Ralph Igler, retired engineer and collector of vintage bikes Ralph Igler, retired engineer and collector of vintage bikes (October 13, 2004)
Ralph E. Igler, a resident of Palo Alto for more than 50 years and a nationally known expert on antique bicycles and cars, died Sept. 29 at his home. He was 83.

Igler was found in his garage, where he apparently had been doing what he loved best -- repairing or improving something at his workbench.

Born in San Francisco on Feb. 19, 1921, Igler attended Commerce High School. While at San Francisco City College in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he attracted the attention of the U.S. Navy by winning several model-airplane competitions.

After graduating, he began work at the Navy's Moffett Field in aeronautical testing, although he often joked about how the military hired him with the mistaken belief that his skills at building balsa-wood gliders would easily transfer to military aircraft.

He helped build the military base's enormous "40 by 80" wind tunnel, as well as working many construction projects for NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett. He continued working at Moffett as a civil engineer and building inspector until he retired in 1981.

With a curious mind and an engineer's gift for mechanics, Igler was an avid collector of everything from fruit peelers to turn-of-the-century touring cars. His cars, particularly a 1909 Buick and a 1939 Delage, regularly won or placed at Bay Area car shows in the 1960s and 1970s.

Bicycles, however, became his passion later in life. His collection of more than three dozen bicycles -- from 1860s boneshakers to current racing models -- is considered one of the best private collections in the country.

His bikes were regularly displayed at museums and other locations throughout the Bay Area. Last summer, his collection was the centerpiece exhibit at Palo Alto's Museum of American Heritage, where Igler was a founding member. The exhibit, "Cycles of History," ran for more than three months and was one of the museum's best-attended exhibits ever.

A world traveler, Igler had visited all continents but Antarctica. He lived in Palo Alto since 1950. He was a longtime member of the Elks Club in Palo Alto, Foothills Swim and Tennis Club, and the Horseless Carriage Club of Santa Clara Valley.

He is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Lynne; two sons, Marc of Palo Alto, and David of Irvine, Calif.; and three grandchildren with a fourth on the way.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Ave.

Donations may be made to the Museum of American Heritage, P.O. Box 1731, Palo Alto, CA, 94302-1731. Spangler Mortuary in Menlo Park handled arrangements. ??
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