The practice of inserting baseball cards into bicycle spokes as a means of creating sound dates back to the early 20th century during the peak popularity of both baseball and bicycles among American youth. While the exact origins are unknown, it seems this trend took hold in the late 1920s and 1930s as mass production made baseball cards and bicycles affordable items that many children owned.
Both baseball cards and bicycles were quintessential parts of childhood during this era. Baseball had become America’s national pastime and the rise of gum and candy companies inserting baseball cards as premiums inside their products meant nearly every boy collected and traded these cardboard pieces of their favorite players. At the same time, the bicycle was one of the primary modes of transportation and recreation for children. It allowed for independence and adventures exploring towns and countryside on two wheels.
It’s easy to imagine how inserting a baseball card into the spokes of a bicycle could have first occurred. Perhaps a boy sliding a card in as an experiment, curious if it would make a noise. Upon discovering it created an enjoyable rhythmic clicking sound with each wheel rotation, the trend quickly spread among children looking for novel ways to customize their bicycles and make them more fun. The organic material and texture of a baseball card produced just the right sound quality to be noticed without being overly loud or annoying.
Soon inserting baseball cards became a common customization many children practiced. Different cards were tested for optimal sound and durability when wedged into the spokes. Thicker cardboard or embossed logos held up better than others. Some innovators even came up with techniques like folding the cards accordion-style for longer lasting noisemakers. Having customized bicycles with unique sound effects from one’s baseball card collection became a matter of personal expression and status among peer groups.
While the trend was mostly a childhood fad, it highlighted how baseball cards and bicycles were intertwined in American youth culture of the time period. Both provided affordable leisure activities and were personalized by their young owners. Having one’s bicycle make the signature clicking noise through the neighborhood was a display of these intersecting interests and pastimes. It allowed children to literally put their favorite ballplayers into motion alongside them as they rode.
The practice was not without issues. Chief among them was the potential damage the cards could cause by getting caught in the spokes. A misplaced card could lock up a wheel suddenly or even snap spokes. Bicycle and safety groups discouraged the trend for this reason, though their warnings often went unheeded by adventurous children. Over time, cards wedged in spoke also wore down and lost their sound-making abilities, requiring replacement.
By the late 1940s and 1950s, baseball card collecting and bicycle riding among children remained popular activities, but the fad of inserting cards into spokes had faded. Several factors likely contributed to its decline. As children aged, they outgrew some childhood pastimes. Bicycles also advanced with features like heavier-duty spokes less prone to damage from foreign objects. The rise of affordable toys like baseballs and bats meant children had new options to engage with their sports card collections beyond modifying bicycles.
While largely forgotten today, inserting baseball cards into bicycle spokes stands out as a unique example of how children in early 20th century America personalized and combined their most beloved leisure activities and interests in innovative grassroots ways. It highlights the intersection between baseball cards, bicycles, and childhood independence at a key point in each medium’s popularity. Even if short-lived, the trend remains a nostalgic reminder of imaginative play from a bygone era before digital distractions.
