JoeBass

Anyone know of anyone who builds a modern reproduction of a turn of the century racer like this:

Eagle

romperrr 

Guv'nor | Gents Classic Path Racer Bicycle | Pashley Cycles

Something like this?

Lazyass

That Pashley is actually pretty cool. Here's a neat video.

JoeBass

Hmm...that's pretty close. May not find another repro that's made as well as a Pashley.

sloar 

Build one, you can usually find turn of the century framesets at decent prices. 700c wheels will fit, standard one piece cranks. BAM your done. Usually bikes that old are only worth a lot of money if they are complete, it way to hard and expensive to track down the original missing parts. So frames are usually affordable, thecabe and ratrodbikes are 2 good sites to buy and browse for ideas, other people have done this. Lots of times people will take off the original wood wheels and leather saddle, put 700c wheels and a different saddle so they can ride it.

Lazyass

Bicicleta clásica Path Racer, rueda 28"

lasauge 

I agree with Sloar's post above - why not build your own? Alternately, if the goal is primarily to make a bike that looks/rides like something from the turn of the last century, how about a resto-mod to make something like the Pashley already posted out of a newer frame? There's loads of pictures and posts online about road bikes setup with inverted north road handlebars, and they ride and look great, plus going that route gives you the freedom to customize the bike for your riding needs.

The bike I commute on most was inspired by that turn of the century style, the parts are all modern, but riding posture is straight out of 1900:

Kilroy1988 

I'm planning to do this somewhere down the line (currently into later decades with my projects), and suspect that if I go the "resto-mod" route that I'll likely use a Schwinn Varsity frame and fork to start things off. The welded construction and geometry are about as close as one can get to an early 20th century frame without actually purchasing an antique. The bonuses include them being inexpensive and compatible with many modern components without quirks.

Good luck!

-Gregory

edit: There's a long thread at Rat Rod Bikes where many folks show off their "Pashley" style resto-mods, many of which are actually quite inspiring. Check it out.

https://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.p...e-bikes.23043/

exmechanic89

Wow, those are nice. Prolly the route I would go.

frameteam2003

1900 Rambler with Velocity wood-like rims

79pmooney

No, but I did have built for me a frame to be what a turn of the century racer might have evolved to had freewheels and gear never been invented. A fix gear designed to use flip-flop wheels, fixed on both sides with a dropout (not track end) that allows anything between 12 and 24 teeth to be used without messing with the chain.

Conceived as an '80s racing bike except the drive train. I made no attempt to be period correct since the concept itself isn't. The bike is a modern largish diameter ti frame, steel fork, quill stem, alloy bars, good braked front and rear, pump peg, WB bosses. Highish BB. Handles like a racing pedigree. A step up from what I raced 40 years ago, but related. (One big concession - clinchers.)

Come to a hill and it is stop, pull out the wrench (strapped and velcro'd under the tool bag - very fast), pull the wheel, drop the chain on the pump peg, flip, replace the chain, tighten the nuts and go. 2 minutes.

This bike has ridden 4 Cycle Oregons and has yet to coast. The most fun bike I have owned (and also my mistress. Mistress not as a woman used for you know what but "mistress" as the feminine of "master". When we ride, she's in charge, not me. Jessica J.)

Edit: It's the bike in my logo. If someone can tell me how to post the picture here, I will do it in good resolution.

Ben

xiaoman1 

I like the physical lines of the Bicileta better but it looses out to the Pashley video wise.
Ben

sloar 

Nice, thats what I was talking about.

Salamandrine 

That's a pretty old racer frameteam2003.

Just as a PSA for those who don't know, you can still buy wooden rims if you really want to play at being a early 20th century scorcher. I remember talking to some of the old geezers when I was a teen about wood rims. They said they were the fastest thing going, but would sometimes fail catastrophically and without warning. Sound familiar? Back to the future.

agmetal

One thing I find interesting about these threads (or, more accurately, ones like the Rat Rod Bikes thread linked above) is that so many people go for the basic overall look, but it's so rare to see builds that actually have geometry even close to the Guv'nor and early 20th-century bikes. To me, that's a huge part of both the look and the feel.

Piff 

What about early 80s mountain bikes? Some of them are especially slack, I remember seeing a particularly funny looking once made by dawes whose chain and seat stays were just ridiculously long.

noglider 

It's only been 17 years since the turn of the century. Bikes haven't changed that much.

Kilroy1988 

Because the guys at Rat Rod Bikes are usually not going to try as hard as we are around here or the C.A.B.E. to source the correct frames or period components. The Rat Rod guys do a decent job of having a fun time with the concept... However, I would also argue that in order to actually feel like you're riding an antique bicycle, geometry and frame material are extremely important considerations. As far as looks are concerned, everyone will have their own expectations. I'm also a purist, but again... On the go, there aren't a lot of options for reproducing these early frame styles.

-Gregory

xiaoman1 

I think many would be surprised by the effort some spend trying to RRaR (rat-rod a ride) bike, car or otherwise.
Ben

Kilroy1988 

Certainly, and the effort shows in particular builds even in the thread posted above. The lack of effort shows in many others. It's no different than any other hobby, or any other forum dedicated to this hobby - though people migrate towards one venue or another based on priorities. Here and at the C.A.B.E., I daresay we're more particular when it comes to frame geometry (in general) than RRB members (in general).

-Gregory

exmechanic89

I dont much about these bikes but assumed the geometry would be reproduced as well. If not I wouldnt want one, as the whole point of having a bike like that would be to know what it was like racing bikes of that era, imo.

Senior Ryder 00 

Another vote for building your own. I wanted the 50s path racer look, but with a bit quicker handling and lighter weight. Got a good deal on a 1964 Holdsworth Typhoon frameset and built it up with alloy components from the co-op. The 531 straight gauge frameset built up into a 25lb single speed bike. Yeah, I know that the wheels should have high flange hubs, but this pair was a $25 co-op bargain. High flanges are in the future. Picture attached.

If you want to match the laid back look and handling of those early path racers, start with an old Raleigh Sports and build it up with whatever strikes your fancy. You'll end up with a close match to the performance of a vintage path racer without investing a ton of money and a better understanding of their purpose.

Cheers,

Van

Lazyass

I like the Guv'nor more, but Pashley also makes the Speed 5. Looks like no one ships them. I'd have to make an 8 hour drive to the nearest dealer.

TimmyT 

I've got this thing that I need to move. It's a little later, like 1930.

rhenning

Here is my 1941 Schwinn World "Path Racer" I built and I have a similar one made out of a 1970s Raleigh 3 speed. You could remove the chain guard to make the Schwinn look more correct. Roger