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.

1985 Colnago International

1985 Colnago International

1985 Colnago International

When cyclists get nostalgic about old Italian racing bikes, they’re usually thinking about bikes like this one.

This is a 1985 Colnago International. I know this because we sold this model new the first year that I worked in bike shops. It features Columbus SL frame tubing, Ambrosio Durex tubular rims, ITM stem and handlebars, Universal brakes, a Concor saddle, and Ofmega’s Premier component group.

A prime example of an Italian bike made in the middle of the pantographed-signature-logo era. This odd period of bicycle ornamentation follows the drilling-holes-in-everything era (see the 1973 Colnago Super), and precedes the logos-logos-everywhere period (see any 2000-2010 Specialized, Cannondale or Trek). Ernesto Colnago’s signature has been etched into the crankarms, chainrings, brake calipers, shift levers, seatpost, hubs and handlebar stem, and the frame (in 5 spots) on this bike.

The ride quality aboard old Colnagos like this one is sublime. The handling is terrific, and ride comfort is really good (even by today’s standards). That said, the handlebar shape and overall position suggests that one would need a fairly young back and decent flexibility to find this bike as user-friendly as a modern machine.

Classic Colnago style

Ofmega Premier components

Ofmega crankset with Ernesto’s signature

Also, just like driving an older car, you might miss some modern touches on a bike like this. Operating the brakes requires greater hand strength than with new hydraulic disc brakes. The old gearing is a bit high for most riders, and a lot of us have become used to all of those 22 or 24 options. Having only 12 gear combinations may feel a bit limiting…

By paul|2024-10-20T22:47:35+00:00October 6th, 2014|Museum bikes 1966 to 1985|Comments Off