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Humphrey Bicycle Factory
I bought some 60 year old ccm paint off ebay a couple years back and it was actual for Humphrey bicycles. So I'm looking at the cans label and notice it has the address on it. 51 Bulwer St in Toronto. Could this place still be there? Well I investigated. I found the building that used to make the bikes and I called the tenant to inquire. Sure enough, they were aware of the history of the building. Sadly there is no evidence of any bikes being built there but at least the building is still in use. I will be visiting there this summer hopefully to have a little photo op with my ladies Humphrey balloon tire bike. I'm thinkin black and white photos are a must. Hope this is as cool a piece of historic info as I feel it is. Just google map the address and zoom into street view to check it out. The building is cream coloured with a big 51 on it. I'm guessing the lot to the right of it was part of the factory at one time too.
Rob
Nice work, Rob. I look forward to the result of the photo op.
The old CCM plant on Lawrence Ave. has long since been demolished. There's a Tim Hortons there now. Surprise...surprise...
Hey Rob, That`s pretty interesting. It makes me wonder what exactly was made there? I`ve got two Humpreys, and was noticing that it actually says "Humpreys Cycle and Motor" on the badge.There`s no "by CCM" or anything like there is on some of the other brands.
There`s no doubt they`re CCM`s but it makes me wonder exactly what the connection was?
Maybe they bought raw frames/parts and assembled them? Anyone have more background information?
Ya, I don't know what the connection is or if we ever will but it definately seems as though they just rebadged a ccm bike. It would be cool to get all the Humphrey's together for the photo shoot. I have a cool old bike rack we could put out front to put them in and we could all dress up in 50's garb :) All we would need is a Humphrey sign to temperarily hang out front.
From Tom Nease:
Following the Second World War, CCM purchased 3 Toronto bicycle operations - Humphrey Bicycle & Motor, Standard Cycle Products and the Planet Bicycle Works. According to Nease, who worked at CCM at the time, they used all three locations to assemble and paint bicycles using CCM parts. The reason they did so was because CCM needed lower-priced bicycles to compete with the increasing number of British imports, but the CCM president at the time, George Braden, didn't want to put a lower price on CCM bicycles for fear the public think the company was now turning out a cheaper product. Braden felt it preferable to sell the lower-priced bikes under another name (although they were basically CCM bikes). When Nease became president of CCM he shut down all three operations and moved the employees to the CCM plant on Lawrence Ave.
John
hey Rob love the idea of the photo shoot. Let me know if you ever find a Humphrey sign. That would be one highly collectible piece of Canadiana he-he.
Cool info. Any idea what year Tom Nease became president?
Yeah, That`s cool info, Thanks John. Where is that information from? Okay, so according to that, it was after 1945 that CCM bought them. One of my bikes is earlier than that ...a 1936 by the CCM date codes, and still appears to be a CCM...what`s that mean? Were Humpheys always a "assembler company" using CCM parts? Or did they actually make their own bikes?
Merk: The info came from Tom Nease and, although Tom is still as sharp as a whip, he sometimes gets his dates mixed up. I think it would be more accurate to say that "by the end" of the end of the war CCM had taken over the three companies. As you point out, the Humphrey operation was certainly putting out bikes with CCM parts before the end of the war.
John
Okay that makes sense. Thanks John. It makes me wonder when they started doing that though...?
It's possible CCM could have sent Humphrey and other companies old stock too making them seem older as a company when in fact they weren't. That would maybe explain why you have a 36' Merk.
Hmmm....I guess that`s possible Rob, but my 36 has components that seem to pretty much date it to that time. I can`t imagine that CCM would have kept a bunch of old stock that would all stay together.
I`m guessing they took over Humphrey earlier.
Merrill Denison's early CCM history The First Fifty Years published in 1946 lists Humphrey Bicycle & Motor Co. as a "wholly owned subsidiary" of CCM, but, as Merk points out, there's no indication of when they actually took it over.
Thanks John. Interesting stuff...
If any of you go to do a photo shoot in the summer please let me know.
I have 3 pre war CCMs and would love to bike on over and check it out and
maybe go to Timmy's after and shoot the breeze.
Dan
leedansoup@gmail.com
There is a Humphrey's head badge on ebay at this time. I haven't decided whether I will bid on it or not so go for it guys.
51 Bulwer St., Toronto. Humphrey bicycle factory.
I love local old history like this ! Thanks for posting this address found on that can on paint !
What a coincidence... my friends wife works in that building on the third floor today !
The back of the building is near the historic Horseshoe tavern on Queen Street West
which was originally a blacksmith shop that opened in 1861. Then turned into the music
venue where The Rolling Stones have actually played in.
Gotta love a blast from the past.