'the Roman' By Clothier & Burrows Of Philadelphia, Pa

[boardhoarder]

I purchased this bike a while back from Dean (dfa242) and am looking for more info on it.

There have been other threads started about it back around 2014 when it was for sale at Copake (where Dean got it, I think), but none of them netted much information.

I've Googled 'Clothier & Burrows Philadelphia' and various other related searches, but didn't come up with much other than a couple of old advertisements and evidence that someone had a ladies model for sale at one time, but there weren't any photos of it.

I'm wondering if anyone can identify the maker, as I am under the assumption that Clothier & Burrows is likely a store brand.

This bike also has a couple of neat features like the seatpost clamp, Brown saddle, fixed drop bar/stem combo, interesting rear axle adjusters, larger diameter tubing on the main tubes, and delicate, thin sort of pinched/elliptical-shaped tubing on the seat and chain stays. It is very lightweight compared to the other TOC bikes that I have.

It should also be noted that this is not the wheel/tire combo that was on the bike when I bought it- I just threw on what I had laying around at the time.

I'd love to hear if anyone out there has any idea of maker or any other info on on this interesting oddball machine.

 

[barracuda]

I remember admiring that bike in the Copake auction catalog.

Clothier & Maupay were an amateur multicycle duo participating in century runs and tandem races in and around Philadelphia in the mid-1890s.

They apparently had a small local manufacturing concern which changed partnership in 1897 when Thomas Burrows came into the picture:

Conrad F. Clothier Jr. was the treasurer of his father's thriving rope-making company, and along with Burrows, a sometime railway financier (they ran the Philadelphia Railway Track Equipment Company), manufacturer and inventor. The two seem like small-time monied robber barons of the era.

Clothier was also an avid Wheelman, the President of the Time Wheelmen of Philadelphia.

Clothier & Burrows manufactured Roman bicycles in Philadelphia from 1897 until at least 1899 or so, as far as I can tell. That's a pure Philly product you've got there.

 

[catfish]

Beautiful bike!

 

[boardhoarder]

Wow, Barracuda! Thanks so much for the info. That is way more than I came up with in my initial search.

That patent filing page (at least, I assume that's what it is) is fascinating.

 

[kccomet]

some bikes just have the look i like, others not so much. to me this bike has a great over all look. looks tough, looks racing, i love it. interesting research about the badge. i was about to say hardware or store brand, which shows how much i know

 

[Freqman1]

That bike has a serious cool factor going for it. Glad Barracuda could shed some light on this interesting machine. V/r Shawn

 

[boardhoarder]

Appreciate your comments guys...many thanks.

And kccomet, I know exactly what you mean. There are some bikes that just 'grab' me because of their stance or attitude or something. This bike has that look to me, too.

I'm wondering if anyone thinks that this could have possibly been a racer or track bike?

I guess what leads me to that question, aside from the ancillary parts (fixed drop bars, mono sprung seat, etc.) is the larger diameter tubing and that fact that it is very lightweight. And maybe that means nothing and it is just the way that C&B built all of their frames. I do realize that any bike can be dolled up with racer-ish parts to make it appear to be a racer.

Please understand that it doesn't matter to me in any way if it is a racer, roadster, or whatever. I know that can sometimes upset people when they get told their bike is just the 'regular' model and they think it is a racer. My only goal here is to understand more about this particular machine and its history.

 

[stoney]

BEAUTIFUL bike. Looks like a real hot rod of it's day. Love everything about it.

 

[corbettclassics]

From 1900 magazine "The Wheel" ...

Here you can see that it appears "Vernier" raced on one as he was backed by "Clothier & Burrows".
Vernier was also called "The Little Roman".

Vernier raced against the greats such as Eddie Cannon Bald and others.

 

[boardhoarder]

corbettclassics...thanks for posting the above info!

This is the reason I'm on the CABE. It never ceases to amaze me what I can't find on the internet, but some of the stuff our fellow CABE members come up with just floors me.