In the 1890s, bicycling swept across the United States. It opened a new world as an alternative to walking, or if you could afford it to riding in a carriage. By 1893, there were over one million bicycles in America.

Indianapolis boasted a vibrant bicycle industry. The center was Pennsylvania Street which for a two-block distance was lined with bicycle shops and bicycle riding schools, including Carl Fisher’s bicycle shop. It also had the Waverly Bicycle Company which employed 1,500 men as machinists, saddlers, and rubber makers and the Hay & Willits Manufacturing Company which made the Outing Bicycle.  By 1900, bicycle manufacturing was a $1 million business in Indianapolis.

Arthur Newby, one of the four founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was also actively involved in the Indianapolis bicycle industry. After working with Hay & Willits he along with Glenn Howe and Edward Fletcher started Indianapolis Chain and Stamping Company which made bicycle chains. At one time, they supplied chains for 60 percent of bicycles produced in the United States under the trade name of Diamond Chain. In 1896, the company supplied Henry Ford with ten feet of chain which it is believed he used on his first Quadricycle.

An avid bicyclist, Newby was one of the founders of the Zig Zag Cycle Club which was known for its colorful clothing and Century Rides, a 100-mile round trip ride to Bloomington, Indiana, and Cincinnati. Members of the Zig Zag Cycle Club also included Carl Fisher and James Allison. The friendship made between Fisher, Allison and Newby while participating in various rides of the Zig Zag Cycle Club would later lead to them being three of the four founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition to organizing rides, the club also hosted bicycle races including a one-mile race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in August 1893. The prize for winning this race was a gold and diamond encrusted cup valued at $1,000.

In 1898, Newby, Fisher and Allison commissioned Indianapolis architect Herbert Foltz to design a quarter-mile wooden track on the northside of Indianapolis at 30^th Street and Central Avenue to host the League of American Wheelmen national championship the week of August 9. The track had a 2,000-seat grandstand on the southside and a 2,500 seat amphitheater on the north side with bleachers circling the remaining area of the track. Reportedly some of the races drew up to 20,000 people. At a cost of $23,000, the track was built from white pine boards dipped in preservative with the rough side up to provide traction. Arc lights were used to illuminate the track for night racing. Its first race was held on July 4, 1898.

The Indianapolis Wheelman’s Club, which included participants of many of the bicycle clubs, had 25,000 members in Indianapolis out of a population of 187,000. The national championship was the biggest event of the year.  The Newby Oval, one of the fastest tracks in the nation, was lauded by both bicyclists and officials. It attracted racers such as Eddie Bald, Tom Cooper, and Indianapolis native Marshall “Major” Taylor.  It was successful in all aspects except one: attendance at the national championship was lower than expected. While a variety of things were tried to make the Newby Oval profitable including concerts and football games, the track was razed in 1903.

By the turn of the century, the bicycling craze was waning. Newby sold Indianapolis Chain to the American Bicycle Company in 1899. The next year, Newby along with Charles Test founded the National Motor Vehicle Company which originally produced electric automobiles. In 1912, National Motor Vehicle Company won the second running of the Indianapolis 500 with Joe Dawson at the wheel.

Carl Fisher was the first person in Indianapolis to own an automobile. He converted his bicycle shop into Indianapolis’ first automobile dealership.