Remember that there was never any entity called "Bike Athletic Company." "Bike Athletic" was simply the name of a product line, first used by the Kendall Company, and later used by other groups that took over the manufacture of the jocks. Here's the timeline I have compiled:
Bike
The 1889 Catalogue of Sharp & Smith lists suspensory bandages from various makers, including S&S's "Cotton Suspensory No. 5."
The July 8 and July 22,1898 issues of L. A. W. Bulletin and Good Roads carried ads for The Bike Jockey Strap Suspensory, Sharp & Smith, Chicago.
The Aug. 5, Aug. 19, Sept. 2, and Sept. 16, 1898 issues of L. A. W. Bulletin and Good Roads carried ads for the Bike Jockey Strap Suspensory, sold by Sharp & Smith, 73 Randolph St., Chicago.
The Aug. 1899 issue of L. A. W. Bulletin and Good Roads carried an ad for The Bike Jockey Strap Suspensory, Sharp & Smith, 92 Wabash Av., Chicago.
The September 1899 issue of Elliott's Magazine carried an ad for The Bike Jockey Strap Suspensory, sold by Sharp & Smith, 92 Wabash Av., Chicago.
The Oct., Nov. and Dec. 1899 issues of L. A. W. Bulletin and Good Roads carried ads for the Bike Jockey Strap Suspensory, Sharp & Smith, 92 Wabash Ave., Chicago.
The June, July, August, October, and November 1900 issues of The L. A. W. Magazine carried ads for the Bike Jockey Strap Suspensory, sold by Sharp & Smith, 92 Wabash Ave., Chicago.
The 1901/02 Wright & Ditson Fine Athletic Goods catalog carried an ad for the Bike Jockey Strap Suspensory No. 5.
The 1906 Spalding catalog carried an ad for the Bike Jockey Strap Suspensory No. 5.
The 1907/08 Spalding's Official Basket Ball Guide carried an ad for the No. 5 "Bike" Supporter.
On December 15, 1909 Sharp & Smith filed a suit, reported on in the Federal Reporter, for "infringement of patent No. 594,673 for a combined jock-strap and suspensory issued to Charles F. Bennett November 30, 1897."
The 1914 Spalding catalog carried an ad for the No. 5 Bike Jockey Strap Suspensory.
In 1916 rights for two patents for jockstrap designs by Charles Bennett were assigned to Sharp and Smith.
The 1916 Schoverling, Daly & Gales catalog carried an ad for the Bike Jock Strap and the Bike "Combination" Supporter.
The 1917 Spalding catalog carried an ad for "Bike" Elastic Supporters, the Original "Bike" No. 5 (Pat. Nov. 30, 1887 [sic]) and the Improved "Bike" No. 7.
The Bike Web Manufacturing Company was founded in 1919. [Per private communication from Elisabeth McGregor, Curator/Archivist, Norfolk Charitable Trust Archives and Collections]
The 1920 Sears catalog carried an ad for the Genuine "Bike" Suspensory and Strap, the Bike Combination Supporter, and the Formal "Bike" Supporter.
The 1920 Spalding catalog carried an ad for "Bike" Elastic Supporters, including the No. 5 Original "Bike."
The Athletic Journal in 1922 and '23 carried many ads for the "Bennett No. 5 Supporter," and mention C. F. Bennett, patentee of the All Elastic Jockey Strap.
The 1923 Chicago City Directory carried the following listing:
BIKE WEB MFG COMPANY,
Dana E Morrison Pres, Fred
D. Coambs, V-Pres-Treas, Mfrs
Elastic Webbing, Surgical and
Athletic Bandages, Etc,
4113-4125 E Ravenswood av
The 1923 Schoverling, Daly & Gales catalog carried an ad for the Bike Jock Strap, the Bike "Combination" Supporter, and the "Bike" Pink Elastic Professional Supporter.
The 1927 Sears catalog carried an ad for the "Bike No. 55 Elastic Supporter, the "Bike" No. 77 (?) Elastic Supporter, and the "Bike" Wide Waist Supporter.
The 1928/29 Chicago City Directory carried the following listing on page 554:
Bike-Web Mfg Co Dana E Morrison pres Fred D
Coombs vpres-treas knit goods 4115 Ravens-
wood av
The Classified Business Directory at the back carried the following listing:
KNIT GOODS - MFRS
Bike-Web Mfg Co 4115-21 Rvnswd av
In May 1928 Boys' Life magazine carried an ad for Blue Ribbon Athletic Supporters, the No. 106 Tux supporter with a 1" waistband "for everyday wear," and the No. 102 (?) Star supporter with a 3" waistband, by the Bennett-Landon Web Co., Inc. on Oakley Ave., Chicago.
