|
Post by oldroadietehachapi on Mar 3, 2016 20:08:56 GMT
What was your first "Ten Speed" derailleur bike? My first derailleur bicycle came to me in 1964 as a graduation gift (8th grade or grammar school). I asked for a ten speed bike and Dad said that "Since he had a Sears charge card, it must be a J.C. Higgins. We mail ordered the base model and were pleasantly surprised when the mid level bike arrived at my door. My introduction to bicycle mechanics followed when I assembled and adjusted the thing. These bicycles were made by Austro-Daimler (Puch) in Austria. It was much nicer than my high school and college graduation gifts! In fact, I think it my favorite gift of all time. They offered three models as follows: 1. A Base model with steel frame and Huret derailleurs 2. A Mid level bike with an "alloy" frame and Huret derailleurs 3. Their top level bike had an "alloy" frame (same as #2) Campagnolo Gran Sport derailleurs and some nicer components. This of course justifies why I have one (a nice original example) in my little collection. It is the top level model and I have never seen another. I have attached a picture of original ad copy and two .pdf files with pictures of the one I now have. This bike was found at an estate sale in Pasadena, California. It was very dirty but otherwise in great condition. I (of course) paid too much for it. 1964 JC Higgins 2.pdf (911.16 KB) 1964 JC Higgins 3.pdf (799.63 KB) Cheers Jim
|
|
|
Post by kickstandman on Mar 3, 2016 22:25:14 GMT
Very nice.
|
|
|
Post by cusqueno on Mar 7, 2016 20:18:25 GMT
My first ten-speed was left for me at university by a friend who had just finished. It was in a terrible state and I didn't ride it until I had taken it home and tidied it up. I never found out what make it was. It had a Simplex 'suicide lever' front mech and pull chain RD. The knob broke off the shifter and I epoxied on a replacement made from copper tube. I still have this. I had never cycled more than about five miles but one Easter I rode 65 miles from London to Southampton in a day and then went on a tour of Brittany and Normandy with a friend who owned a Viscount Aerospace (fillet brazed frame). We did about 540 miles in a week. A couple of years later I sold it and bought a Viscount.
|
|
|
Post by oldroadietehachapi on Mar 7, 2016 23:28:33 GMT
My first ten-speed was left for me at university by a friend who had just finished. It was in a terrible state and I didn't ride it until I had taken it home and tidied it up. I never found out what make it was. It had a Simplex 'suicide lever' front mech and pull chain RD. The knob broke off the shifter and I epoxied on a replacement made from copper tube. I still have this. I had never cycled more than about five miles but one Easter I rode 65 miles from London to Southampton in a day and then went on a tour of Brittany and Normandy with a friend who owned a Viscount Aerospace (fillet brazed frame). We did about 540 miles in a week. A couple of years later I sold it and bought a Viscount. Very cool! With a suicide lever, it sounds like it was a bit of an adventure. Thanks Jim
|
|
Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,390
|
Post by Jem on Mar 8, 2016 6:40:36 GMT
Mine was the Viscount Indy 500. A nimble bike, it handled very well, mainly Shimano components. It was a Christmas and birthday present from my Mum in the winter of '81. From memory it cost £95. I rode it into the ground (not literally), and I am ashamed to say that I trashed it through poor maintenance and then left it outside one winter at my aunties. I passed my driving test at 18 and forgot all about it. Returned and it was essentially a rusty pile of junk (it had steel rimmed wheels too). For a two year period, I rode it everywhere and was never parted from it. Fast forward 30 odd years and I had a spiritual reunion with an identical model that I bought , just for the thrill of riding it on the same routes I took as a teenager. And it felt great!! IMG_4887 by Sooper 8, on Flickr
|
|
|
Post by kickstandman on Mar 8, 2016 8:23:40 GMT
Mine was the Viscount Indy 500. A nimble bike, it handled very well, mainly Shimano components. It was a Christmas and birthday present from my Mum in the winter of '81. From memory it cost £95. I rode it into the ground (not literally), and I am ashamed to say that I trashed it through poor maintenance and then left it outside one winter at my aunties. I passed my driving test at 18 and forgot all about it. Returned and it was essentially a rusty pile of junk (it had steel rimmed wheels too). For a two year period, I rode it everywhere and was never parted from it. Fast forward 30 odd years and I had a spiritual reunion with an identical model that I bought , just for the thrill of riding it on the same routes I took as a teenager. And it felt great!! IMG_4887 by Sooper 8, on Flickr An A-1 beauty in my book. It looks like it has those foam types of covers on the handlebars. Those are actually probably my favourite type of handlebar covering as far as comfort goes. One can still find those on ebay. They look a bit of a burgundy colour going well with the frame. The lamp holder is a great touch on the fork as well. I don't seem to ride well with the pedal clips. I'm sure they work and I don't use clipless (cleats) pedals either but I know it's my loss, I like to be able to get on and off the bike quick for the way I ride. I will also use the safety levers as well. Classy, there are a lot of bikes on the net, there are all kinds of tastes out there but that one sure works for me.
