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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jun 21, 2021 17:11:27 GMT
In the 1950s - before I discovered lightweight derailleur bicycles - I, like my little buddies, modified our bicycles in a fashion that later inspired the Schwinn Stingray. In 1958, I took my brand new Schwinn American, bobbed its' fenders, threw away the chain guard, added medium tall (Cowboy) handlebars and painted it lime green. The medium tall handlebars were required as my bike was a 24" (wheel size) not a 20. We did not have banana seats in those days. Banana seats came about later. They allowed a taller rider to fit on a short bike and greatly facilitated doing wheelies. I thought my bike was cool, Dad was furious, he had just paid $60 ($559 today) for the bike and now I had ruined it. The following video brings it all back; as well as being rather interesting.
Ride Happy Jim
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Post by triitout on Jun 28, 2021 2:32:25 GMT
Brings back memories. My neighborhood place was "Joe's Bike Shop" who sold me my first real bike, a single speed coaster brake red English racer. In the peak of Stingray madness, I traded in my English racer for a 5 speed "stick shift" stingray style Japanese knockoff with skinny racing tire. I still remember Joe saying "Don't do it!" A week or two later, I realized what a piece of garbage I was now riding. I went back to Joe's hoping to buy back my old racer but sadly, he sold it very quickly. Probably one of the best lessons I learned about lusting for "racey" looking items when a solid plain Jane does the job much better.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jun 28, 2021 5:36:42 GMT
To me, my first real bike was my first 10 speed. Instead of cruising around the neighborhood, I could actually go somewhere. The revelation came when I learned I could ride the 14 miles to the next town. When I was 13, my hometown of Simi Valley was growing exponentially. It was fast becoming a city and the rural portions were disappearing. My buddies and I lived on egg ranches and family farms. My father was an aerospace engineer, but we, along with my grand parents and great grand parents, each had houses on the family egg ranch. The land became so valuable that property taxes forced everyone out of business. In the spring of 1964 we sold out and moved to Thousand Oaks; my buddies also sold out and were leaving at the end of summer. The farms may no longer have been profitable, but the land sale set people up in a fine fashion. It was a great parting; during the summer we had a our last hurrah. I would ride my trusty 10 speed the 14 miles to to Simi and see my friends. I was just 13 and was very proud of my new found self sufficiency.  House in 1000 Oaks to Simi by Jim_Gude, on Flickr  JC_Higgins_Sears_Huret_10_Speeds_1964 by Jim_Gude, on Flickr Ah nostalgia Jim |
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