Frank Bartell’s 1926 Appelhans
1929 Appelhans
How fast can a human being cover a mile? How fast can a cyclist really go?
Frank Bartell set out to answer those questions in 1935. The old record, set by “Mile-A-Minute-Murphy” was, you guessed it, just over 60mph.
Frank was confident in his ability and his bike, setting the human-powered land speed record on this bike during his first attempt.
Riding behind actor Tom Mix’s supercharged Auburn, Frank averaged just over 80 miles per hour along the Golden State Highway. Drafting the car behind a giant windshield, Frank turned over an immense gear.
Frank’s record lasted until 1941, when Alf Letourneur blasted to 108mph on a heavily modified Schwinn Paramount. Today the record (183 miles per hour) is held by Denise Meuller-Koronek, set on a custom KHS that barely resembles a regular bicycle.
A staged re-enactment for news reels and magazines
Frank Bartell
Frank’s St. Christopher medal rode with him
That’s 84 teeth on the front chainring
Brooks saddle with stabilizer strut
This bike started life as an Appelhans track bike. The front chainring has 84 teeth (counting the skip-tooth spaces), and the back cog would have been a 6 tooth for the record attempt. Frank used it hard, and it endured many crashes on the way to a half-dozen six-day track race wins. Sometime around 1932 Pop Brennan replaced the seat stays on the bike.