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.

Marin Four Corners touring bike

Marin Four Corners

Marin Four Corners

Marin Four Corners

“Four Corners” as in the middle of the American west where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada come together. Buy this bike and plan a tour there yourself. It’s a versatile touring bike, and I’d bet a tour of that length would be enjoyable whether you rode along the paved shoulders of secondary highways, along the Great Divide trail or rumbling down gravel roads.

This is a great bike for century rides on the pavement, gran Fondos and gravel rides, long commutes, and just regular road or off-road rides with your friends.

This is a bike designed perfectly for the vast majority of Pacific Northwest riders.

If you can get over your whole “I might need a bike for a triathlon someday” delusion, this is the bike for you. Fenders, bags and cromoly tubing may not be very aerodynamic, but they sure make your bike ride a pleasant experience.

This bike has loaded-touring frame geometry with a slightly longer wheelbase and slack front end geometry, meaning that it’s a gravel bike with touring geometry that has been tweaked just a bit. The bike is comfortable for really long rides, and it will carry all of your gear without being too squirrely. The tires are 700c x 42mm wide and 650b x 57mm (2.1” mountain bike tires) will fit if you’re planning on even more rugged use. The frame is made out of cromoly steel, which delivers a springy, compliant ride quality.

Marin Four Corners 1

Marin Four Corners 1

The Four Corners has everything you want. It comes with mounts for 5 water bottles as well as racks & fenders, it has a triple crankset (pretty awesome in an era with so many single front chainring bikes), a WTB Volt saddle, Shimano Sora components (with a triple crankset for really low low gears) and TRP cable-actuated disc brakes. All for around $1000.

By paul|2024-05-20T02:13:52+00:00January 11th, 2022|cyclocross, Marin, road|Comments Off