WHAT IS THE CALIFORNIA BICYCLE MUSEUM?
Wow! A bike museum in Davis...that's a great idea.
The bicycle story is rich with technology innovations, social and urban history, sporting history, and environmental benefits. Telling that story and promoting the future of cycling is the purpose of the non-profit California Bicycle Museum. Our effort has swiftly gained momentum and we are now sprinting toward a grand opening.
Davis has a long history as bicycle friendly town and with the University of California, Davis, the community has emerged as one of the leading bicycle communities in the United States. The California Bicycle Museum is being created to educate the public about the history of bicycles and the important role they play in our society. The museum will serve as an educational and research center for all aspects of cycling and bicycle history.
Through a unique acquisition, UC Davis, with assistance from the City Davis, was able to preserve antique bicycles from the Pierce Miller family in Modesto, California. The collection spans over 100 years of bicycle evolution from the 1820s to the early twentieth century. With the Pierce Miller collection serving as the nucleus of the future bicycle museum, the City of Davis, UC Davis, and the California Bicycle Museum have been focused on securing a physical home for the bike museum in downtown Davis, attracting other partners to the future museum, and in collaborating with the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.
As 2009 unfolds, we expect to announce a permanent home and grand opening for the California Bicycle Museum. For that effort we hope to include a partnership with the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame and are eager to explore other partnership ideas with collectors, corporations, educational groups, and bicycle advocacy groups.