lgrinnings
I live for the CABE
Since racing bicycles are relatively rare, I'm curious why we're assuming the bike is a racer. All TOC bikes were lighter and more sporting than 20th century machines, and TOC frames show fewer clues to their purpose than modern ones. In this case it's hard to tell from what I see. TOC men's/boys' bikes had neither chain guards nor fender eyelets on their dropouts. Any original TOC bike was fixed gear, whether roadster, 'scorcher,' or racer. Tire width varied with fashion. There wasn't much differentiation in frame geometry like we expect today. This bike has conventional handlebars turned upside down, and from what I see could possibly be a racer but just as easily be a roadster.
All true. In this case, the assumption is driven by its likeness to the aforementioned Hendee Indian 24" Special Racer and that similarly-aged youth safeties appear to have a beefier countenance. The lot of items it came with included differing cranks, a number of different sized chainwheels, and some toe clips. Not definitive, but hints of racing nonetheless.
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