mtb-timeline

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<div column 50% #intro>
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=====  Bicycle Corporation of America =====

The Bicycle Corporation of America was founded in 1980 by William Ehrlich of Allentown, PA.  Previously, Ehrlich was an executive at [[ross:start|Ross Bicycles]] and was instrumental in moving Ross' manufacturing from New York to Allentown ((Ross was producing over 1M bikes per year from Allentown in the 1980's.)).
BCA made BMX, road & mountain bikes from 1981 until at least 1993.  In 2014, Kent International resurrected the expired brand under a [[https://www.bca.bike/|new BCA]] branding.
BCA supplied store branded bikes to Sears, JC Penny, Montgomery Ward, and Hess Department stores, plus Raleigh Bicycles US.
In 1992 BCA was assembling 60,000 bikes per year from Bethlehem, PA with about 50 employees, just before they vanished from stores.
((In an early 1993 interview, Ehrlich promised a doubling of production in 1993, something he apparently was famous for predicting each year.  See:
[[https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1993-02-28-2900353-story.html|The Morning Call]].))
It's likely that BCA started selling MTBs by 1983, if not 1982 ((Some MTB model names were trademarked in 1982.  See: [[https://uspto.report/company/Bicycle-Corp|uspto]].)), as Ross, their close cousin and neighbor, had two MTB models by 1982.
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Willie Ehrlich passed away on December 26, 2021 and his son Bob posted a moving and remarkable epitaph on Facebook:

<blockquote>
His life read like a novel:
  * Lost his parents in the Nazi death camps
  * Survived Auschwitz
  * Survived a Death March
  * Finished WWII fighting with the Free French
  * Played professional soccer in France
  * Survived incarceration by the Hungarian secret police
  * Escaped Communist Hungary with his pregnant wife
  * Immigrated to the United States
  * Set up his own company
  * Coached professional soccer
  * Retired to Florida
4/23/1928 - 12/26/2021
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Rest In Peace, Pop and thank you for everything
<cite>
Bob Ehrlich, 12/27/2021 [[https://www.facebook.com/bob.ehrlich.94|facebook]]
</cite>
</blockquote>


Sources:
  * [[https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1991-04-03-2805915-story.html|mcall]]
  * [[https://www.facebook.com/bob.ehrlich.94|facebook]]
  * [[https://uspto.report/company/Bicycle-Corp|uspto]]
  * [[https://www.wfmz.com/sports/william-ehrlich-who-brought-professional-soccer-to-the-lehigh-valley-passes-away-at-93/article_1061c5c0-6785-11ec-810a-d3d0874f0214.html|wfmz]]
  * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro1S3KvH_8w|youtube]]
  * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Ehrlich|wikipedia]]


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<div column 45%>
{{ad.jpg?400|1983 BCA Ad}}
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1983 BCA Ad
[[https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/1171113-bca-12-speed-made-allentown-pa.html|bikeforums]]
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<div column 50% #s1983>
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===== 1983 Rocky 12 =====
Shimano RS-12 v2 (1983-84), 6 speed rear, lugged frame, bi-plane fork, bullmoose bars, Chang Star copies of MAFAC brakes (1946-85), Allentown stickers
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<div column 45%>
{{1983.jpg?300|1983 Rocky 12 }}
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1983 Rocky 12 
[[ https://www.ebay.com/itm/334486177848|ebay]]
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<div column 50% #s1984>
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===== 1984 Rocky 15 =====
Shimano RS-12 v2 (1983-84), 5 speed rear, bi-plane fork, bullmoose bars, Allentown sticker
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<div column 45%>
{{1984.png?300|1984 Rocky 15 }}
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1984 Rocky 15
[[https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/vintage-1980s-bc-america-rocky-15-mountain-bike-75.177721/|thecabe]]
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<div column 50% #s1985>
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===== 1985 Classic =====
Shimano RD-AL11 (1984-86), bi-plane fork, lugged frame, Allentown sticker.  //Classic??//
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<div column 45%>
{{1985.jpg?300|1985 Classic }}
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1985 Classic
[[ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1501078173412301/user/624878707|facebook]]
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<div column 50% #s1986>
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===== 1986 Rocky 15 =====
Shimano RS-12 v1 (1981-83), 6 speed rear, lugged frame, unicrown fork, Chang Star copies of DiaCompe brakes (80's), Bethlehem sticker.
The derailleur is much older than the bike - and is older than any BCA derailleur used previously.  However, the forks and brakes are newer - plus the Bethlehem sticker places this later in the timeline.
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<div column 45%>
{{1986.jpg?300|1986 Rocky 15 }}
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1986 Rocky 15
[[ https://www.reddit.com/r/Vintage_bicycles/comments/r9o6as/picked_up_this_bca_rocky_15_yesterday_from_the/|reddit]]
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<div column 50% #s1988>
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===== 1988 Glacier 300 =====
Shimano Tourney SIS (1988), TIG welded, unicrown fork.

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<div column 45%>
{{1988.jpg?300|1988 Glacier 300 }}
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1988 Glacier 300
[[ https://www.mtbr.com/threads/vintage-retro-classic-photo-gallery-now-open.306844/page-8#lg=thread-306844&slide=7|mtbr]]
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<div column 50% #s1990>
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===== 1990 Rocky =====
Shimano Tourney TY-20GS (1989-1991), TIG welded frame, unicrown fork, Bethlehem sticker

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<div column 45%>
{{1990.jpg?300|1990 Rocky }}
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1990 Rocky
[[ https://offerup.com/item/detail/749130718|offerup]]
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<div column 50% #s1991>
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===== 1991 Rocky =====
Shimano Deore DX (1990-93), linear pull brakes (1998+)
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The brakes are anachronistic, but given the mix of SunTour, Shimano and SRAM, all components are doubtful.  Thus, the date is just a wild guess.

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<div column 45%>
{{1991.jpg?300|1991 Rocky }}
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1991 Rocky
[[ https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/bca-rocky-29291|pedalroom]]
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<div column 50% #s1992>
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===== 1992 Rocky =====
Shimano Altus C10 rear (1992), Shimano 200GS front, 21s, True Temper tubing with toothpaste welds,  Bethlehem sticker

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<div column 45%>
{{1992.jpg?300|1992 Rocky }}
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1992 Rocky
[[ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4046728522068452&set=pcb.4046731445401493|facebook]]
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