Harry Nettleton’s 1907 RaCycle Pace Maker

1907 RaCycle

There are a lot of names here so lets see… This is the Pace Maker model RaCycle, and RaCycles were made by the Miami Cycle and Manufacturing company of Middleton, Ohio.

Bikes like this one followed high-wheelers onto the cobbled streets of early 1900’s America. With newly invented roller chain and pneumatic tires, this would have been a luxuriously smooth ride compared to a Penny-Farthing.

One of the selling points of the Pace Maker was the massive front chainring (equivalent to a modern 84-tooth ring) that was meant to attract attention and suggest higher speed (but the big ring was actually offset by a big back cog that ended up producing a comfortable gear ratio).

The new air-filled tires were mounted (using shellac as glue) to wooden rims (maple, I think).

Head badge

Adjustable handlebar

Oversized drivetrain

Fork pegs

42 skip-tooth chainring

A RaSaddle?

The handlebars on the Pace Maker are really cool. They pivot at the stem, and can be adjusted in width and height, depending on a rider’s desire.

Foot pegs on the front fork allowed the rider to enjoy speeding downhill on his fixed-gear bike. Sure, without your feet on the pedals to control the speed there would be no brakes, but brakes are overrated.

Racycle advertisement

Check out the old ad that we found for RaCycle bikes. The copy in old advertising and press releases like this one was so earnest. According to the manufacturer, a 1904 Worlds Fair jury “consisting of the ablest consulting and manufacturing engineers in Europe and America, were unanimous in their decision that the Racycle was the most perfectly constructed, easiest running bicycle in the world.”

However they were judged, early “safety” bicycles like this one really brought inexpensive personal transportation to the masses. They connected people with jobs and schools, connected rural areas of the country with cities, connected extended families (and liberated family members from one another).

This bike was originally owned by Harry Nettleton of Red Wing, Minnesota. Harry raised the original $16.50 purchase price by collecting clam shells from the Minnesota river and selling them to a local button factory.

By the way, if you take a look at the Iver Johnson Truss-bridge bike from the same era, you’ll note that the RaCycle was about a third of the price of the Iver Johnson.

1930’s Debacco Special Racer

1930’s Debacco Special Racer

Frank Miserndino's Debacco Special Racer

Frank Miserndino’s Debacco Special Racer

A great old machine, and one of jeff’s most recent acquisitions, this bike was built in the northern New Jersey work shop of the DeBacco brothers Angelo and Joe.
This “Special Racer” model was specially built for a racer named Frank Miserndino. Frank was apparently a road guy, so the bike mainly saw the roads of North Jersey and the surrounds. Frank’s name has come up more than a few times while researching the ’30’s East Coast racing scene and Frank frequented the shops owned by both Joe Kopsky and John Brennan.

Debacco front end

Debacco front end

Lam steel brakes

Lam steel brakes

Brake detail

So you’ve heard about paleontologists finding preserved fossils encased in amber for thousands of years, right? This was the bicycle equivalent. The Debacco was packed in cosmoline to protect the chrome for over five decades. The bike popped out of its crate like you see it, just as the last time it was ridden.

Chater Lea hubs, BSA wing nuts

Chater Lea hubs, BSA wing nuts

BSA crankset

80 year old saddle

80 year old saddle

The Debacco is notable for its blend of top quality equipment. There’s a BSA crankset (no rust on it either) with a skip-link chain. The wooden rims are still true and ready for more road miles. The wheels spin around on smooth Chater Lea hubs, and the bike stops quite well with the spectacular looking (and fairly rare) Lam brakeset.

By paul|2016-12-13T02:01:32+00:00October 13th, 2016|Museum Bikes Pre WWII|Comments Off