The Bike With the Chrome Dipped Frame

This is a story about friendship, community and sense of place.

This story begins in 1948

Milwaukee County built a Velodrome in Brown Deer Park for the 1948 Olympic Trials. Bike racing was part of the Milwaukee areas sense of place. Speed Skating was important to the European immigrants that settled in the area and worked in Milwaukee's machine shops. Many of the skaters from that area populated the Olympic Speed Skating Team. The muscle set used in skating was similar to the set used in bike racing. The races were the skater's way of staying shape in the warmer months after the skating rink in West Allis closed down for the season.

From hollandercycle.com

About a decade later I went to Brown Deer Park to watch races at the velodrome. The State Championships and the Nationals were held at the park that year. Watching these athletes fly around the track was exhilerating.  I was hooked. When the Milwaukee Wheelmen announced there would be stock bike races at their sanctioned races, I signed up. I dreamt that someday I would be racing against those great athletes competing at the velodrome.

One Thing

There was something standing in the way of my dream. I didn't have the kind of bike my competition used. I had a heavy old Schwinn with a coaster brake and streamers coming out of the handlebars. I may have even had mudflaps and a rearview mirror. They all had ten speeds! I tried saving up, but my meager allowance and the few dollars earned mowing lawns meant I would have enough money in about two years.

What I had was Pete. Pete ran the local bike shop. I had been hanging around the shop for a couple of years. Over time we developed a friendship. Our family had close relationships with many of those who provided services for us in the 50's and early 60's. Our TV repairman, the auto mechanic, the lady who ran the bakery at the grocery store, the man who remodelled our bathroom and kitchen, even the people at the haberdashery were all friends. We were loyal to them as they were loyal to us. Those relationships are a lot different than the retail and service experiences today.

 I told Pete what I wanted to do, and he was was willing to help. He had a pile of scrapped bikes in the back, and he allowed me to scavenge parts to try to build a bike. These were castaways. Many of the frames and rims were bent. The hubs were rusted and the brakes worn. The problem was most of the frames and rims were a lot heavier than those on the competition's bikes. I did manage to put together a bike, but the weight was only slightly less than the Schwinn. These bikes weren't anywhere near as fast as the ten speeds being manufactured by Schwinn. I raced with this homemade bike the first summer. I managed to place in a few of the races, but I could never compete on a consistent basis against the the much lighter and faster ten speeds.

A Great Offer

One day while looking for a lighter frame, Pete approached me and offered to help me build a bike from scratch as long as I acknowledged I got the bike from the Brown Deer Bike Shop. It was a marketing opportunity for Pete and a chance to compete for me. I did not hesitate. Through the generosity of my much older friend, I became competitive.

The stakes were higher that summer. The Wheelman had put up a donated track bike as the grand prize. It had a chrome plated frame, and I thought it could be my ticket to competitive sanctioned racing against the best in the state and the country. I won the first race! I was in the points lead. I could almost see myself riding on the chrome plated track bike.

Overcoming Obstacles

At this point some bigger and more athletic boys joined the competition with top of the line Schwinn ten speeds. I rode hard, but I started dropping in the standings. The dream of the bike with the chrome dipped frame seemed to be slipping away. To top it off, the guy with the points lead told me it didn't matter if he won the prize. I felt a pang of injustice. That wasn't the worst of it. There was another racer who was into trash talk, and with each defeat he made sure I heard about it. He boasted he would take over, vault past me in the points race and ultimately win the coveted track bike with the chrome dipped frame. For a while I let him get inside my head.

During the last two race dates, things happened that changed my outlook and built my self-esteem. In the fifth race most of the competitors in the stock bike races were on vacation. As a result, the points leader and I went head to head in a match race. The organizers first said there would be one race. It was a chance for me to pick up five points and be back in contention.  I put everything I had into the race and passed him on the home stretch. I was really tired but quietly happy. Then the organizers said there would be a second race. I had nothing left. He won easily. There was no way I could make up the difference in points in the final race. Still, I had eight more points. I was back in second in the standings.

Not His Script

Something else happened. The trash talker pointed out during practice next couple of weeks that if he won the next race and I failed to place, he would win second place. He boasted there was no way I was even going to place. He was laughing as he tried to get inside my head. I didn't rise to the bait. All I said was, "We'll see." He laughed again. The way it worked out, if I finished third I would have enough points for second place. I wouldn't win the chrome plated track bike, but I would win a gift certificate to Ware's Cycle Shop, one of the sponsors of the race.

During that final race, I came from back in the pack and finished third just a wheel behind the trash talker. When it became awards time...when they called my name for second...my tormentor stood in disbelief. I hadn't told him where I finished. When I accepted the certificate, I smiled for the camera, and I smiled at him. He still couldn't believe it.

I discovered during the match races that I had so much more in reserve. I found out I could compete and win even if I was not the most gifted, or the fastest athlete.

Out of that group I was the only racer that moved to the next level the next year. By doing so, I joined another supportive community willing to help as I continued to race for another five years.

Continuing the Tradition

My oldest son, Matt, is now racing.  He discovered last year that the bike he bought at a department store was way to heavy for competition. He asked me about where he could buy something lighter. We looked at new bikes. They were way out of his price range. He was disappointed, but I told him not to worry. I took him to a local bike shop in Bloomfield. It's a mom and pop operation. We talked with them about what Matt wanted to do and what he hoped to accomplish. It turns out they have a back room filled with used bikes. We found just what he needed. We've been back to the Bloomfield Bike Shop a couple of time for parts and service. They know Matt and they are willing to help fill his needs. He's experiencing that sense of community and loyalty I did back in the 60's.

Matt races in the State Games next week.