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anything from a AMF caravan to Renegade, and anything in between.
Show off AMF bicycles
- Thread starter blackdiamond
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heres a silly question - I thought AMF was a complete company like monark, murray and cleveland welding. so whats with the amf roadmasters, arent they made by cleveland welding co?
what gives?
what gives?
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Some were made by the cwc some were made in little rock ark.
I found this on the web:
"In 1953, after a prolonged labor strike, AMF moved bicycle manufacturing from the UAW-organized plant in Cleveland, Ohio to a new facility in Little Rock, Arkansas."
"Peaks and Valleys: 1950s-1960s
After more than a decade of strong growth, Junior Toy and its Roadmaster line, now under the control of the privately held Cleveland Welding Company, were acquired by AMF Wheel Goods. The 1951 purchase began an era of peaks and valleys for the Roadmaster line. The booming economy of the 1950s and the explosion in the number of births during the postwar era provided a favorable environment for the bike maker. Taking advantage of the increase in its target markets, the company was able to diversify its product line, adding exercise equipment under the brand name Vitamaster in 1950. As the "baby boom" population continued to expand, the company found the need for a new manufacturing facility to keep up with demand. In 1962, the company moved its operations to Olney, Illinois, where it built a new factory on the 122-acre site in southern Illinois that would remain the company's principal bicycle manufacturing location into the 1990s.
After two decades of consistent growth, however, the AMF Wheel Goods Division stalled under the long-distance management of a parent company bogged down in layer after layer of bureaucracy. By the late 1970s, the bicycle division had fallen on hard times. The absence of stable management--the company had seven presidents between 1972 and 1982--and the inability of AMF to run the division efficiently from its headquarters in White Plains, New York, contributed to a steady decline in sales and profits. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, for instance, the company lost an average of $8 million a year. Moreover, the quality of the Roadmaster line--once its hallmark--had fallen to an all-time low. Bicycles made at the Olney plant, according to Judith Vandewater's article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, were manufactured so poorly that some bike shops in the area refused to repair them, claiming that the bikes would not stay fixed no matter how much labor and effort was put into them."
"In 1953, after a prolonged labor strike, AMF moved bicycle manufacturing from the UAW-organized plant in Cleveland, Ohio to a new facility in Little Rock, Arkansas."
"Peaks and Valleys: 1950s-1960s
After more than a decade of strong growth, Junior Toy and its Roadmaster line, now under the control of the privately held Cleveland Welding Company, were acquired by AMF Wheel Goods. The 1951 purchase began an era of peaks and valleys for the Roadmaster line. The booming economy of the 1950s and the explosion in the number of births during the postwar era provided a favorable environment for the bike maker. Taking advantage of the increase in its target markets, the company was able to diversify its product line, adding exercise equipment under the brand name Vitamaster in 1950. As the "baby boom" population continued to expand, the company found the need for a new manufacturing facility to keep up with demand. In 1962, the company moved its operations to Olney, Illinois, where it built a new factory on the 122-acre site in southern Illinois that would remain the company's principal bicycle manufacturing location into the 1990s.
After two decades of consistent growth, however, the AMF Wheel Goods Division stalled under the long-distance management of a parent company bogged down in layer after layer of bureaucracy. By the late 1970s, the bicycle division had fallen on hard times. The absence of stable management--the company had seven presidents between 1972 and 1982--and the inability of AMF to run the division efficiently from its headquarters in White Plains, New York, contributed to a steady decline in sales and profits. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, for instance, the company lost an average of $8 million a year. Moreover, the quality of the Roadmaster line--once its hallmark--had fallen to an all-time low. Bicycles made at the Olney plant, according to Judith Vandewater's article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, were manufactured so poorly that some bike shops in the area refused to repair them, claiming that the bikes would not stay fixed no matter how much labor and effort was put into them."
Interesting.
What's less than funny is how badly AMF seemed to screw up anything they got their hands on. They even bought out Harley-Davidson in '69 or '70, and nearly ran them into the ground with crappy quality. :roll:
What's less than funny is how badly AMF seemed to screw up anything they got their hands on. They even bought out Harley-Davidson in '69 or '70, and nearly ran them into the ground with crappy quality. :roll:
I like my Arkansas AMF Roadmaster. The quality didn't suffer until they went to Illinois.
Arkansas, that's where the star sprocket came into being, from late 50's to early 60's.
Arkansas, that's where the star sprocket came into being, from late 50's to early 60's.
I own 3.
My AMF Roadmaster
My wife's AMF Shelby Explorer
and my wife's AMF Roadmaster Jet Pilot
My AMF Roadmaster
My wife's AMF Shelby Explorer
and my wife's AMF Roadmaster Jet Pilot
Though AMFs from the 60s and 70s were not to popular because of their quality, I still decided to save this one from the scrap yard !
This is what I did to it for one of the build offs, it has for the most part just hung under the awning since then.
this is how it looked when I saved it from sure demise...I'm still not sure it was the right thing to do :roll:
This is what I did to it for one of the build offs, it has for the most part just hung under the awning since then.
this is how it looked when I saved it from sure demise...I'm still not sure it was the right thing to do :roll:
