Cycling Through History: The story of E.C. Stearns and the ‘Yellow Fellow’

During the ‘Gay Nineties’ (1890 – 1899), between the horse and the advent of the ‘horseless carriage’ many Syracuse residents took up the national hobby of bike riding. Eventually, this city became known as one of the primary bicycle manufacturing centers in the country with E. C. Stearns Co. leading the way.

Edward C. Stearns inherited his entrepreneurial ability from his father, George, who unfortunately died when Edward was only 15 years old. George ran a small, but highly successful hardware business. Utilizing the skills taught by his father, E. C. quickly expanded the business. When the bicycling craze seriously began in the late 1880s, Stearns quickly recognized that manufacturing bicycles would be profitable. He downsized his hardware business and geared up to manufacture bicycles.

The E. C. Stearns Company became the national forerunner of all the major bicycle manufacturers at that time. Its business, in turn, greatly benefitted the city of Syracuse. The company employed, at its peak, almost 1,000 people, and was located on four acres of land occupied by nine buildings housing the various workings of the factory. The factory faced Oneida Street and extended all the way back to Onondaga Street. Every part of the bicycle, with perhaps the exception of the tires and the handlebar grips, was manufactured by the E. C. Stearns Company and began with exacting workmanship using the highest quality materials. Once completed, the resulting bike was subjected to numerous tests before it was made available for sale to the public. 

The company developed its buildings with efficiency in mind. In the main building, the basement housed the stockroom and storehouse. This was also the location of the fireproof vault that held the finished bikes before they were shipped out for sale. The bike frame was constructed on the third floor where 200 employees measured parts, polished steel tubing, and filled joints before sending the frame upstairs. All the steel used in the tubing was rolled and cut in another building. The enameling department was located on the top floor. All parts of the bike were polished further with pumice before most of the bikes received several coats of bright yellow enamel paint. Other colors offered included black, blue, and carmine. The frame was then placed in very hot ovens that baked on the enamel for a long-lasting and durable finish. The company enameled 275 bike frames a day when it was at its manufacturing height. The bicycle wheels were constructed with an interchangeable process. There were four weights of wheels depending on the size of the rider and whether the rider chose to use the bike for racing or pleasure. All the wheel rims were yellow-orange (earning the Stearns bicycles the nickname of Yellow Fellow). The saddles and pedals were produced on yet another floor. Once finished, the bike included a tool bag and pamphlet that gave illustrations, the number and price of each part, together with directions for adjusting and repairing the bike and how to care properly for the tires.

Stearns did not just produce single-rider bicycles. Eventually eight styles of bikes were made — all with the distinctive orange rims. Also manufactured were tandem, triplet, and six and seven-man bikes. The company experimented with different styles of bikes to appeal to a variety of riders (i.e., bikes with sails and those with a leather hammock for more comfortable riding). The sextet bike was most famous for having raced a train locally and beaten it. The course was laid out just east of Solvay and the race occurred in 1896 when the company was in its heyday. Stearns shipped its bikes all over the world and eventually opened factories in Buffalo, San Francisco, Paris, Toronto, and Berlin. The company sponsored popular bike races all over the country, some of them transcontinental races.

It should be mentioned that although Stearns was most well-known for its bicycles, the company never forgot its roots and continued to locally manufacture a variety of hardware items such as sliding door hangars, window screen frames, door locks, lawn mowers, and stable fixtures —along with many other related fixtures.

Unfortunately, as the 1890s progressed, the bicycling craze regressed. In 1900, the American Bicycle Company formed. Known as ‘the trust’, it began buying up many of the country’s bicycle manufacturers (initially 42 with over 70 ultimately being absorbed). This came about in an effort to lessen competition and exert more controls over supply and pricing. Succumbing to pressure, E. C. Stearns, one of the largest manufacturers at the time, sold its rights to manufacture bicycles to the American Bicycle Co. in 1900. It is worth noting, that after several iterations, the American Bicycle Company eventually evolved into today’s Columbia Bicycle Manufacturing Co. 

E. C. Stearns continued its hardware manufacturing through the mid-1950s. Edward Stearns himself died of a heart attack in 1929 after leading a remarkable manufacturing career.                                                

Karen Y. Cooney is support services administrator at the Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse.

