Pierce-Arrow Bicycle Front Wheel Brake wrenches

[Wrenchmensch]

Pierce-Arrow started in business making bicycles before they made motorcycles and automobiles. The bicycles came with a complete tool kit with 10-15 wrenches in it. As a rule, any Pierce-Arrow wrench under 6" in length is one of their bicycle wrenches.

There were two different front wheel brake adjustment wrenches, probably offered at different times. Bicycles were a leading technology at the time these wrenches were developed. The 5 1/4" single end wrench was made by Fairmount in Cleveland.  The 5 1/2" doe wrench is unmarked as its maker, and may have been made in-house by Pierce-Arrow. The bicycles were made in Buffalo, NY, then an important industrial city.

[rusty]

I didn't know they were also in the bicycle business, that would explain the stamped wrench I have...

[Bus]

As a rule, any Pierce-Arrow wrench under 6" in length is one of their bicycle wrenches.

Bob, I don't think this is always correct. Thirty hears ago I showed what I thought was a Pierce Arrow motorcycle wrench to an older collector who had several Pierce bikes and motorcycles. I was informed in no uncertain terms that the bikes and motorcycles were not Pierce Arrow, only the cars were Pierce Arrow.

Your post jogged my memory of that discussion and I did some internet searching and came up with this info. at:

http://nbhaa.com/GTCC6.html
and
http://nbhaa.com/GTCC1.html

"The company that made the bicycles was originally the George N. Pierce Company of Buffalo, NY."

They were "built by the George N. Pierce Company of Buffalo, New York, who also made early Pierce Motorette automobiles. In time, the Pierce automobile became known as the Pierce-Arrow, while the Pierce bicycles and Pierce 1- and 4-cylinder motorcycles were built by the Pierce Cycle Co., a subsidiary of the original company. The Pierce Cycle Co. was headed by Percy Pierce, son of George, when receivers were appointed for it in 1910."

"The Pierce-Arrow was the automobile. The bicycle was simply known as "PIERCE," not Pierce-Arrow. Although the companies were originally related, the bicycle did not say the word, "ARROW", nor did the catalogues. An arrow SYMBOL was shown in the logo, but the word, "arrow" was never used in conjunction with bicycles made by this company..."

In fact, the name of this company officially was The Pierce Cycle Company. Furthermore, there was no such thing as simply THE Pierce-Arrow or even THE Pierce. There were numerous Pierce models each year for many years."

Here is a scan of a poor quality copy of a tool kit from a 1927 Pierce Arrow Series 36 automobile tool kit. Some of the wrenches pictured in this post are shown.

[Wrenchmensch]

Bus,

Thanks for your input.  I agree. The Pierce Cycle Company of Buffalo, NY made Pierce bicycles and motorcycles, but they used the Pierce Arrow logo (the word Pierce with a horizontal arrow through it)on their products, wrenches and in their advertisements; the same logo was used on later Pierce Arrow car and truck wrenches.  Pierce bicycles and motorcycles were still being made in 1912.  Pierce Arrow cars were made by the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company from 1909 until 1938  in Buffalo, New York.  This company was formerly known as the George N. Pierce Company according to the editors of Automobile Quarterly.

A Pierce bicycle tool kit was pictured in one of the MVWC newsletters. It was similar to the pictured auto tool kit, but much smaller.

When all is said and done, the logo as seen on all wrenches for cars, motorcycles and bicycles seems to carry the day, and "Pierce Arrow" are the words which seem to fit for most of us who will never see a Pierce bicycle or motorcycle. 

Bob

[bonneyman]

Here is a scan of a poor quality copy of a tool kit from a 1927 Pierce Arrow Series 36 automobile tool kit. Some of the wrenches pictured in this post are shown.

What a great little set of tools!
Isn't it sad how far we've "advanced". Used to be the average Jo could fix his own car with a kit like this, and now we need desk-sized computers to tell us what's wrong. Ba -humbug!
Although, I carry a home-made pouch of tools in my little Toyota very much like this as an emergency pack.