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.

1979 T.I. Raleigh team bike

1979 T.I. Raleigh team bike

1979 T.I. Raleigh Team Bike

1979 T.I. Raleigh Team Bike

What were you doing in 1979?

If you were racing your bicycle, or reading about bike racing in imported French magazines and Belgian newspapers, you knew about the T.I. Raleigh racing team.

Peter Post’s powerhouse team was a force to be respected. A team that could win small stage races (Paris-Nice with Gerrie Kneteman) and classics (Tour of Flanders and the Amstel Gold Race with Jan Raas), it was amazing that they still had energy left for the grand tours.

1978 T.I. Raleigh-McGregor racing team

1978 T.I. Raleigh-McGregor racing team

In 1978 the T.I. Raleigh squad at the Tour de France won ten stages, and had three different team members wear the yellow jersey. Team riders Jan Raas, Hennie Kuiper, Gerrie Kneteman, Henk Lubberding, Paul Wellens, Johan van der Velde and Joop Zootemelk made frequent trips to the winner’s podium.

For the American bike racing fan, T.I. Raleigh would have had a special mystique. The team was sponsored by a company whose name you could pronounce. They employed tough guys with names you couldn’t pronounce. There were no superstars, but a collection of working men who could win on any given day.

Made in England

Made in England

'77 Tour team prize winners

’77 Tour team prize winners

Super Champion and a Gentleman?

Super Champion and a Gentleman?

The replica T.I. Raleigh team bike would have made quite a statement on club rides in 1979. It probably would have told your buddies that you were privy to all kinds of secret European training methods, and that you were dead serious about going fast.

Cinelli bars and stem

Cinelli bars and stem

Concor saddle, Reynolds tubing

Concor saddle, Reynolds tubing

Bullseye pulleys on the Record derailleur

Bullseye pulleys on the Record derailleur

The British frame was a blue-collar racing rig. A French Gitane or Peugeot might be fine for some, and an Italian Colnago or Masi could work in a pinch, but you were serious. You just needed a tool for going fast, and if it was good enough for Joop (the oldest winner of the Tour de France in history), it was good enough for you.

By paul|2014-11-28T16:57:22+00:00April 8th, 2013|Museum bikes 1966 to 1985|0 Comments