"First Loves"

David,

I enjoyed your column about "first loves." Unfortunately, my first bicycle was some piece o'crap mild steel 10 speed, but it still represented freedom to roam the countryside or get to town on my own (even if it was for "3-a-days" in summer). I must have seen "Breaking Away" some time during this period, which might explain a few things.

Then I turned 16 and went through a Mk1 Capri, a couple of Beetles, and a Yamaha scooter before selling off all of my motorized vehicles as I entered the military. I had debt to pay off, after all.

When I got to California for training, an old college bud started pushing me to get a "real" bike. I ended up with a then-modern 1989 Raleigh which I still own to this day. It's gone through feast and famine, but it's still in my garage. I recently decided I wasn't as flexible as I used to be, and needed a bigger road bike. I adapted the old Raleigh for my son, and bought an '86 Centurion for me. It needs some touching up, but for now I'm too busy riding it. I'll freshen it up this winter, after I drop down to only commuting (on my 92 lugged steel, rigid Bianchi MTB) and finish up the refresh of my Wife's 1951 Indian.

If I saw my original bike today, I don't think I'd give it a second look. But the essence of its meaning still hangs in my garage and goes with me whenever I throw a leg over a saddle.

Thanks. By the way, I took the Cannondale for a ride last night. I still need to rewrap the bars.

I have a '93 Bridgestone MB4 mountain bike in the garage that I will likely never part with. That bike saw a lot of terrain when it was new (and I was younger.)

I saved 12 months of paper routes and lawn cutting to buy a Schwinn Collegiate Sport - but mine was blue. I too drove all over the area and spent hours on this baby.

This was back when a Schwinn was made in Chicago and you could go to the dealer and order the bicycle you wanted. Shoot, I just spent 2 years looking at the catalog.

I still own every bicycle I've ever had (although there's only three of them. )

• 1950s era 20" J.C. Higgins

• 1960s era 26" Columbia single speed (unfortunately the cool luggage rack, faux gas tank and rocket style headlight are long gone)

• 1970s era Schwinn Le Tour II

The first two are stored away in the garage attic, the Schwinn still gets ridden occasionally. I do still remember all the miles I put on those first two when I was a young boy.

A 1970's bmx-style huffy dirt bike. Started from being wayyy to big for me( even w/ training wheels... ), to my best friend. Felt like an extension of me, until it got stolen while I was at my cousins house. I got it back, but it never rode the same again. Then, there was my Rose's Department Store cast iron 10speed that lasted until my sophmore year of college. Who needs a car when you got 10 gears and a seat?

its harder to have happy time with your woman in the back seat of your... bike

EvanB wrote:

At least it's not a Pedocab!!!

I've had a lot of bikes over the years. The first one I ever bough with my own money was probably my favorite though. It was a Mongoose Threshold mountain bike, and I ordered it from a local Western Performance store that also sold bikes and skateboards. I rode my old (and deadly, but that's a story for another day) Huffy mountain bike on my paper route for months as I paid little by little for the Mongoose on layaway. After what seemed to be an eternity, I finally got it, and it was awesome. I had bar ends installed so it would look meaner. I still have it, but it needs work to be in good riding condition.

It looks like this except black with the bar ends:

Oh, and speaking of Mongoose bikes....

My sister used to race one of these:

I inherited it from her after she grew out of it and I was old enough to take good care of it. She was sponsored by Mongoose back in the day and had this bike given to her. I still have it, and I "updated" it back in the day, but I have all the original stuff that I changed, like the seat, handlebars, pads, etc. It still rides nice, too.

Back in the late 1960's I needed a bicycle and my dad bought me a Murray Eliminator II. It was almost exactly like this except it was a one speed.

Things were cooler back in the 1960's.

I got into cycling in the early eighties. I still own my first "serious" bike, an '85 Bianchi Limited. I soon discovered that I liked tinkering with bikes as much as I liked riding them. I have built several tandems by collecting frames and welding them together. In my garage right now are 5 road bikes, 3 mountain bikes, a hybrid, 3 tandems and a triple. The only home built that I have left is the triple. My urge to tinker on bikes was replace with cars when I discovered the Grassroots Challenge! That lead to needing a bigger garage!

The Skyway T/A that I lusted after in the early 80's and finally procured in '85 (IIRC).

Sold it in the early '90's for $100--one of my dumber moves.

Kinda like when I traded my '93 Fender special order Jazzmaster for an Epiphone Coronet that I played for a year and then ditched. I actually hated that Jazzmaster (tinny, thin, scale was too long for my short fingers--and somehow I could never sound like J Mascis), but I truly wish it were hanging in my living room now. Plus, it would be worth quite a bit more than the $450 I paid for it.

Anyway, I have a neat '84 Trek 400 that's been hanging in my Mom's basement for about 16 years now. Someday I'll do something with it. I was going to singlespeed it, but now I think if I did anything, it would be to just update it w/ newschool wheels and drivetrain.

Back when I was a kid, I had a red bmx with yellow tires. It had a coaster brake. Yes, the back tire was utterly bald from all the 20 foot skids down the tarred road.

Next, was a 6 speed Mountain bike, I think it was an Asama, followed by a 18 speed Nishiki I think.

Then, finally about 5ish years ago, I bought myself a NEW bike. A Felt SR101, white. Liked it, but the damned thing got stolen.

So, I did the logical thing, and saved up and got this:

Surly LHT

Then, I decided to crash test it:

I then said, "To hell with new, expensive bikes!" and bought a $70 '85 Miyata 310 (worth 'round 250)

And followed that up with another '85 Miyata, this time a 912. This time for $200, but worth $300-400:

Since I lost my Surly, I've been feeling this hole for another touring bike....so I picked up a $40 aluminum frame...got wheels made for it, and have swapped most of my Surly's stuff on to it....just missing a stem, handlebars, and a cable hanger for the front to put it together.

Cool Surly. But you folded it up pretty good!

My first 'proper' bike was a Shogun Trailbreaker. That thing took a fair beating.

My latest MTB is an Orange Prestige (re-release), and I've got an old Ciocc road-bike half-complete with bits of old Campagnolo. I'd like to get that on the road soon.

Haven't got the latest issue yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to David's column!

I've had 5 bikes so far. My first was a 20" Randor SF 2000. I rode the hell out of that thing one summer.

Since then there has been a few cheap MTBs. Now I'm on a good hybrid, a DB Kalamar. God this thing is WAY better than a cheap MTB for the riding I do. And it has me considering a real road bike.

edit I went to look up randor bikes and I cant find a thing

Come to think about it, my favorite bikes are my odd numbered ones.

Wow. I opened this thread thinking I would see a bunch of 1st cars, but instead I was greeted by two of my past loves (a Bridgestone and Schwinn).

I had a Bridgestone XO that was an awesome bike. I bought it for $50 and later sold it to a fanatic for $500. Never pass up the opportunity to own a Bridgestone bike.

I also had a Schwinn Varsity in green very similar to the one above. It was my dad's bike that I converted to single speed and used as a commuter. That thing was a tank - too bad it was later stolen. :(

pete240z wrote: Back in the late 1960's I needed a bicycle and my dad bought me a Murray Eliminator II. It was almost exactly like this except it was a one speed. Things were cooler back in the 1960's.

Still have video of me at age 7, Christmas 1967 with a single speed Murray Eliminator...tall sissy bar and ramshorn handlebars. This was the bike I was sitting on when I was waiting for the department store to open when my teacher (who I LOVED) pulled up in her 67 Mustang fastback (which I LOVED)...wearing shorts!!! Then I bought a Splittin Image and a Light my Firebird hotwheels....good bet that I was wearing at least my Batman gloves, if not the cape and hood.

Bruce

neon4891 wrote: ....first was a 20" Randor SF 2000. I rode the hell out of that thing one summer. *edit* I went to look up randor bikes and I cant find a thing.....

I have a Randor Freedom 12" hanging in my garage with Randor version Tuff IIs that my daughter is learning to ride on. Neon green and white brings back memories of my old Haro Master!

Speaking of old bikes, I just added another one to the collection--kinda. My friend just sent one of his old Reynolds Racing BMX frames to me. It's an early production frame that saw some track action.

My first bike was a Bianchi Timberwolf, bought in 1994. In 2004 it got converted to 2-stroke power so I could zip around campus AND annoy people simultaneously.

This thread is a winner.

I rode my Dad's old aluminum road bike (Fuji from '84 I believe).
He still has it and refuses to part with it.

First bike was a Schwinn Stingray. Yellow. Monkey bars. Metallic yellow banana seat. Solid rear tire. Used it to do my Pennysaver route growing up. Had a milk crate attached to the handle bars (the bigger rectangular ones, not the sissy square ones) and baskets on the rear for the papers. I could hit a stoop pretty well. But, when you missed and hit that aluminum door in the AM on a Saturday you heard about it the next week.

ScottRA21 wrote: I then said, "To hell with new, expensive bikes!" and bought a $70 '85 Miyata 310 (worth 'round 250)

Thus proving that the answer to EVERYTHING is Mi[y]ata!!!!

It wasn't my first bike, but the first one I put any real miles on was a Mongoose Alta. And did I put the miles on - at least 10,000 I'm pretty sure. This bike got me through high school and the beginning of college. I must've worn out and replaced almost every part on the bike - sometimes through neglect (I was a kid, I didn't know better), and sometimes from the miles.

Later on I picked up a Univega road bike for racing, and began putting lots of miles on that, too. It was a case of the right tool for the right job, though. The Univega was the race car. The Mongoose was the SUV for getting to school and transporting stuff (I had full touring bags and everything). It was a sad, sad day when that bike went was finally worn out and went to the great bike trail in the sky...

My current ride is a Raleigh M-80, purchased in 1995 and barely ridden. A few days ago, I did more work on the bike than I ever have since I got it - swapped out its knobby off-road tires for some Vittoria street/gravel tires, a much better match for the local rail trails my girlfriend and I have started riding lately. It's easy enough to swap the knobbies back on if I want to go hit some serious dirt sometime later.

My first car was a 1982 Pontiac 6000LE. I have never, ever, dreamed of having another, nor do I expect to ever be nostalgic about it.

My first bike was a Schwinn 'paper-boy special'. Had the springer front fork and drum brake on the front hub. I road the snot out of that bike for several years until it was stolen. The cops found the remains a while later, but all that was left was the frame. The front end was all gone.

Ah, well.....