At this time James Starley was foreman of the company and was instrumental in helping to bring about several improvements to the basic velocipede; however, in 1870 he left to set up in business with William Hillman. The first important bicycle they produced was the Ariel, an attempt at making a light-weight all metal machine. Other small firms came and went in the next few years, and in 1873, HJ Lawson made the first safety bicycle in Brighton, followed by the improved version of the Coventry Lever Tricycle, seven years later.

Starley's nephew JK Starley Introduced the modern type of bicycle with a triangulated frame, wheels of the same diameter and chain drives. The bicycle, known as the "Rover" first appeared in 1885. The following year Humber opened a factory in Coventry, and by 1871, 70% of the cycle industry was concentrated in the Midlands. Coventry's Premier Cycle Company, with an annual output of 20,000 machines claimed to have the largest cycle works in the world, but after 1896 a depression set in, which continued into the twentieth century. Birmingham took over as the centre of the industry, and the number of Coventry firms dwindled to a few well-established ones, such as Bayliss and Thomas, Coventry Eagle, Rudge-Whitworth, Swift and Triumph.

From 1925 onwards, competition from the motor industry and new production methods led to a further decline, and Singer, Swift, Riley and Triumph gave up the cycle side of their business. After the war, only two cycle mautacturers were left in Coventry; these were Associated Cycle Manufacturers and Coventry Eagle which survived until the 1950's. The first was taken over by Raleigh in 1954 and the second moved to Smethwick in 1959.

There have recently been signs of a revival in the local cycle industry with the merger of Bluemels of Wolston, the old-established accessory manufacturers, with Saracen Cycles of Warwick. Successful products include an adult version of the BMX cycle, and a return to volume cycle production in the Coventry area now seems a possibility.