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Prior to 1892 Spalding purchased bicycles from numerous manufacturers including Victor, but because of a lawsuit between Spalding and Victor, Spalding claiming that Victor was not honoring the warranties on their bicycles, Spalding purchased a sewing machine factory in Chicopee, Ma in 1893 and started manufacturing bicycles under the Lamb manufacturing Co. name. Victor in turn, in retaliation to the law suit aggressively entered the sporting goods business, but Spalding got a leg up on them as they manufactured the first basketball in the late fall of 1893 or early winter of 1894. The original Victor Sporting Goods division only lasted about 4 years when they were purchased by an employee and Wright and Ditson. Eventually Spalding owned a controlling interest.
Albert Spalding became president of the ABC bicycle company in about 1899 which was a conglomerate consisting of numerous bicycle manufacturing companies in an attempt to streamline, reduce competition and to save the failing bicycle industry. Albert Spalding was only president about one year and shortly after he left the organization went bankrupt as did most of the bicycle industry.
Spalding had a big impact on the bicycle industry in the 1800's just as they did on almost every other American sport.