[CR]Now: Frank Kramer Was: Pierce Kramer Special

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From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 22:13:01 -0700
To: classic rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Now: Frank Kramer Was: Pierce Kramer Special

Craig Montgomery wrote:
>
>> Also Pierce survived the bike crash of the first decade of the 20th
> century annd I believe they continued to make this model for some
> time,
> maybe until the1920's as Kramer was still quite a popular
> figure........
>
>> Joe Bender-Zanoni
>> Great Notch, NJ
>
>
> Frank Kramer was the highest paid sports figure in the U.S. until
> Babe Ruth
> out incomed him in the late twenties. Don't ask me the source of
> this, just
> trust me. I remember it from a caption, but can't go looking for it.

I think he was possibly the most popular American cyclist ever (yes, even more popular than Lance)! Here's the caption I came up with for the Frank Kramer t-shirt I sell: "Frank Kramer (1880-1958) was possibly the most popular cyclist in American History. He won the National Sprint Championship an unprecedented 18 times, including 16 in a row from 1901 to 1916, the Golden Age, when cycling was more popular than baseball. He won his first National Sprint Championship in 1898 at the age of fifteen." Pretty amazing rider wouldn't you all agree???

Picture of Frank Kramer poster (thanks Brett) on t-shirt: http://www.velo-retro.com/teeshirt1.html

Anyone have any more Kramer info?

Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California http://www.velo-retro.com (catalog reprints, timelines & t-shirts)

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