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.

1967 Schwinn Typhoon

1967 Schwinn Typhoon

1967 Schwinn Typhoon

1967 Schwinn Typhoon

Here’s one of Schwinn’s middle-weight bikes from 1967.

A Typhoon in Coppertone gold paint with some of the deluxe options.
In the 1960’s, bicycle riders were looking for something a little faster and quite a bit lighter weight than the balloon-tire bikes of the 1950’s. Schwinn responded with slimmed-down versions of their Panther, Hollywood, Starlet, and Typhoon cruisers. Some of these bikes came equipped as 3-speeds, and some like our Typhoon here were built with a 2 speed hubs. The yellow-banded hub would change between its two gears each time you kicked back on the pedals.

A computer and a sound system

A computer and a sound system

Smooth welds

seating and storage

seating and storage

The focus of the 1967 ad campaign and catalog text was to persuade adults to get on a bike. To that end, they suggested that cycling would mellow a fellow out…
…Cycling is an especially favorable type of exercise. It has a very good effect on the brain, on the mental state, and on the psyche. It’s the best antidote-this kind of muscular exercise-for stress and mental fatigue. Instead of tranquilizers, I advise muscular action-even to the point of fatigue, so that you won’t need medicine to tranquilize you”. Dr. Paul Dudley White, from the President’s Council of Physical Fitness, as quoted in the 1967 Schwinn catalog.

2 speed kick-back hub

2 speed kick-back hub

Chain guard

If avoiding tranquilizers wasn’t enough for you, Schwinn also suggested that cycling would save you from heart disease, and save you some cash…
“We ought to replace the automobile with bicycles … it would be better for our coronaries, our disposition, and certainly our finances.”
… Dr. Irvino H. Page, president, American Heart Association

50 years later, these are still good reasons to go out riding on your Typhoon.

By paul|2015-03-21T22:02:11+00:00March 18th, 2015|Museum bikes 1966 to 1985, schwinn|Comments Off