[CR]Re: Path racers........

(Example: Framebuilders:Masi)

Date: Thu, 01 Aug 2002 12:24:07 +0100
From: "Bob Reid" <bob.reid1@virgin.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
In-Reply-To: <18f.bae5917.2a7a54f1@aol.com>
Subject: [CR]Re: Path racers........

Just to elaborate on what Martin has said already, ³path² was a popular term pre WWII for racing on fixed distance (four laps to the mile ?) Œhard¹ tracks, typically constructed of cement, cinder or asphalt. There were both amateur and professional World ŒPath¹ Championships, first won by Zimmerman in 1893, and the Belgian rider Protin in 1895 respectively. His countryman, Jef Scherens, appears to have been the most prolific winner, taking the professional championship 6 times in a row from 1932 and finally a 7th time in 1947. Grass track was (and remains) popular in the UK, but apparently much to do with the distinct lack of decent hard tracks !

The machines used for Path racing were essentially a modern track bike, and in England under the (National Cyclists¹ Union (N.C.U.) could not race with wing nuts, brakes, freewheels or any accessory whatsoever, and required bar end plugs. 74/75 deg. head tubes were popular as were so-called ŒPath¹ or ŒTrack¹ outward facing ends, 11 inch bracket heights, short fork rakes of 1.5-1.75 inches and round section tapered fork blades.

Though the magazine ŒCycling¹ used and mixed both the generic term ³Path² and ³Track² pre-war and until the early 1950¹s to describe racing on hard tracks, by the end of that decade ³Track² became almost a universal description, and by 1960, ³Path² had all but disappeared. Manufacturers did likewise. When the word ³Path² was added to a model name i.e. Hobbs Championship Path, it was built as a track bike, with no drilled fork crown or brake bridge. Road / Path machines appear to have sold as purely a track bike but with the fork crown drilled to accept a brake calliper and little else. Whether anyone turned up in 1950, and stripped off their lights, brake calliper, brake lever, and mudguards etc. is debatable. Just how many would have fitted a freewheel to the machine that having arrived at the track meeting would either be removed or the wheels swapped even more so.....(though Cyclo did produce nice wee brackets for carrying them)....I guess in reality club-level folk turned up with only the front brake to remove (Hilary ?)

The typical 30¹s road racing machine can be mistakenly called a ³path racer² - these were generally single speed fixed machines but with much more relaxed angles and short seat tubes against a long top tube (18²/23²), with a front and/or rear brake and more often than not in Scotland at the start of the season anyway - mudguards front and rear as well, and - as required by the reg¹s - a bell ! If you were a smart roadman you would have a freewheel on the other side to get you home after the race when your legs were done-in apparently ! I've had a 1937 Sun Wasp set up as such, and still have a 1930's Bates that came likewise.

Bob Reid
Stonehaven
Scotland