu-
nious riders.
Prices Must Fall.
A thoroughly high grade bicycle
built of the best material that money
can buy and with the most careful and
expensive workmanship, can be sold tc
dealers at price that will enable them
to market it at $50, provided that they
get cash and are satisfied with as large
margin of profit as they get on theii
leading lines of dry goods or hardware
or whatever their other stock may be
When it is considered that the actual
cost to the maker of all the materials
which enter into the construction of 9
first-class bicycle, including tires, en-.
ameling and nickel-plating, is less thar
$25 and that per wheel is an extremely
liberal estimate for all the skilled labor
! required in ITS construction, it will be
| seen that maker building, say 10000