West Side Series mountain bike races
West Side Mountain Bike Race Series January - April Paul at the Whidbey Island race As of this writing the schedule [...]
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).
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.
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.
By paul|2024-11-25T21:18:47+00:00December 29th, 2024|rides|
West Side Mountain Bike Race Series January - April Paul at the Whidbey Island race As of this writing the schedule [...]
By paul|2024-11-17T17:10:08+00:00November 10th, 2024|rides|
Chilly Hilly Ride - Sunday, February 23rd 2025 The Chilly Hilly. Last Sunday in February since 1972 The Chilly Hilly Ride is on February [...]
By paul|2025-01-30T16:13:57+00:00October 2nd, 2024|rides|
Viking Tour Poulsbo May 24th Riding south out of Poulsbo The Viking Tour is a fun ride put on by the [...]
By paul|2024-11-26T01:35:14+00:00October 1st, 2024|rides|
24 Hours of Riverside Spokane Mountain Bike Challenge May 25th & 26th 24 hours of Spokane, Memorial day weekend The Riverside park [...]
By paul|2024-11-25T17:47:18+00:00September 30th, 2024|rides|
Flying Wheels Summer Century May 31st Flying wheels century Get out of the city and enjoy some of Puget Sound's finest [...]
By paul|2024-11-25T18:12:05+00:00September 20th, 2024|rides|
Winthrop Gravel Tour June 13th - 15th Winthrop Gravel Tour Get your bike ready, and prepare for a beautiful three-day ride [...]
By admin|2024-11-25T20:42:17+00:00September 18th, 2024|rides|
Tour de Blast June 21st 2025 Tour de Blast The Tour de Blast is a fully supported ride up the flanks of Mt. [...]