Tony Soberalski’s 1930’s Sun Club Racer
Tony Soberaski’s Sun Club Racer
Despite the name, it’s not really a racer. It’s a Sun “Club” model.
What became the Sun Cycle company was founded by James Parkes & Son in 1885. Initially a brass foundry, the company started manufacturing bicycle frames and parts in 1898. In 1907 the company changed its name to The Sun Cycle & Fittings Company and began making and selling its own line of bicycles. The ’20’s through the ’40’s were good years for the brand, and bikes like this club model were quite popular. In the late ’50’s, a lot of small British bike labels consolidated through attrition and mergers, and Sun Cycles eventually melted into the Raleigh brand.
Wires pull in each direction
Cyclo Twin-Wire derailleur
So, it’s not a racer. A touring bike? Sort of.
This old bike was used for randonneuring (or cyclo-touring) by a Seattle man named Tony Soberalski. Tony, a pioneering enthusiast, helped establish randonneuring as a thing to do in the Seattle area.
Randonées are also known as “brevets” or “cyclosportives”, and are held on courses of 200 km or more, passing through checkpoints every so often to make sure everyone stays on course. Riders try to complete these events within a specified time limit, but there is no “winner”. Everyone receives equal recognition regardless of their finish. The distance is the thing, not the speed.
Sun Club head badge
Extra clothes, spare parts, and some food.
Randonneurs are expected to be self-sufficient, so the bikes have to be able to carry extra gear. The weather can change dramatically over these long events, so fenders and lights are common accessories.
Guys in the Seattle Randonneurs Club would still use this bike today. The distances involved in brevets favors equipment that is “tried and true”. Nothing more tried (and maybe still true) than 80 year old parts. Today, these guys would call the Cyclo Standard shifter “more reliable” than any derailleur with a high-tech return spring. Four gears seems just about right! Modern derailleur systems with 20 or more gear ratios would be derided as “overly complex”.