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.

1960 Schwinn Continental

1960 Schwinn Continental

1960 Schwinn Continental

Brand new for 1960!

“The finest sports equipment you’ve ever seen. The first really new bicycle in years. Rides so smoothly, so fast, so responsively, that you’ll have to ride it to believe it. Smooth action gear shift gives you 10 gear combinations for every riding situation.” Only 86.95 with easy terms!

Yep, the new Continental was pretty sweet.

A great bike for just under 690 of today’s inflation-adjusted dollars. A simplex Tour de France model rear derailleur managed five gears on the back wheel, while the Simplex Competition lever-style derailleur managed two chainrings up front.

Classy touches were found all over the bike, from the fillet brazed head tube junctions to the genuine leather saddle to the knight’s helmet decals and coat of arms.

Head tube badge with protective crystal

Only $86.95 in 1960? That’s $689 in today’s dollars

Interesting frame details all around

Simplex rod front shifter

The chain is indeed threaded properly through this Simplex derailleur

The unusual Schwinn head tube badge looks extra radiant (goes well with the “radiant coppertone” paint) with a thick plastic crystal covering the lettering.

While there is a lot of nostalgia surrounding vintage Schwinns like this one, the fact of the matter is that this Continental was a beast.
Regardless of Schwinn’s sales pitch, a real racing bike from the same year would have been smoother (with tubular tires), faster (probably 10 to 15 pounds lighter), and more responsive (with a shorter wheelbase and a fork sporting much less rake).

By paul|2024-10-08T02:53:17+00:00December 9th, 2013|museum bikes, schwinn|0 Comments