Walter Massey and the Birth of CCM

Canada Cycle & Motor Ltd. was founded in 1899 by Walter Massey (1864 - 1901), President of the Massey - Harris Manufacturing Co. of Toronto, ON. In 1896 Massey had introduced the manufacture of bicycles into the product line of a family company previously best known for its farm machinery. Using his company's vast distribution and sales network, Massey was soon shipping his company's Silver Ribbon bicycles across Canada and throughout the world, including Australia and New Zealand.

Upon hearing that the massive American Bicycle Co. (Columbia), based in Hartford, Mass., was headed to Canada, Massey decided the only way to compete with such a large company was to merge some of Canada's smaller bicycle companies into one large one. To help him accomplish the task, Massey enlisted the aid of fellow Methodists - Joseph Flavelle (Robert Simpson Co.) and George Cox (Canada Life), as well as business associates Warren Soper (Dunlop Tire Co.) and E.R. Thomas (H.A. Lozier & Co.).

The syndicate, as they were known, bought Canada's foremost bicycle makers at the time including the Welland Vale Manufacturing Co. ("Perfect") of St. Catharines, ON, the Goold Bicycle Co. ("Redbird") of Brantford, ON, the Gendron Manufacturing Co. (Reliance") of Toronto and the H.A. Lozier Co. ("Cleveland") based in Cleveland, Ohio, but with a large branch plant located at the Toronto Junction. In 1899 the gentlemen merged the four companies with the Massey-Harris bicycle works to form one company - the Canada Cycle & Motor Co. Ltd.