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.

1977 Jeffrey Bock

1977 Jeffrey Bock mixte

1977 Jeffrey Bock touring bike

Quality mixte frame bicycles can be hard to come by, so our friend Meg turned to custom bike builder Jeffrey Bock to make one for her.

Mixtes aren’t just for girls. The word “mixte” is a derivative of the French word for “unisex”, and mixte style bicycles handle better than standard low-step-through frames, and are simply more convenient to mount and dismount than diamond-frame-style bicycles.

This bike originally came from Rick’s Bike Shop in Grinnell, Iowa in the summer of 1977. Built to be comfortable for long tours, and used by Meg to run quick errands around town, this bike has seen it all.

Mixte style frame construction

French TA crankset, with a compact gear ratio

Late 1970's Campagnolo Nuovo Record

A Classy, understated paint job

Hard to believe this bike is over 30 years old

Jeffery Bock, of Polk City Iowa, built his first frame while attending the University of Northern Iowa in 1975, and while this bike proves that his early work was amazing, thirty years have honed his abilities to the level of true artistry.

Over the decades, Bock has also taught countless students the fine art of bicycle construction through his frame building classes.

By paul|2013-01-11T19:32:51+00:00January 8th, 2012|Museum bikes 1966 to 1985|0 Comments

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