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.

Marin Team mountain bike

Marin Team mountain bike

Marin Team 1

Marin Team 1

Marin made this bike for you.

The Marin Team 1 and 2 are race bikes that are plenty capable and tough enough to pilot on really technical trails. They’re light (but not too light), they have fast-rolling tires (that still have decent bite in slimy mud) great suspension forks and precise Shimano 1 x 12 drivetrains.

Marin built two bikes with the high-school mountain bike league in mind. Kids that grow out of their starter mountain bikes are going to want something fun and fast, and while a $5000 carbon fiber hardtail would be nice, it can be a bit much for the budget (especially if the rider is still growing). These bikes have msrps of only $1600 and $2600.

Marin Team 2

Marin Team 2

Other options in this price range typically include ten-year-old full suspension bikes (that have obsolete wheel sizes and worn-out parts) and used carbon fiber hardtails (that probably have the same drawbacks). Pick the right bike. Pick fresh equipment and a versatile design.

If you’re looking at the Budu race series this year and want a faster bike consider the Team. Gear Grinder club rides will be more fun on this super capable bike. Add a dropper post for only $120.

By the way, for every four of these bikes sold by their dealers Marin donates one of these bikes to the high school mountain bike league.

By paul|2023-04-02T02:48:01+00:00January 28th, 2022|Marin, mountain|Comments Off