1999 Hetchins Millennium

Built in honor of Hetchins' finest work

I know, this bike is confusing. The label seems to make it too new to belong in a museum, and the components and construction style would suggest that this is a really old bike. Seems like we’re trying to pull a fast one on you. We’ll try to explain.

The most similar analogy to this bike that we can think of is the retro-looking record players available now that have jacks to hook up to your iPhone. Or maybe it’s like an old car that got hot-rodded with a modern engine and suspension. Unlike a hot rod, this bike has the old engine and suspension but a new body. It’s a remake of a more “historic” bike, and a true classic itself. 

Oh no! My bike is melting!

Imagine how long it took to file and polish these

Built in 1999 to commemorate the new millennium, Hetchins offered bike junkies like our friend Jeff a chance to ride around on a piece of history by bringing back one of their oldest and most ornate lug sets. 
The steel tubing joining those lugs is thinner and lighter weight than what was used in the ’30’s, but the ride quality is similar.

Jeff commissioned this bike to be a replica of the Hetchins that star athlete Tony Merkens rode at the 1937 Crystal Palace six-day race.

Bicycle hub or cheese grater?

Head badge or a coat of arms?

Photos from the time suggest that his bike got more attention than Tony did. In an era when bicycle frames rarely had any identifying labels besides a head tube badge, the wavy tubing and the lacy lugs would have really stood out and been an eye magnet for people who liked high-performance bikes.

This Hetchins is pretty unique even today. It is one of 15 Millennium models that were built, and as far as we know, one of the two that were sold in North America.