What was the name of the bicycle company founded by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1892?

Orville and Wilbur Wright founded the Wright Cycle Company in 1892.

The business began as a bicycle sales and repair shop in Dayton, Ohio. The brothers later manufactured bicycles, including the Van Cleve and St. Clair models. Their work with bicycle frames, wheels, chains, bearings, and steering helped shape their approach to aircraft design.

The shop was not an aviation company at first. It became important because it supplied income, tools, and a practical workshop where the brothers could experiment with mechanical problems. Their bicycle experience also encouraged them to think about aircraft control as an active balancing problem rather than simply an engine problem.

The Wright Cycle Company name is sometimes confused with the brothers’ later aircraft-manufacturing businesses. Their bicycle enterprise came first and remained closely associated with Dayton, while their aviation work eventually expanded into patents, airplane production, and flight instruction.