The Defiance Cycle Company was formed in 1880 to produce
bicycles in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.
It was founded by two brothers of the Williams family, Arthur and William Williams who established the factory at the top of the
Amman Valley Amman Valley may refer to:
*The valley of the River Amman
The River Amman () is a river of south Wales, which joins the River Loughor at Pantyffynnon. The source of the Amman is on the Black Mountain.
The river name is said to derived from th ...
.
They started making
ordinary bicycles in 1878,
and made their first
chain-driven bicycle in late 1884 or 1885.
On Easter Monday, 9 April 1885, a
chain-driven Defiance Cycle was ridden from the factory at
Glanamman
Glanamman ( cy, Glanaman) is a Welsh mining village in the valley of the River Amman in Carmarthenshire. Glanamman has long been a stronghold of the Welsh language; village life is largely conducted in Welsh. Like the neighbouring village of Gar ...
to
Swansea and back, a distance of some 35 miles.
Many people turned out to see this event, which is commemorated by riders tracing the ride route to Swansea.
The company thrived through the 1880s and in 1895 opened a retail premises in Eloff Street, Johannesburg, South Africa. to sell bicycles exported from Wales.
Their manufacturer’s trademark changed to 'The Defiance Cycle Company of Glanaman & Johannesburg' to reflect this development.
They produced a motorcycle in 1901, but only for a short time.
Arthur Williams & Co. continued to sell bicycles until Arthur's death in 1948.
Just three of these bicycles are known to be still in existence, one is in private ownership while the other two are in the museums of Birmingham and Carmarthen.
See also
*
List of bicycle manufacturing companies
This page lists notable bicycle brands and manufacturing companies past and present. For bicycle parts, see List of bicycle part manufacturing companies.
Many bicycle brands do not manufacture their own product, but rather import and re-brand ...
References
External links
Carmarthenshire County MuseumThe Defiance Cycle RideDefiance cycle Ride Photos, including some of a Defiance Bike
Cycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom
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