The Dawn of Motobikes and Truss Rods

[Iverider]

Thanks!

Your Gendron is a nice looking bike!

I'm surprised it hasn't sold yet.

Sent your parts this morning btw.

 

[fat tire trader]

1915 Mead Ranger Superbe

The 1915 Mead catalog shows only one model with truss rods. The Ranger Superbe

 

[Balloontyre]

The 1915 Mead catalog shows only one model with truss rods. The Ranger Superbe

Are there any detailed pics of the truss fork, or descriptions of construction?
Thank you for posting this.

 

[fat tire trader]

There are no detailed pictures nor descriptions in the 1915 and 1916 catalogs, just the one picture of the Motorbike Model Ranger-Superbe.

 

[Balloontyre]

Still looking for a bike photo

There are no detailed pictures nor descriptions in the 1915 and 1916 catalogs, just the one picture of the Motorbike Model Ranger-Superbe.

Thank you Chris,
I'm hopeful someone has a 15/16 Ranger Motorbike that can share a pic of fork.
Ivo

 

[SKPC]

Bump this. So is the tank question then definitively known to be 1914? Seems that the Moto-Bikes, or "freak-bikes" were on the rise in the late teens as demanded by rebellious, ratter("aper") kids into the late 30's...... Very interesting old op-ed article by @2jakes on these style of bikes. Post#45

 

[AdvenJack]

I enjoyed reading through this thread tonight. An aspect that became quite a focus was
handlebar shape/size. To my eye many of the different handlebars did not look attractive.
At this point, I find these two to have the most appeal.

 

[gben]

The best post here is 2jakes showing the Cycling magazine article about moto-bikes. I could have written it myself. The appearance of the moto-bike on the market signaled the end of the bicycles that were cutting-edge transportation and technology and the birth of the bicycle as just another fashionable pile of consumer-goods marketed to the shallow-minded who were caught in consumerism and fashion-trends. It signaled the change in the motivation of manufacturers to design the best machinery from the best materials to designing what was fashionable out of very average and cheap materials. Real cyclists will always choose a bike that puts performance first over fashion. The moto-bikes and fat-tire bikes appeal to the same sort of people now that they appealed to when they first appeared in the late teens, not real cyclists but materialists and hipsters who got their security from owning something that was trendy. The true TOC bikes, those that pre-date the late-teens and moto-bikes were the golden-age of cycling in the USA, after that everything was just fashionable, cheap consumer-goods motivated by corporate profits, except for the very, very few hand-made bikes actually used by real racers and cyclists. The only badge that should be on the head of any moto-bike or fat-tire bike, muscle-bike etc. is "Game Over".

 

[SKPC]

The best post here is 2jakes showing the Cycling magazine article about moto-bikes. Real cyclists will always choose a bike that puts performance first over fashion..

While I don't necessarily completely agree with this, I do believe that performance comes first...sorta like form follows function..

 

[ItIsWhatItIs]

I guess I am in the 'unreal cyclist' basket...I didn't even know there was a membership application to be a real cyclist. Is there a test?