Jack Crane came from a middle class family in Birmingham. He lost his father when he was very young but was fortunate to have a well-to-do uncle. After Jack left the Blue Coat School his uncle found him a job in a nail making factory as a clerk. Later the uncle bought Jack a small business called ‘The Petros Cycle Company.’
Jack married and eventually produced eight children, two being still born. The first, born in 1886, was named Edmund but was always referred to as Ted. The second born was Harry. Harry and Ted Crane would later become the largest manufacturers of bicycles in the world!
The boys were both educated at Handsworth Grammar School and left at age 14 to start in their father’s business assembling and selling bicycles. Around the turn of the century there was a downturn in the interest in cycling due to the advent of motor vehicles. This was not helped by there being too many bicycle manufactures. In 1906 Jack Crane was declared bankrupt and the family were forced to move to a downmarket house in Lightwoods Hill.
They were down, but not out, and they devised a scheme to sell brand new bikes at auctions all over the country. As Jack was a declared bankrupt, the cycles were bought in their mother’s name and then sold to the sons. This was extremely successful and allowed them to eventually move to a bigger house. Unfortunately their business activities were judged as being illegal, and all of the family were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud at the Birmingham Assizes in March 1911. Fortunately, a successful appeal was later heard and they avoided prison on a legal technicality.
Harry and Ted had saved £25 between them and decided to rent a derelict old house in Coventry Street to set up a cycle assembly business. Ted chose to trade under the name ‘Hercules’ because it represented strength and durability. The boys had set up a limited company (The Hercules Cycle & Motor Company Ltd) before the trial on the 9th September 1910 (limited company number 00111679). It is not known exactly why they had set up the company at this stage but it was probably on the advice of a solicitor, as they would have been expecting to receive criminal records. The official commencing date of the company has always been 1911 and indeed after the appeal finished in March 1911 they presumably started production.
Harry assembled the bicycles while Ted pedalled around Birmingham searching for parts; large parts such as frames and forks were delivered by hand carts. It is known that the brothers bought lamps from a Mr Bullock in Balsall Heath and they used Reynolds tubing frames and Dunlop tyres (although early catalogues do not show Dunlop tyres being used). The brothers both worked 16-hour days. Ted initially had problems selling the bicycles because of the conspiracy case. But when dealers found the cycles were cheaper than competitors’ offerings, and of better quality too, the business began to make rapid progress. It was this simple formula of low price and high quality that would lead the Crane brothers to world success.
The brothers started by producing 25 bicycles a week but production grew very quickly and within 6 months output was 70 units per week, so larger premises were found at a converted house with a covered yard and a very small garden in Conybere Street. The brothers called it the Britannia works. They also took on 10 workers. The advert above, displaying the Conybere Street address, is from 1911.his company was famous in throughout world.