Bicycles

[FastDoc]

http://rideapart.com/2014/02/how-it-begins/

Anyone remember their first bike?

It wasn't my first but the coolest of the cool bikes when I was growing up was an Apollo Chopper. They came in three and five speeds, IIRC.

My father bought me a five speed, when I was about 7. I LOVED riding that bike so much I almost couldn't stand it.

It was stolen from me at knifepoint while riding in Waranaco Park near my childhood home in NJ.

What kind of POS steals a little kid's bike?

I never forgot that bike, or that day.

Any other first bicycle memories?

[katoranger]

I had a hand me down. Probably from the sixties. No clue what brand. It had been repainted many times.

[Daeouse]

Mine was a boy's Huffy bike. No idea what model, but I remember it was orange! LOL!

[SpudRider]

Ah, the joys of growing up in Newark, New Jersey. :grr:

[cheesy]

My second bike was my real first bike.

Dad took me to a Police bike auction in Racine, WI when I was 4 or 5 years old. Dad had me on his shoulders while we were watching(I had no idea what was going on). When this orange bike with black wheels was wheeled out, Dad told me to raise my hand. A short bit later, he had me raise my hand again. And a third time. I bought a bike for $1. Dad said I almost wet myself.

We got the bike home, but try as I might, a bike with 24" wheels was just too big. Even with jewels on the top tube and blocks on the pedals, I couldn't touch the pedals. I was devastated.

Our neighbor had gone with to the auction and said he knew what to do, and wheeled the bike to his house. A few minutes later, he was wheeling back a 1956 20" Schwinn Spitfire in green and white. His son had out grown it and fit the bike I bought at the auction, so we traded. The Schwinn was worth a little bit more than a buck so my Dad forked over a couple bottles of Miester Brau.

It was the boys version of this 1955 girls Spitfire.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/bikamper/2012-04-01135628.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bikamper/media/2012-04-01135628.jpg.html)

It was the start of a lifelong passion.

[SpudRider]

That's a wonderful story, Cheesy. :tup:

[Krasi_BG]

I always wanted a BMX bike. Ever since I saw that "BMX Bandits" movie at the cinema. (Btw, Nicole Kidman is in it!!! :)) But there were none around here, and when there were, I was "too big" for one :(

[katoranger]

Mine was something like this without the banana seat or the tall bars. It may have originally been that way, but it had been changed before me. This was the early eighties so BMX was big. I wanted a BMX bike. I have one now. Got it from a dumpster.:D

http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/msziCPSpRsQah1_0_4L1p0w.jpg

[katoranger]

Bent those forks many times.

[Weldangrind]

My first bike was a Mustang frame, similar to Kato's. My second was a fake fore-shocker, and it was stolen from in front of our house. My third was a chopper that my Dad built, with forks that were way too long and a crazy rake. I loved it, and rode it until the steering neck snapped off.

I built several BMX bikes after that, one of which was subsequently used by by nephew and then Son of Weldangrind. I built it when I was 14, and I still have it.

[FastDoc]

My second bike was my real first bike.

Dad took me to a Police bike auction in Racine, WI when I was 4 or 5 years old. Dad had me on his shoulders while we were watching(I had no idea what was going on). When this orange bike with black wheels was wheeled out, Dad told me to raise my hand. A short bit later, he had me raise my hand again. And a third time. I bought a bike for $1. Dad said I almost wet myself.

We got the bike home, but try as I might, a bike with 24" wheels was just too big. Even with jewels on the top tube and blocks on the pedals, I couldn't touch the pedals. I was devastated.

Our neighbor had gone with to the auction and said he knew what to do, and wheeled the bike to his house. A few minutes later, he was wheeling back a 1956 20" Schwinn Spitfire in green and white. His son had out grown it and fit the bike I bought at the auction, so we traded. The Schwinn was worth a little bit more than a buck so my Dad forked over a couple bottles of Miester Brau.

It was the boys version of this 1955 girls Spitfire.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/bikamper/2012-04-01135628.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bikamper/media/2012-04-01135628.jpg.html)

It was the start of a lifelong passion.

Great story. Your dad is (was?) a good man.

[FastDoc]

Mine was something like this without the banana seat or the tall bars. It may have originally been that way, but it had been changed before me. This was the early eighties so BMX was big. I wanted a BMX bike. I have one now. Got it from a dumpster.:D

http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/msziCPSpRsQah1_0_4L1p0w.jpg

The great majority of my bikes were what we called, 'Garbage picked'.

Thursday night was garbage night. We kids would cruise the better neighborhoods where the 'rich people' lived (in reality, likely more on the comfortable side of poor), looking for treasures. We couldn't understand why people would throw away a perfectly good 2/3 of a bicycle! We'd collect the parts, and assemble various 'Frankencycles' and give them colorful names like 'Dirt Bomb' (for trail riding) or 'Paper Bomb' (for delivering newspapers).

That Apollo was one of the only store bought bikes I had when I was a kid. My father died a few weeks after the bike was stolen. That's one of the reasons I remember it so well.

When I was in college, I started to race a little. Moved up to Bridgestones and a Colnago (the Ducati of bicycles). Then I had a few Treks, currently I have a Raleigh.

[FastDoc]

'My third was a chopper that my Dad built, with forks that were way too long and a crazy rake. I loved it, and rode it until the steering neck snapped off.'

Sounds like you were blessed with an excellent father also, Weld.

[cheesy]

Great story. Your dad is (was?) a good man.

He's still around, trying to find ways of getting another free coffee from McDonald's.

[FastDoc]

There's a story there...

[katoranger]

I still have to finish my homebuilt recumbent. It got pushed to the back. Also need to build a custom trike for Elise. I want to make something along the lines of a big wheel that is chain drive to the rear wheels. Seat would be more between the rear wheels too.

[Weldangrind]

That's a neat idea. I wonder if it would be easier for her to steer if the chain drove only one rear wheel, while the other wheel coasted along.

[katoranger]

I think that it may only need to drive one wheel unless I can build a differential.

[Weldangrind]

A differential would rob power. I recommend you start a new thread on this. It will be interesting.

[katoranger]

I will start a new thread.