Ride a Stearns

Photo courtesy of Flickr

This is one of my favorite old time bicycle posters. I can't recall how I stumbled upon it, but I have a small framed copy hanging in our bathroom. I love her flat-top hat and hide-it-all patterned skirt. I've always wondered about her foot placement... And, you may recognize part of this image - I use it in my profile.

According to Wikipedia, Edward C. Stearns started a hardware manufacturing company in Syracuse, New York, then branched into bicycle production from 1883-1889. At one time there were 10,000 bicycle riders in Syracuse alone.

During the 1880s daily production of their most popular model, the Yellow Fellow (pictured here in the poster) reached 500. With 2,000 employees in 1896,  E. C. Stearns and Company was the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. Check out this classic Yellow Fellow. It's a real beauty. I'd like to take it out for a spin.

Slogans used by E. C. Stearns and Company:

• "Ride a 'Stearns' and be content."
• "Watch the sunlight glisten on those orange rims."
• "The way to do it is to do it on a 'Stearns.'"
• "A Stearns once tried, A Stearns you'll ride."
• "Rough roads made smooth."