$550 · Vintage Japanese Bicycle ~ Premier Cycle

Premier Cycle’s “The Newest Model” Bicycle for Sale. Made in Japan around 1954. This classic step through townie has a medium size 19” frame. The Shimano 333 coaster brake rear hub is matched to Araya chrome rims with 26” x 1⅜ white-wall tires. Rare two-tone mattress saddle with rubber-block pedals. Used but in fantastic condition for a 70-year-old bicycle. Below is a bit of information regarding the manufacture… William Hillman was one of the original founders of the cycle trade. Hillman Herbert & Cooper, a company in Coventry England, made a dwarf ordinary called the Kangaroo in 1884. It was promoted as a safer alternative to the ordinary (penny-farthing) bicycle. In 1892 the company changed its name to Premier Cycle Co. Ltd. and retained the kangaroo as its logo. Since 1912, Premier Cycle had been exporting bicycles to Japan, and in 1920 it established The Anglo-Japanese Cycle Mfg., Co., Ltd., (A.J.C.) as a local manufacturing base in Japan. The company was located in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture with a complex occupying over 4,200 square meters. In 1920 the factory employed around 350 employees and produced 5,000 motorcycles and 35,000 bicycles annually. While A.J.C. manufactured the Premier model bicycles locally in Japan, Maruishi Shokai (Maruishi Co.) was its global distributor. They used a round kangaroo logo on some models. For more information, please visit http://chikutakurinrin.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2021/07/post-1a4079.html