RWC Sportrad Filigree Track Bike 1930s

Rudolf Wurzer of Cristophen, lent his name to the bicycle manufacture which he founded in Austria.
RWC is probably best known for their Waffenrad, a bicycle which was made for the Austrian military. But they also made 'normal' bikes and sportsbikes.
Still you will have a hard time finding a RWC Sportrad like ours.

The reason is simple: This track bike is so filigree in the way that it is made, that it is likely a unicum.
Front and rear fork stays are made from thin steel and have been beautifully profiled to give the tubing the strength which is necessary for sportive competition.
Very few of such delicate 'folded' stays pop up in central Europe during the 1930s, mostly in Eastern Germany. Later, in the 1940s and 1950s, this technique finds its way into mass production. But then only because the steel quality was miserable while its price was high in the aftermath of WWII and engineers were searching for options to stabilize frames.
Turning back to our track bike from the 1930s, we find that compared to other frames of this era, this one has been built rather elegant yet aggressive. The clearance for front and rear wheel are comparably tight.

What we see has certainly not been a bike for the average athlete but rather an expensively chromed piece for a very ambitious amateur or even a professional.

The background of this machine is shrouded in mystery. It was drawn from some basement of a velodrome in Tbilissi, Georgia, when its old remainings were sold out. How the frame made its way that far east is unknown but it came with the cockpit, the saddle and the drivetrain which you can still see on it today.

Nice details are the obviously custom made chain ring, a Toni Merkens style stem and the original handlebar and saddle.

A rare and collectible bicycle from the interwar period.