63rickert

Here's one a friend sent me today:

https://gearjunkie.com/25th-infantry-bicycle-corps

Maybe don't attempt all of that on Barney but assume the bike is reasonably capable (except where you have seen it is not).

Wood looks amazing.

aceves

Awesome job @OldsCOOL!! That is a really COOL bike!! Love them wooden rims.

aceves

OldsCOOL

@aceves thanx man, I really appreciate that.

OldsCOOL

What an awesome and enlightening story! Thank you for posting this. At least I know the bike will be tougher than me...it’s already twice my age!

Sandstrom

Yes! fantastic documentary thanks a million for posting this...

OldsCOOL

Here is Barney having a 10deg photo session. Now, completed after adding the new leather wrapped wood grips. It has had a shakedown cruise last week and is fully functional, including the 1907 (add on upgrade of the day) Atherton coaster brake.

OldsCOOL

madpogue 

^^^^^ Finger in the frame adds a hint of pre-digital authenticity....

OldsCOOL

I can’t believe we take pictures with telephones! And don’t need to develop them!

cudak888 

I can't get enough of looking at it - thanks for trudging out into the cold to snap the pictures for us.

There's something so contemporary about it too. If it wasn't for the bars, it could be mistaken for a stripped-down 1970's Columbia at a distance if one doesn't realize what they are looking at. (And by no means do I mean this as the insult to the Glenwood - the internal lugs are what led me to reference Columbia over similar Raleighs or Schwinns).

I'm also really impressed at that equally contemporary weight. It is as if 1898 just called in so they could laugh at Schwinn's electroforging of 30 years later and at the fixie-shaped boat anchors offered today.

By the way - how's the frame for stiffness?

-Kurt

madpogue 

"Timeless"?

OldsCOOL

I haven’t tested the frame for stiffness but it does behave nicely. The light weight of this caught me completely offguard. After reading on pathracers being made for velo tracks, having large chainrings, sub-25lb weight, rat traps, drop bars, track dropouts w/adjusters, drillium sprocket and simple but sturdy frames, it was later obvious to what this bike was designed for, racing. Just a measured estimate with this skip tooth, looks to be comparable to a 53/16 fixie ratio. That’s board track gearing and roadster compromise. This one has a bell on it (still works!) for riding like a “Scorcher”.

I laughed at your Schwinn comment.

stardognine

Love those grips, but I think I’d bring the bars up a touch. 🤔 That snowy hill looks perfect. 👍

OldsCOOL

Tell this guy...he needs a bike fit.

cudak888 

Timeless.

I'm jealous - ever since I made my '51 Raleigh my daily, a part of me keeps gnawing on the idea of "older, lighter, faster." Sounds like you've found all three.

Look at it this way: I laugh at Schwinn electroforged bikes

Graeme Obree's long lost grandfather?

-Kurt

stardognine

I might have guessed Evel Knievel’s grandfather, but there’s no cape or helmet. 😁 Great pics here. 👍

madpogue 

Or sideburns.....

cudak888 

Duke Caboom then?

-Kurt

OldsCOOL

Favorable genetics!

Sandstrom

The ORIGINAL racers...slammin' stems since the turn of the century

OldsCOOL

Seems light and is light. The crankset is trim in size, the Pirate brand rat traps are light by todays standards. Much of the weight reduction came with a cost in reduced durability. They were track bikes and from what is written, they were not trusted to last off road. Another racing trait is the high mounted BB. The ads for Glenwood had them featuring a “3 point” bearing system though I don’t know what that meant.

BFisher 

Very interesting. It makes me wonder how competing makers were similar/different in design back then.

That shot in front of the white barn doors is fantastic.

OldsCOOL

Hey thanx! It didn’t take long with the boom in the release of “safety bikes” for races to start popping up. Bike makers soon catered to the needs. Frames were reduced in weight, rat trap pedals, higher BB mounts, drop bars, geo that allowed a leaning out over the bar for aero, larger chain rings, sweeping fork and headtube angles. And that is what we now call the Path Racer.

Bike racing began when the 2nd bicycle was sold. Everybody was zipping around.

sloar 

Great idea on tires. I never put any on mine because the originals are to expensive. Now maybe I can ride

OldsCOOL

The Challenge 33’s tubulars a bit narrower than the designed 1.5” they came with but they work. Cool bike! What year and make is it?

I could not bear putting the effort in this project and letting it sit with bare rims. This summer, I’ll ride this historical relic downtown on the weekends. People need to see these bikes, they are an important part of American history.