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.

1953 Schwinn Varsity

1953 Schwinn Varsity

1953 Schwinn Varsity

The Schwinn Varsity is probably the most important bicycle ever made in America.

You may remember the Varsity as that heavy old bike you used for basic transportation during the oil crisis of the 1970’s, or the hand-me-down that you took to college without fear of it getting stolen in the 1980’s. The Varsity should be remembered for more and better reasons than these.

Schwinn produced the Varsity as far back as the early 1950’s. Feeling an obligation to at least try to keep people riding bikes past their teenage years, Schwinn made adult bikes for a nearly nonexistant U.S. market during the bicycle bust decades of the 1940’s, ’50’s, and 60’s. Profits from sales of kid’s bikes supported their attempts to get adults riding. Schwinn kept advertising their adult bikes, and produced some great models.

Schwinn Tophat Logo like on the Paramounts

Headbadge with the little wings on the sides

Schwinn decal on the downtube

Schwinn believed in cycling for transportation, cycling for health, and in cycling for sport. The company was persistant in their search for a model that would lure the non-rider into becoming a casual rider, or entice the casual rider into riding more frequently. That bike model would turn out to be the Varsity.

Finned fender like on autos of the day

The Varsity was made for over thirty years

Three speeds and fenders on this "Lightweight"

Made in vast quantities using Schwinn’s electro-forging process, the Varsity became the bicycle world’s VW Beetle. Cheap, durable, and appealing to lots of different riders, the Varsity is a still a popular bike, even today. This particular bike was the subject of a spirited bidding war at the 2012 Rotary Auction on Bainbridge Island.

By paul|2020-08-09T08:04:53+00:00July 24th, 2012|museum bikes, schwinn|0 Comments