During the ‘Gay Nineties’ (1890 – 1899), between the horse and the advent of the ‘horseless carriage’ many Syracuse residents took up the national hobby of bike riding. Eventually, this city became known as one of the primary bicycle manufacturing centers in the country with E. C. Stearns Co. leading the way.

Edward C. Stearns inherited his entrepreneurial ability from his father, George, who unfortunately died when Edward was only 15 years old. George ran a small, but highly successful hardware business. Utilizing the skills taught by his father, E. C. quickly expanded the business. When the bicycling craze seriously began in the late 1880s, Stearns quickly recognized that manufacturing bicycles would be profitable. He downsized his hardware business and geared up to manufacture bicycles.

The E. C. Stearns Company became the national forerunner of all the major bicycle manufacturers at that time. Its business, in turn, greatly benefitted the city of Syracuse. The company employed, at its peak, almost 1,000 people, and was located on four acres of land occupied by nine buildings housing the various workings of the factory. The factory faced Oneida Street and extended all the way back to Onondaga Street. Every part of the bicycle, with perhaps the exception of the tires and the handlebar grips, was manufactured by the E. C. Stearns Company and began with exacting workmanship using the highest quality materials. Once completed, the resulting bike was subjected to numerous tests before it was made available for sale to the public. 

The company developed its buildings with efficiency in mind. In the main building, the basement housed the stockroom and storehouse. This was also the location of the fireproof vault that held the finished bikes before they were shipped out for sale. The bike frame was constructed on the third floor where 200 employees measured parts, polished steel tubing, and filled joints before sending the frame upstairs. All the steel used in the tubing was rolled and cut in another building. The enameling department was located on the top floor. All parts of the bike were polished further with pumice before most of the bikes received several coats of bright yellow enamel paint. Other colors offered included black, blue, and carmine. The frame was then placed in very hot ovens that baked on the enamel for a long-lasting and durable finish. The company enameled 275 bike frames a day when it was at its manufacturing height. The bicycle wheels were constructed with an interchangeable process. There were four weights of wheels depending on the size of the rider and whether the rider chose to use the bike for racing or pleasure. All the wheel rims were yellow-orange (earning the Stearns bicycles the nickname of Yellow Fellow). The saddles and pedals were produced on yet another floor. Once finished, the bike included a tool bag and pamphlet that gave illustrations, the number and price of each part, together with directions for adjusting and repairing the bike and how to care properly for the tires.

Stearns did not just produce single-rider bicycles. Eventually eight styles of bikes were made — all with the distinctive orange rims. Also manufactured were tandem, triplet, and six and seven-man bikes. The company experimented with different styles of bikes to appeal to a variety of riders (i.e., bikes with sails and those with a leather hammock for more comfortable riding). The sextet bike was most famous for having raced a train locally and beaten it. The course was laid out just east of Solvay and the race occurred in 1896 when the company was in its heyday. Stearns shipped its bikes all over the world and eventually opened factories in Buffalo, San Francisco, Paris, Toronto, and Berlin. The company sponsored popular bike races all over the country, some of them transcontinental races.

It should be mentioned that although Stearns was most well-known for its bicycles, the company never forgot its roots and continued to locally manufacture a variety of hardware items such as sliding door hangars, window screen frames, door locks, lawn mowers, and stable fixtures —along with many other related fixtures.

Unfortunately, as the 1890s progressed, the bicycling craze regressed. In 1900, the American Bicycle Company formed. Known as ‘the trust’, it began buying up many of the country’s bicycle manufacturers (initially 42 with over 70 ultimately being absorbed). This came about in an effort to lessen competition and exert more controls over supply and pricing. Succumbing to pressure, E. C. Stearns, one of the largest manufacturers at the time, sold its rights to manufacture bicycles to the American Bicycle Co. in 1900. It is worth noting, that after several iterations, the American Bicycle Company eventually evolved into today’s Columbia Bicycle Manufacturing Co. 

E. C. Stearns continued its hardware manufacturing through the mid-1950s. Edward Stearns himself died of a heart attack in 1929 after leading a remarkable manufacturing career.                                                

Karen Y. Cooney is support services administrator at the Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse.