The collection includes the original bicycle ridden by Miss Gulch in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
The museum serves as the primary repository for the Schwinn archives, housing rare prototypes and manufacturing equipment.
Many of the museum's rare artifacts were originally part of a collection housed at the Huffy Corporation headquarters.
The building itself, a restored 19th-century commercial structure, features original architectural elements from New Bremen’s industrial history.
The collection contains high-wheelers, or 'penny-farthings,' that date back to the late 1800s.
The museum documents the crucial role bicycles played in the women's suffrage movement, acting as a tool for personal mobility and independence.
The Bicycle Museum of America houses one of the world's largest private collections of bicycles, featuring over 300 displayed models spanning from the 1860s to the present day. Located in a former historic hardware store in downtown New Bremen, Ohio, the three-story building showcases the evolution of cycling through rare artifacts, high-wheelers, and iconic movie-prop bikes. The museum displays provide a chronological look at bicycle design, from early wooden velocipedes to modern professional racing machines. Visitors can view the bicycle featured in the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and explore the Schwinn family collection. The facility emphasizes both the technological advancements and the cultural impact of cycling in America. Interactive exhibits and detailed placards explain the mechanical history of the bicycle's transition from an elite toy to a mass-transit vehicle.
The display featuring the iconic E.T. movie bicycle is the most popular photographic landmark in the museum.
Use the provided elevator to ensure you see all three floors, as the layout is expansive.
Check the museum's official social media pages for updates on special temporary exhibits that may rotate throughout the year.
Spend extra time reading the historical placards near the vintage 19th-century models, as they contain specific context on local industrial history.
Do not rush through the lower floor, as the most unique historic prototypes are often grouped near the entrance and the beginning of the exhibit path.
Closed on Sundays.
