Hercules Three Speed Bicycles

I prefer these bicycles to all others probably because my first bike was a Hercules. They were made by the Hercules Cycle and Motor Company until TI Raleigh bought the company in 1960. My Hercules was made by the Hercules Cycle and Motor Company in Burmingham England in 1960. It was purchased at Montgomery Wards, the catalog mail order company. My parents bought me the bicycle when I was 8 years old for the Christmas of 1960. I had insisted on that bicycle. I was convinced that it was much better than any other bike available that year and I still think that it was the best. At $54.95 it was the most expensive one in the Montgomery Wards catalog. And I was told that I couldn't expect to have an I couldn't expect to have another bought for me anytime soon, if ever, because it was so expensive. There were other bikes that were more expensive that could be purchased that year, but to me that Hercules was the best in spite of that.

A picture and some information about that bicycle is on my index page and my Hercules Hawthorne page.

A Few Simple Maintenance Hints- A booklet that came with Hercules bicycles in and around the 1960's.

Hercules Parts List - The parts list that came with Hercules bicycles in and around the 1960's.

You can still buy vintage Hercules three speed bicycles at the links below.

There is a Hercules men's three speed for sale on the "for sale ads" page at Classic Rendezvous as I write this on Sunday, 11-17-02. It's near the bottom of the page meaning that it was just put on there recently. It's not my ad and I do not stand to profit when he sells it. It just looks interesting to someone who appreciates Hercules three speed bicycles.

Classic Rendezvous

Menotomy Vintage Bicycles

Cyclerecycler

Starting around the mid 1960's Hercules bicycles were also sold through AMF in the United States. That appears to have ended sometime durring the 1970's.  Raleigh used the Hercules brand name for one of their medium priced, (lower than Raleigh), brand lines after they bought Hercules in 1960. Earlier Hercules bicycles, I'm not sure how early but pre 1960, used hubs that they made that were the same design as Sturmey Archer hubs, licensed from Sturmey Archer, but they were labled with the Hercules name.