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Vintage San Diego: Free Wheelers

The San Diego Cycle and Arms. Co from 1904

By Elisse Miller | Photo courtesy of the San Diego HIstorical Society

Vintage San Diego: Free Wheelers

San Diego Cycle and Arms Co. in 1904

Vintage San Diego: Free Wheelers

Vintage San Diego: Free Wheelers

The biking scene is nothing new to San Diego. More than 100 years ago, San Diegans who were passionate about their two-wheeled wonders formed the San Diego Wheel Club. When they weren’t riding, cyclists could pursue their hobby at the San Diego Cycle and Arms Co. (pictured). Originally located at the southeast corner of Fourth and E, the store was much more than a bike shop. The SD Cycle and Arms Co. sold cutlery, fishing tackle, ammunition, sporting goods for games such as baseball, golf, and tennis, and, as the name implies, guns and bicycles (notice the taxidermy on the left-hand wall). It also offered a range of bicycle and gun repair services. The store’s owners, Stanley Andrews, Archie Aldridge, and Max Toews, stood proudly in their establishment in 1904.

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