|
|
|
Post by kickstandman on Mar 8, 2016 8:37:32 GMT
I think I missed a lot by not really riding much in my 20s and not until after 30 really, though I rode as a kid. I had a bike accident as a kid where I needed to get some stitches, so I kind of stopped riding. Anyway, fast forward, one day I was driving and for free was a woman's bike of all things, a Montgomery Wards Hawthorne bike, similar to this, I kept the white saddle even: And it was a lady's bicycle but I didn't care and I probably did not know better and I had so much fun on it, at times, on the bike, we get into it so very much, my model and frame, my hub, my derailleur type, ideal wheels? But this was all about the freedom of it (and ultimately, for most of us, it still is about that, on the bike). I'm sorry now, though it is years ago, I ever gave it up but I guess I thought I was moving up and probably did not quite appreciate it. I'd wake up and go look at it in the morning and it was something like magic seeing it gleam. In that mode, for a few years, I was into roadster 3-speeds and enjoyed the leisure of them and have since moved into road bikes but I do have a classic English roadster still, it is in ultimate disrepair and would need quite a bit of work to fix it. It is so heavy I use it to chain my bike up if I park outside. It must weigh at least 40 lbs and there is no way, if my bike is u-locked on, that someone could easily take it. I'm sure, it can be done but around here, it would take quite a bit of effort and in this neighbourhood, crime is not much of a problem.
|
|
Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,390
|
Post by Jem on Mar 8, 2016 11:52:15 GMT
Here's a run down on all of the bikes from my formative years... (they are not my own pictures - I do have a photo of me on my first bike somewhere though) Bike number 1, was a metal trike (pictures to follow) (A hand-me-down from somewhere or other) age 3-5 Bike number 2 was a Trusty Pavemaster (Free) - I am not sure which of these models it was...it could even be that I grew out of the fat tyred one and then got the more grown up one? (age 5 -10) Bike 3 was a 3 speed SA Raleigh Jeep in a great two tone colour scheme (as pictured) £65 from LBS (age 10-14) Bike 4 was my Viscount Indy 500 (as pictured above) £95 from same LBS (age 14-18) Bike 4 was a Triumph Palm Beach Mixte (salvaged from the tip)(aged 18-21) Then a huge lay off from 1984 until about 2002, when I took up riding the Dawes (£10 from car boot) And then I rediscovered the Viscounts again.
|
|
|
Post by sprockit on Mar 11, 2016 21:01:04 GMT
My first 10-speed bike was the fillet-brazed International I acquired a few days after DFR!
|
|
|
Post by raymondo on Mar 12, 2016 6:31:21 GMT
Hetchins, which was stolen within a week. My fathers friend gave the bike to me. Replaced with a Halfords which I thought was better as it was new.
|
|
|
Post by kickstandman on Mar 15, 2016 2:13:55 GMT
Back to the original post, I found this JC Higgins on craig's list Los Angeles. losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/bik/5479290038.htmlI believe here in the US those are called "balloon tires". So, other nice photos of this. I have always heard of the JC Higgins brand. (edited, deleted the image)
|
|
jmac
Viscount
Posts: 34
|
Post by jmac on Mar 15, 2016 7:03:11 GMT
My first 10 speed was a Viscount Grand Prix which I am in the process of refurbishing. I bought this bike about 36 years ago when it was maybe 3 to 4 years old. I knew the guy who previously owned it, he raced in the local cycle club. The guy who sold me the Viscount from the bike shop eventually became my brother in law. This little refurb project will be a labour of love, hope I can do it justice.
|
|
|
Post by Stella on Mar 15, 2016 12:57:45 GMT
My first 10-speed derailleur bike was/is a Viscount Aerospace Sport, which I bought in April 2013. The rest is history. :-)
Up to that point, I had ridden mainly 3-speed/SS sit up and begs, and MTBs for about 10 years. Nothing fancy, just cheap and cheerful heavy workhorses to get me round. Never owned a road bike, but always wanted one as a teen.
