Huffy Corporation

The Huffy Corporation is a parent company and supplier of bicycles.

It has its roots in 1887 when George P. Huffman purchased the Davis Sewing Machine Company and in 1890 moved its sewing machine factory from Watertown, New York, to Dayton, Ohio. The Davis Sewing Machine company made their first Dayton bicycle, in Dayton, Ohio, in 1892. In 1924, George's son, Horace M. Huffman, Sr., founded the Huffman Manufacturing Company. From then until 1949, Huffman continued to manufacture and sell bicycles under the "Dayton" brand.

During the 1930s, Huffman participated in the revival of the American cycling industry, during which Horace Huffman commented on a "change of attitude". Although Huffman dabbled in the high-end of the market, they never overcame their entry-level reputation. Bicycles sold under the Huffy brand are now made in China.

In 1949, Huffman developed the Huffy Convertible, a children's bicycle with rear training wheels and foot steps. The invention of the training wheels revolutionized the children's market and was the first Huffman bicycle under the Huffy brand. In 1953, a Huffy logo was created and Huffman switched all its bicycles to the Huffy brand. Popular models included the Special Roadster, the Racer, the LaFrance, and the Streamliner.

By 1960, Huffman was the third largest bike manufacturer in the United States. Popular models produced during the heyday of the Huffy Corporation included the RadioBike® (one word), which had an electron-tube radio in the tank; the Scout, a 10-speed road bicycle; the Dragster, a so-called "wheelie bike"; and the Sigma, a BMX bike.

In 1962, Peter Mole of the John T. Bill & Co contacted Huffman with a concept for producing a bicycle based on a motorcycle, which he called the High Rise. Mole developed the bike based on heavily modified children's bicycles that were becoming popular with pre-teens in Southern California, and which mimicked the appearance of customized "chopper" motorcycles. The High Rise had a long banana seat with supporting struts and tall "ape-hanger" handlebars. Huffy hesitated for several months before agreeing to make the bike, on the condition that if the bike failed to sell that Mole would buy all the leftover parts and frames. The new bike, informally designated the Penguin, began appearing in retail stores by March 1963. The Penguin was the first of the banana-seat chopper bicycles to reach the U.S. market.

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