Hercules Cycle and Motor Company
| Industry | Bicycles |
|---|---|
| Fate | Dissolved by parent company |
| Founded | September 10, 1910 in Birmingham, England |
| Founders |
|
| Defunct | December 3, 2003 |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| Parent | Tube Investments |
For the German Bicycle and Motorcycle manufacturer see: Hercules Fahrrad GmbH & Co
The Hercules Cycle and Motor Company Limited was a British bicycle manufacturer founded on 9 September 1910 in Aston in England.
The name Hercules was chosen for its associations of durability and robustness. The company was founded by Edmund and Harry Crane and started life in Coventry Street, Birmingham, England, initially producing 25 bicycles a week.
Crane's parents bought the Petros Cycle Company which was subsequently managed by Edmund's mother, Edith. Their children, Harry and Ted, left school at 14 and helped their parents with the business. In 1906 Jack Crane was declared bankrupt and the family moved to Lightwoods Hill. There they sold bikes at auctions. The bankruptcy finding meant they were bought in the mother's name and sold to the sons even though she had also been made bankrupt.
In 1911, Harry and Ted rented a derelict house in Coventry Street, using a name they had already registered in 1910, the Hercules Cycle and Motor Company. Harry assembled bicycles and Ted cycled around Birmingham for parts. Ted had problems selling because of fierce competition but soon made progress, trading on low price and high quality. Production outgrew the site and bikes were packed on the pavement. The brothers went from 25 to 70 bicycles a week within six months. They moved to a house with a yard in Conybere Street. It had 10 workers. Within a few months, production had doubled and the company moved to larger premises in Conybere Street, Highgate.
In 1923, a third move was made to an ex-Dunlop factory in Rocky Lane, Aston. This became Hercules's Britannia Works and grew to 13 acres (53,000 m2). It was the site of the company's offices. By 1914 production rose to 10,000 a year. The First World War brought an order to make shells.
In 1928 Hercules exported one in five of all British cycles and, by 1935, 40 per cent. In 1929, it took over the Dunlop factory in Nechells, less than a mile to the north-west in Long Acre. This site was named Manor Mills. The company made its six millionth bicycle in February 1939.
During this period, Birmingham had been home to a large number of cycle manufacturers, most of which did not prosper. The success of Hercules was attributed to a number of factors, including the name and production methods. After 1923, Hercules produced the majority of the components of their bicycles, apart from the inner tubes and tyres. Factories ran using mass-production, producing more than 1,000 cycles a day, each taking less than 10 minutes to assemble.
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