|
|
|
Post by kickstandman on Mar 24, 2016 2:27:25 GMT
The picture doesn't quite do it justice but I picked up a woman's bicycle a fortnight ago; See post #3, the yellow bike, www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/1051764-hosteler-made-gitane-separate-company.html or Hosteler, made in Austria, some people tell me it's Styria, etc.; it's an okay bike, not too heavy. I think it's actually kind of nice and very '70s, very, what is called in America, "bike boom" and fully lugged. Shifts nicely with the Shimano, 606(?) plastic levers, Eagle derailleur but it works well. I thought it might fit in around here in the summer and it was fairly inexpensive.
|
|
Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,390
|
Post by Jem on Mar 24, 2016 13:59:39 GMT
There was bike named Hosteler from Austria....
|
|
|
Post by kickstandman on Mar 24, 2016 19:15:40 GMT
Here is one Hosteler catalog: www.velo-pages.com/main.php?g2_itemId=28505&g2_imageViewsIndex=1 (see women's bike) I read somewhere in that catalog where they talked about giving the bike 3 coats of paint and then a finisher to combat rust. The bike I have obtained is a bit like the bottom one, probably a year or two later. Some apparently were made in France and some in Austria and they were an "in-house" brand of bike for a seller. There may be some hostelers made as early as 1964ish and of some higher-quality, main tubes Reynolds 531 or something like this.
|
|
|
Post by cusqueno on Mar 25, 2016 9:12:18 GMT
Hosteler was also a model name used by Viking of England.
Actually Hosteller, as it was English.
|
|
|
Post by velocipete on Mar 25, 2016 18:26:56 GMT
There was bike named Hosteler from Austria.... I thought we were going into Limerick mode again! Luckilly I re-read the post. Cheers, Pete.
|
|
|
Post by kickstandman on Mar 25, 2016 19:41:45 GMT
Thank you for all of the responses and, I certainly don't mean to derail the thread talking about the Hostelers (Hostellers per Viking and actually, Gitane too). Apparently, Hosteling seems to be to the '60s (going to a Hostel on bicycle), seems similar in that before, a number of bicycles were called "Clubman" and it denoted their purpose. One of various Gitane Hosteller threads at the Gitane USA forum, it appears Hosteller was actually a quality frame made bike with at least the main tubes Reynolds 531, double butted or straight gauge I forget. gitaneusa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2684&highlight=hosteller (these can go back to 1964ish it sounds like) Wheel Goods Corporation out of Minneapolis imported both kinds, at least per the "experts" I believe that is in the bikeforums.net thread. Some say these French made Hostelers were made by Gitane; like this ad: minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bik/5482619591.html (big bike but other wise) minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bik/5504284820.html Man's Hosteler, on there a long time. I've gone from questioning the quality of these bikes to thinking, they are probably fairly good quality if still low end entry. minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bik/5496709130.html Hosteller Mixte. This one has a photograph with the so-called pin striping work. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But away from those above, here is actually a good thread on hostelers with a picture of a girl on one of those light blue Hostelers: forums.mplsbikelove.com/forums/topic/hostelerI guess they do have a degree of "pinstriping", 'highlighting" on them, I think Raleigh Lady's superbe's have highlighting I have seen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hosteling on bikes I think use to be a "semi-big" deal to do; and maybe similar in significance to the old cycling clubs pre-World War II. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyway, a foray into a rather obscure type of bicycle; but pretty nice. As said, I know, for us here, England has quite a number of handcrafted bikes and bikemakers in the day (Petworth was mentioned the other day) that most of us generally would not know about.
|
|
|
Post by kickstandman on Mar 25, 2016 19:48:24 GMT
By the way, that forum quoted above, Minneapolis Bike Love forums sort of closed after a spamming attack; mplsbikelove.com/blog/2015/12/7/the-forums-have-been-disabledWell, that it closed is no big deal to me, I think it did not have a high courtesy ratio though most folks were probably kind enough and it might have been a few unique individuals who did not post to a high standard. But if there was a local bike accident; if it was about a stolen bike or if it might be an odd question on bike mechanics; I thought the forum was okay and a lot of the attention that forum got was when, I believe people were advised, if one's bike was stolen, to post it on that website.
|
|