In 1889, a bicycle with a back-pedal brake was patented by Daniel Stover and William Hance of Freeport, Ill. (No. 418,142) for the Stover Bicycle Man'fg Co. - Freeport, IL. The brake would later be known as the safety brake and became a standard feature on most brands of bikes. "The Coaster Brake"

Before Kegel's Bicycle Shop was established, the Elliptic-(M) was Freeport Bicycle Company biggest seller from 1893-1894.

Kegel's Bicycle Shop had been in Business since 1909 and moved from 44 S. Galena to 120 S. Chicago in 1936.

In 1909, Joseph Kegel purchased an existing Bicycle Shop owned by Michael Redlinger which went back to 1897.

In 1910, Kegels started selling Harley-Davidson motorcycles. This was the first Harley-Davidson dealership in the country.

In 1923, Joseph Kegel sold the the Bicycle and Motorcycle business in Freeport to his brother Julius Kegel.
Note: Joseph Kegel then relocated to Rockford and setup shop. (Currently Joseph's grandsons, Mark and Karl Kegel, run the Kegel Motorcycle Co.)

In 1960, Julius Kegel sold the business to his nephew, Ed Kloepping.

In 1966, they stopped selling motorcycles.

In 1985, Edward Kloepping sold the bicycle busniess to his son Joel Kloepping.

In 2005, Joel Kloepping sold the business to Ron Mattson and the Store renamed Freeport Bicycle Company.

The building Kegel's, and now Freeport Bicycle Co. occupy, was built in 1870 and was home to the following businesses over the years:

2005 - Freeport Bicycle Company
1975 - 2005 Kegel's Bicycle Company
1939 - 1974 Kegel Cycle & Key Shop
1936 - 1938 Kegel Cycle Sales
1933 - 1935 H.A. Sheetz, Insurance
1931 - 1932 Larson & Hansley - Barbers
1924 - 1930 W.F. Horsley - Barber
1922 - 1923 W.J. Schadle - Grocery
1917 - 1921 Fitchner & Schadle - Grocers
1913 - 1916 Cramer & Schroeder - Grocers
1912 - John F. Cramer - Grocer
1900 - 1909 C.D. Cramer - Grocer

Kegel's 1st year in business

Stover Man'fg did more than just make bicycles, they also built stoves and fence wire.