Jeanne (Robinson) Omelenchuk’s 1950’s Omelenchuk

Jeanne’s 1950 something track bike

Jeanne and George Omelenchuk

This bike was made by George Omelenchuk for his wife Jeanne, a champion cyclist and speedskater.

George, along with brothers Walter and Tony, operated one of the most outrageously capable bike and sporting goods shops in the country.  Needed a part?  They’d make it.  Something broken?  They’d fix it.  George, a skilled gunsmith and clockmaker, had legendary machining ability.

Take a close look. 
The brilliance is in the details.  Up front we have a custom front hub and fork, built as wide as the rear end of the bike, a design that must have been quite a bit more rigid laterally when ridden on banked velodromes.  Next, check out the rear wheel.  Built with a specially extruded rod rim, with a tubeless tire casing glued directly to the aluminum.  The spokes, having been soldered at the rim, are adjusted with little turnbuckles halfway down their length.  From handlebar stems to hubs to pedals, the Omelenchuk shop made their own equipment, and they made it well.

Spoke turn-buckles and machined dropouts

Custom machined stem

Hub casting (Tony Omelenchuk’s initials)

Super-wide custom hubs

The front end is as wide as the back

The Omelenchuks had quite an influence on athletics in the midwest.  Together with coach Mike Walden and the Wolverine Sports Club in Detroit, the “Michigan Mafia” took home countless national victories in cycling (and speed skating).  Jeanne Omelenchuk won 16 national speed skating titles, five cycling national champion titles (the first women to win the national championship in two major sports), and competed on three Olympic teams.