Season 2, Episode 1 — Columbia: America’s First Bicycle Empire

Before Schwinn, Trek, or Specialized, there was Columbia — the first true bicycle empire in the United States.

In the late 1800s, as the safety bicycle began to take hold, one man saw an opportunity to do more than just ride — he wanted to build an industry. His name was Albert Augustus Pope, and after discovering the high-wheel bicycle at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, he became obsessed with understanding it, improving it, and ultimately bringing it to the American market.

What started as a bold investment in imported bicycles quickly turned into something much bigger. Through partnerships, manufacturing innovation, and a relentless push toward scaling production, Pope Manufacturing Company gave birth to Columbia bicycles — some of the fir ...