| 1949 |
Bridgestone
Bicycle Co., Ltd. split away from Bridgestone Tire
Co., Ltd. and was
established as a new company. |
| 1951 |
Obtained
bicycle frame manufacturing patents using the die
cast method in Japan,
Britain, France, Holland and Italy. |
| 1953 |
Otani
Machinery Industry Co., Ltd. (the predecessor of
Bridgestone Industrial Machinery
Co., Ltd.) was established. |
| 1960 |
The
Ageo Plant in Ageo City, Saitama Prefecture, was
newly constructed. The company
began manufacturing motorbikes under the name of Bridgestone
Champion, as well as
motorized bicycles, after incorporating the small engine
division of Prince Motor Co.,
Ltd. (an associated company). Bridgestone Bicycles
was renamed Bridgestone Cycle
Industry Co., Ltd. |
| 1966 |
Awarded
the industry's first Good Design Award for the lightweight "Super
Light" (exhibition
model) and the children's tricycle "Jet
Bambi". |
| 1968 |
Awarded
the industry's first Okochi Memorial Production Award
in recognition of our
innovative bicycle frame manufacturing method (the
die cast method,) based on our
superior levels of research that led to reduced costs
and improved productivity. |
| 1969 |
Concluded
a technical support agreement with Belgium's Bekaert
Engineering for
machinery that manufactures steel cord for tires. |
| 1970 |
The
Industrial Machinery Division was newly established
and began producing
machinery for manufacturing steel cord for tires. |
| 1971 |
The
Kisai Plant was established in Kisai-cho, Kitasaitama-gun,
Saitama Prefecture, and
commenced operations. |
| 1976 |
Bridgestone
Cycle Industry Co., Ltd. was renamed Bridgestone
Cycle Co., Ltd. The
Saga Plant was established in Kitashigeyasu-cho, Miyaki-gun,
Saga Prefecture, and
commenced operations. |
| 1978 |
Otani
Machinery Industry Co., Ltd. was renamed Bridgestone
Industrial Machinery Co., Ltd. |
| 1982 |
The
Belt Drive System was developed. |
| 1984 |
The
Gear-type Non-stage Transmission was developed. |
| 1985 |
The
use of new materials, such as aluminum and carbon,
was adopted for massproducing
bicycle frames following the development of the structural
adhesion method. |
| 1986 |
The
Four-stage Transmission for the front interior was
developed. |
| 1987 |
Awarded
the Japan Invention Special Award for our belt drive
mechanism (floating gear
method). |
| 1988 |
The
FFS (Fami-com Fitness System) was developed. The
production of order-made
systems was commenced under the title of Taylor Made. |
| 1989 |
The
Dyna Ridge tire was developed in a joint project
with Bridgestone Corporation. The "
Minna," a new type of tricycle with two front
and one rear wheels, was developed. |
| 1990 |
The
new "Tentomushi" power generation system was developed. |
| 1991 |
The
Neo-Cot Frame was developed with the use of the optimum
shape theory.
Bridgestone Industrial Machinery Co., Ltd. moved to
Higashi-Matsuyama and
commenced operations. |
| 1993 |
The
East Japan Distribution Center was established in
Kawasato Village, Kitasaitamagun,
Saitama Prefecture, and commenced operations. |
| 1994 |
Changzhou
Goldcnlion Bridgestone Cycle Co., Ltd. established
in China as a joint
venture. The Neo-Cot carbon monocoque frame was developed. |
| 1995 |
A
comfortable bicycle equipped with a single-pivot
suspension was developed. |
| 1997 |
Merged
with Bridgestone Industrial Machinery Co., Ltd. |
| 1998 |
Awarded
the Good Design Award (Grand Prix) for Transit (exhibited
model,) a singlesided
swing arm type shaft drive bicycle. A bicycle with
an electronically-controlled
automatic transmission was developed. The "Keyless
Key" was developed. The Anchor,
a top quality sports bicycle was developed. |
| 1999 |
A
series of car bicycles was developed under the title
of Transit Series. The
amalgamation with Changzhou Goldcnlion Bridgestone
Cycle Co., Ltd. was dissolved
and restructured into Changzhou Bridgestone Cycle Co.,
Ltd. |
| 2000 |
Tough
Road Tires were developed in a joint project with
Bridgestone Corporation.
Bridgestone/Moulton was developed in a joint project
with the United Kingdom's Alex
Moulton Bicycles. |
| 2001 |
The "Albelt," featuring
a combination of an aluminum frame with a belt drive
mechanism,
became a best-seller. The Kuki Miharu-kun, the world's
first air pressure checker that
allowed users to visually determine the optimum air
pressure, was developed. |
| 2002 |
The
Raku-Raku, a bicycle with a comfortable seat allowing
the height of the saddle to be
adjusted with a hand lever, was developed. The Alsus,
a bicycle with hyper-suspension,
was developed. |
| 2003 |
The
Ippatsu Nijo double lock, which allowed the simultaneous
locking of the rear wheel
and handlebars, and the White Flash Tentomushi, a bright
LED light that does not
burn out, were developed. The Abios, a new concept
bicycle for baby boomers, was
developed. |
| 2004 |
The
Air Hub, which always ensures a comfortable ride
by pumping air automatically into
the tire tube during wheel rotation, and the Raku-Start
mechanism that ensures easy
and stable starts, were developed in a joint project. |
| 2005 |
The
Super Angel Seat, which involved scientifically analyzing
children's safety, and the
Angelino bicycle for transporting children, which is
equipped with the "Temoto de Lock" feature
that enables the rider to activate the lock without
having to remove the hands
from the handlebars, were developed. A three-seat bicycle
taxi based on our powerassisted
models commenced regular operation in the grounds of
the Aichi Exposition. |
| 2006 |
Two
bicycles in the Relaxybike easy-to-ride town models
were developed under the
names of Veltro and the Vegas. The Orby, which was
aimed at increasing demand in the
sports bike market, and the Angelino R, which is fitted
with a rear seat for children, were
developed. |
| 2007 |
Our
machining division became independent on April 1. |
| 2008 |
The
[emeters] cycle meter, which can be connected to
a cycling SNS, was developed. |
| 2009 |
Bridgestone
Cycle Co., Ltd. celebrated its 60th anniversary.
The Bike Forum Aoyama,
which combines showrooms and office space, was opened. |
