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.

1975 Redline Monoshock BMX

1975 Redline Monoshock BMX

1975 Redline Monoshock BMX

1975 Redline Monoshock BMX

This is an extremely rare early BMX bike.

One of only five or six bikes like it ever built, this Redline Monoshock is a fabulous example of how early BMX bike designers would emulate their motorized counterparts. Besides the suspension frame you had rims, tires, spokes and handlebars which were most likely borrowed from Yamaha motocross bikes.

Like a lot of experiments in new styles of bikes, this one ended up being a dead end. This racing bike wasn’t very fast.

Motocross tires and rims

Motocross tires and rims

A fine attempt, just a bit heavy

A fine attempt, just a bit heavy

A big spring with little rebound control

A big spring with little rebound control

A big issue was all of the extra metal that added up to a heavy bike. The suspension elements, thick tires and rims along with the frame reinforcements were all over the top. To add to the efficiency problems, the suspension bounced.

Alpha Bicycle Co. number plate

Alpha Bicycle Co. number plate

The few kids who raced these Redlines would try to lock out the suspension in order to be competitive. With the springy suspension active, all of the rider’s energy would be stolen away as the bike tried to bounce him off.

This awesome early Redline came from its Northridge, California birthplace by way of our friend Rick Gaytan. Hurry in if you want to see this bike in person. It looks like a lot of fun, and Rick will probably want it back soon.

By paul|2014-12-28T22:20:14+00:00August 28th, 2014|Museum bikes 1966 to 1985|Comments Off