In August 1928 Boys' Life magazine carried an ad for Blue Ribbon Athletic Supporters, the Tux and the Star, by Bennett-Landon Web Co., Inc. on N. Oakley Ave., Chicago.
A 1920s box for the BLW Jockey Strap states, "'The Best Jockey Strap,' No. 5 Blue Ribbon Supporter."
In 1929 the Bike Web Manufacturing Co. of South Bend, Indiana, is acquired by the Kendall Co. of Walpole, MA (from a 1953 address by Henry P. Kendall).
A report ca. 1950 says that Bike at the time of purchase in 1929 was "well established as a manufacturer of athletic supporters and other products made of rubber-and-cotton webbing." Chicago became the headquarters of the Bauer and Black Surgical Dressing Division, which included "the Bauer and Black plant at Chicago, the Bike Web Manufacturing Company at South Bend, Indiana" plus Kendall Ltd. in Toronto, Burson Knitting Co. in Rockford, IL, and later plants in Cuba and Mexico. [Per private communication from Elisabeth McGregor, Curator/Archivist, Norfolk Charitable Trust Archives and Collections]
The 1929 Directory for South Bend, Indiana carries the following listing:
Bike Web Manufacturing Co., Division Kendall Co. of Boston, MA
Mfrs of Elastic Webbing, Kenneth Llewellyn Mngr,
3802 W. Sample, So. Bend, IN Tel 3-6157
[Per private communication from Kristen Madden, Archives Manager, Center for History, South Bend, IN]
1930-32 Bike Web Manufacturing Co.
2500 S. Dearborn St., Chicago
1933-34 Bike Web Manufacturing Co.
41 West 25th St., Chicago
104 E. 25th St., NY
1935-41 Bike Web Manufacturing Co.
41 West 25th St., Chicago
1939 Blue Ribbon Athletic Supporter from Bennett-Landon Web Co., Inc.,
Manufacturers of Athletic Elastic and Surgical Elastic Supporters,
2430-38 North Oakley Avenue, Chicago
1939-43 Dana Morrison, President of Bike Web Manufacturing Co.
1945-47 Bike Web Co.
41 West 25th St., Chicago
1947 Kendall builds a plant in Mexico City, Mexico
1948-50 Bike Web Co.
2500 S. Dearborn St., Chicago
1950 Kendall builds a plant in Toronto, Canada
1952-56 Bike Web Co.
309 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago
mid-1950s Red tracer lines added to waistband
1956-58 Bike Web Co., Division of the Kendall Co.
1958-59 Kendall Co., Bike Web Sales Division
1960-64 Kendall Co., Bike Sales Division
1963 Package uses broad orange-yellow-orange bands, and a blue box with white print
1965-70 Kendall, Bike Athletic Products Division
1971 Kendall Co. acquired by Southern Athletic:
Bike Athletic Products, Division of Southern Athletic Inc.
1973 Kendall and Southern Athletic acquired by Colgate-Palmolive Co. and changes name to Bike Athletic Co.;
Begins making the No. 11 jock
1976 Bike moves production to Knoxville, TN
1976-83 P.O. Box 666, Knoxville, TN
1980 Bike Athletic Products, Division of Southern Athletic Inc.,
Knoxville, TN
1980-83 Bike Athletic Co., Knoxville, TN
1983 (84?) Bike moves production to Mexico and the Dominican Republic
1986 Colgate sells Bike to Kazmaier Assoc.
1990 Purchase: Bike Cup Supporter
Bike Athletic Co., Knoxville, TN
Made in USA
1992 Bike makes its 300-millionth jockstrap
1995-97 Purchases:
Bike Athletic Co., Knoxville, TN
Made in USA
2003 Bike is acquired by Russell Athletic Co.
Purchase:
Bike Athletic Co., Knoxville, TN
Made in Macau
2005 Bike makes its 350-millionth jockstrap
2006 Bike Athletic is a subsidiary of Russell Corp.
2009, '11 Purchases
Bike Athletic, A Division of the Russell Corp.
Alexander City, AL
Made in China
2011-12 Purchases:
Bike Athletic, A Division of Russell Brands, LLC
Bowling Green, KY
Made in China
