It was late in the Cirque and I had not yet found an inexpensive track frame for my older son Aaron. Sam Fitzsimmons had bought the only track bike I could maybe have used, a lovely Raleigh Pro track that was a bit small for Aaron anyway. He would not re-sell it to me for less than $500, which I didn't have, but he did point out an odd old bike next door to his area, as possibly worth aquiring.
This bike is a black steel monster that I suspect might have been made in India. It has a nice steel cottered single ring crank labeled "Williams", Atom 440 cage pedals, heavily chromed (or nickel-plated ?) steel bars and stem, Visson bolt-on hubs with black-painted steel rims (700c) and a Bayless Wiley single-speed freewheel. There are no brakes, and this makes riding it difficult since it has a freewheel instead of a fixed cog, but the front fork is drilled for a brake at least.
Looking closely at the rear-opening dropouts, I begin to think this bike was originally a three-speed that has lost its way. It might have been originally equipped with a coaster brake, so it could be stopped in an emergency - the rear brake bridge is drilled through from top to bottom as if for a fender. The seat stays are bolted on to the tops of the rear drop-outs. Overall, I suspect I made a poor purchase decision, particularly since it is still maybe a bit small for Aaron and the rear wheel, at least, is useless to us (no way I can remove a Bayless-Wiley freewheel cog, except perhaps with a cold chisel).
Anyway, I continue to look for a open-to-the-rear track frame for older son Aaron to use as his fixed-on-the-road bike. If anyone has information about what I have aquired by mistake with this "Tiger Racer", I'd love to hear about it. It was on the floor between a lovely P15 Paramount and a Gitane Tour de France, both maybe a little too expensive for the Cirque crowd. I don't remember the seller's name.
I do love the old Brooks B15 Standard that came on it. I was thinking it was a British "Path Bike", but my blood sugar was a bit low.
Glenn Jordan - Durham, NC