Historic Hood River
Rambler Bicycle
3-18-2016
Notes
Readers of the Hood River Glacier may have been tempted by this ad for the 1896 and 1897 Rambler bicycles, but it would have been a pretty big purchase. $80 was worth something in the range of $2000 today. And it doesn’t even have a suspension or disk brakes.
The company which made the Rambler bicycle until 1900 went on to make the Rambler automobile, which lasted in the US until 1969. I have fond memories of waving at cars behind us from the fold-up rear-facing back seat of a blue-green 1964 Rambler station wagon.
Charlott
When you say Rambler automobile is that like the Nash Rambler or was that another company in it’s self?
Steve r
Yep !… A rear facing back back seat was all the fad … Along with blue shag carpet coverings and the strong smell of tobacco smoke. Yuck ! First it was in a rambler …. Then the olds vista cruiser wth the skylights … More at this link ….
http://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hmn/2010/01/We-Call-the-Back-Back-/2601761.html
Arthur
By the 1960’s Rambler was owned by AMC (American Motors).
My other memory of the Rambler was that it had a "secret compartment" under the carpet in the rear bed where you could hide valuables. Sort of like a glove box under the carpet.
Judy
A Bike for sale a few weeks ago at downtown bike shop $7,400.00
Prices and bicyclists have changed..in Hood River
Rowbare'
My second car was a’64, green, "three on the tree", four door, flathead six, Rambler – many a Friday nite cruz’n the gut, cherry comes at the Hand Out, French fries w/ secret sauce from the Artic Circle, chocolate-banana milk shakes from the Ranch or Humm-Dinger! Exciting and delicious memories.
Benny toler
I have a rambler that has never been rode I’ve owned it for about sixty years been hanging in my shop it has the original kerosene lamp
Dale Nicol
Part of the Model-T Driving class at WAAAM, is historic information about other early founders of US automobile companies besides Henry Ford.
One of those people was Thomas B. Jeffrey and he built the Rambler bicycle in the 1890’s.
In 1897 Jeffrey started on making a car and by 1902, his Rambler automobile was in full production.
The Ford Motor company was founded in 1903.
In 1910 Thomas Jeffrey died and his son Charles, took over the company and in 1914 Charles renamed the car “Jeffrey” to honor his father.
By 1916 the Jeffrey car company was sold to Charles Nash and it became the Nash Motor company.
This is significant as in 1910, Nash ran the Buick Motor division of General Motors and gained high praise for his cost control and profitability.
In 1912 that led Nash to becoming GM’s CEO, but was later pushed out of the GM BOD in 1915 by Billy Durant, founder of GM. He was threatened by the success Nash had.
Ultimately, Durant was pushed out of GM around 1918 and he then founded Durant Motors who made the Star automobile. WAAAM has a 1925 Star touring car in Museum 2.
1-24-2024 Dale Nicol