According to
this excellent summary on the Classic & Antique Bicycle Exchange (CABE) by Patric Cafaro (see post dated Oct. 26, 2019), the noted expert on Davis Sewing Machine Company bicycles and other bicycles of the era, the Consolidated Manufacturing Company of Toldeo, Ohio, was acquired by the Davis Sewing Machine Company in April of 1916. This, therefore, would be the first catalog of Yale bicycles produced under the auspices of the Davis Sewing Machine Company.
The Consolidated Manufacturing Company also maunufactured a line of bicycles under the Snell name which the Davis Sewing Marchine Company also
continued to produce, a brandname that was carried forward to the Huffman Manufacturing Company era.
A very interesting observation is made on page 2 of the catalog about the evolution of the bicycle from luxury item to practical workhorse. It states that in 1916 the bicycle “is no longer a novelty” as it was during “the period immediatley following the advent of the ‘safety'” bicycle in the 1890s. This is attested to by the almost 75% drop in price that occured over the twenty year span starting in
1896 when the Davis Men’s Roadster sold for $100 ($3,933 in 2025) compared to the Yale Men’s Roadster in 1916 offered at (a still pricey by today’s standards) $30 ($903 im 2025).
It goes on to observe that “Another factor [in the ever increasing demand for bicycles] is the day-in and day-out service that bicycles now perform. They carry the workman to and from the shop, the delivery-man on his rounds, and the messenger-boy on swift errands. School boys and girls ride them to school and save car fare. The bicycle is absolutely an every-day necessity in every family.”
ModelsYale Roadster – Model 516
Base Model (without mudguards) – Price $30 ($901*)
With Coaster Brake – Price $35 ($1,053)
Mud Guards $2.00 extra ($60)
Yale Ladies’ Roadster – Model 526
Base Model – Price $30 ($901)
With Coaster Brake – Price $35 ($1,053)
Yale Bull-Dog Motor-Bike – Model 536
Base Model – Price $40 ($1,204)
With Coaster Brake – Price $45 ($1,354)
Yale Champion Racer – Model 546
Base Model – Price $40 ($1,204)
Yale Boy’s Roadster – Model 556
Base Model – Price $25 ($752)
With Coaster Brake – Price $30 ($901)
Yale Girl’s Roadster – Model 566
Base Model – Price $25 ($752)
With Coaster Brake – Price $30 ($901)
Yale Bikeabout – Model 576
Base Model (without mudguards) – Price $30 ($901)
With Coaster Brake – Price $35 ($1,053)
*CPI adjusted to 2025.
Mark Huffman 10/12/2026
