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.

Used Davidson steel road bikes

Used Davidson Steel Road Bike(s)

54cm Davidson circa 2000

Bill Davidson is going on 45 years of frame building here in Seattle at this point.

Forty-five years of solid craftsmanship and terrific design without any of his bikes seeming too “traditional”. Forty-five years of beating the boutique brands on price and the mainstream brands on design & craftsmanship.

We have two used Davidson road bikes in stock right now, with both originally rolling out of the doors of Elliot Bay Bicycles on Western Avenue. These road bikes showcase Bill’s framebuilding skill with great handling, light weight and (obviously) good longevity.

Both bikes are medium size 54cm models, so if you’re between 5’6” and 5’9” tall either one will work out pretty well.

Davidson with vintage Dura-Ace

The older dark blue version is outfitted with vintage Shimano Dura-Ace 7400 parts. Component highlights include Eroica-suitable downtube shifters, an early 7-speed rear derailleur and period-correct toe-clip pedals or 1st generation Look-style Shimano clipless pedals. It comes with clincher wheels, a Dura-Ace seatpost, new 25mm Vittoria Rubino Pro tires, and a Selle Italia Turbo saddle.

It’s only $999.

The newer greyish-blue bike has really new Shimano 105 parts (11 speed) on it, a Reynolds Ouzo Pro carbon fork, Fizik Aliante saddle and new Shimano RS100 wheels.

This one is only a shade more expensive at $1199.

By paul|2024-10-29T15:48:24+00:00October 29th, 2023|used bikes|Comments Off