Estonian Bicycle Industry

Estonian Bicycle Industry

Estonia had a considerable national bicycle industry in the first half of the 20th century, the production of which did not stay behind foreign produce in terms of the quality and novelty.

The production of bicycles in Estonia began in 1890s.  Both until the WWI and during 1920s  it consisted of a bulk of small factories which sometimes assembled bicycles using imported details. In the 2nd half of 1930s there also appeared some bigger manufacturers which (for example Saar and ETK in Tallinn) also manufactured some essentials details of bicycles including rims, bearing cones, pedals etc.

Since 1941 (when war began between Soviet Union and Germany) the production of new bicycles in Estronia was generally halted - some small factories are turned into reparing workshops. After WWII or during the 2nd Soviet era (since 1945) there was only a small amount production of bicycles in Säde factory (ex-nationalised Saar + ARE) which was  also stopped somewhen around 1950.

After 1950 until the end of Soviet era there has been no bicycle production in Estonia.

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