# Why do you like this hobby?



## the tinker (Aug 16, 2017)

Any hobby is good. But...... any hobby that gets me off the couch, creates physical, and mental work,is the best for me. I love being creative. Taking an old bike that is junk, and turning it into a work of art that can still be used for it's intended purpose really makes my day.
I'm too old to play sports, and refuse to waste my time watching others do it on TV.
Went to the Arlington heights show and swap this last Sunday. Didn't sell any bikes, but made two trades.
That's the fun part of a swap. I sold some parts, and came home with something new.
What I like to do is find some hopeless causes and bring them back..Bought this very rusty straight bar frame , that turned out to be a late 1920's Ranger.                                                                                          




stripped the rust off

 , and painted it Rustolium green,  happened to have the correct Ranger chrome fork....In the process of adding some graphics to the frame. Not quite done..... but almost                                                                    


Picked up another frame that had a Monark badge on it, and was being sold as a pre-war Monark. It turned out to be a 38 Schwinn.  Stripped the house paint off it and painted it  farm Tractor red.                                  

 Made a trade for an old Rollfast I did not want, for this crusty Shelby.  I'll start on this one pretty quick.


These bikes will not be restored. Call them rat-rods, or whatever. The point is "You" can do whatever you want . It's fun, and beats sitting in a gin-mill, or watching TV. I paint up a few frames during the summer, and spend the winter months inside building a bike out of them. Here is a 39 colson I did a while back, 

  This bike was built around a pair of original green fenders I bought at a swap for 20 bucks. decided to build a green bike out of a very rusty 39 Colson frame.

 

 





Find yourself an old frame, and let your imagination run wild! HAVE FUN!


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## Kstone (Aug 16, 2017)

I like this hobby because I get to be a smart ass and have you all give it back to me 

I enjoy finding another, but different, way to work with my hands after I leave my job at the end of the day. There is always something new for me to learn and something wrong for me to figure out how to fix... I find peace in getting my hands dirty and working to problem solve. In life I try to put an honest effort in to learning about things that intimidate me. Hence why I took up welding, plasma cutting, and and wood working in college.
This is another one of those things I'd like to understand better and be self sufficient at (within reason)

It's also fun when people shake their heads at me after learning how heavy my bikes are and say, "oh I could get you a cheap bike a third of it's weight and have you burning rubber up and down the roads."
Nawh man, riding up hills may kill me. But I will die with honor!!!
If there's anything people take away from me and my life, it's that I do everything the hard way. But I find so much enjoyment in the hard journey.

It's not just about the ride. It's about the knowledge, the lessons, the culture, the history, and the beauty these bikes are rich in.
I like that these are all unique. They all have a personality. All have their mark in history and are shaped by the times they were made.
Being an artist, I also have a deep appreciation for the frame design and graphics. You just don't see that kind of devotion in every day bikes anymore. That being said, that is not a blanket statement. So you can put your pitchforks away for now.

I also feel like a ride on an antique bike is a whole different ride than on anything else. To me, it's not how fast or how easy I can get from point A to point B, but what I can experience along the ride.

At the start of this year I traded in my Facebook account for an account on here. Instead of my endless scrolling throughout my day on social media, I come here and learn something new.


That and I've made friendships through the love of bikes that I would have never had the opportunity to have otherwise. So I guess you guys are all alright...


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## Euphman06 (Aug 16, 2017)

Because I can't afford classic cars! But really...they are sweet machines made before simple things got confusing. Two screwdrivers and a set of wrenches and you can fix most of your problems. Plus people love looking at them. Last time I went for a ride, got stopped by 3 people who wanted to get a closer look.


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## birdzgarage (Aug 16, 2017)

Now that is one smart and talented lady right there! You will go far and well in life with that kind of thinking and knowledge at your age.i need to buy some of your art now because in 10 years the art world will know who you are and we wont be able to afford it.you go girl!


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## stoney (Aug 16, 2017)

Kstone said:


> I like this hobby because I get to be a smart ass and have you all give it back to me
> 
> I enjoy finding another, but different, way to work with my hands after I leave my job at the end of the day. There is always something new for me to learn and something wrong for me to figure out how to fix... I find peace in getting my hands dirty and working to problem solve. In life I try to put an honest effort in to learning about things that intimidate me. Hence why I took up welding, plasma cutting, and and wood working in college.
> This is another one of those things I'd like to understand better and be self sufficient at (within reason)
> ...




NOW THAT, is today's lesson my friends. Well done K.


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## phantom (Aug 16, 2017)

Because I can connect to 50's & 60's Schwinns and there has been no cost to it after about my 3rd flip maybe 15 years ago. Always operating on house money IE: the profits from previous sales.


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## Autocycleplane (Aug 16, 2017)

I love bikes old and new, and a fondness for Art Deco styling in particular. 

The "hobby" comes with ups and downs but mostly I enjoy working on and riding bikes with like minded people. 

One of the best parts of the hobby are posts like the ones above from Tink and K.


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## stoney (Aug 16, 2017)

I like the hobby because I can remember back to the freedom I first discovered as a kid. The bike. Riding around a huge neighborhood with your friends at the age of 8. Seemed like you were 50 miles from home, the furthest I was was probably 3 miles. In 1986 I bought my first "old" bike, a worn original paint 1953 Black Phantom. I bought it at a swap meet in Englishtown N.J. at the drag strip. I had no clue what I was looking at. All I knew was I had to have it. That brought back all the memories of that young kid. From that point in 1986 I have had the love for old bikes. I have had many different collections in my life but other than antique motorcycles, hot rods and classic cars, the "old" bike is the only other hobby that still has a piece of my heart.


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## Kstone (Aug 16, 2017)

Please know that I appreciate all the comments and support you guys. It's because of all of you that I keep falling more and more hopelessly in love with the hobby. Now if we can all just go for a ride together....I'd be floating on cloud nine.


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## partsguy (Aug 16, 2017)

Kstone said:


> Please know that I appreciate all the comments and support you guys. It's because of all of you that I keep falling more and more hopelessly in love with the hobby. Now if we can all just go for a ride together....I'd be floating on cloud nine.




If I could get a ride together at all, I would be happy. One of my friends who is "off the grid" went on a ride on this Super V alongside my Silver Jet. Oh, what a site that must have been along Beavercreek's bike trail!


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## partsguy (Aug 16, 2017)

Kstone said:


> I like this hobby because I get to be a smart ass and have you all give it back to me
> 
> I enjoy finding another, but different, way to work with my hands after I leave my job at the end of the day. There is always something new for me to learn and something wrong for me to figure out how to fix... I find peace in getting my hands dirty and working to problem solve. In life I try to put an honest effort in to learning about things that intimidate me. Hence why I took up welding, plasma cutting, and and wood working in college.
> This is another one of those things I'd like to understand better and be self sufficient at (within reason)
> ...





*Ms. Kstone...Well said! I cannot say it better myself....'tho I will add to this.

I love history, and making other people happy. When people see these bikes, they just want to talk about their memories. They get attached like you do, and the nostalgia sets in. Every single one of my American-made bikes that I own or fixed up and sold gets a reaction out of people. The few cheap, Wal-Mart bikes I have flipped do not get that kind of reaction, and NEVER will. Nobody is going to crawl in an attic or basement, no one will ever open a barn and get excited that they found a 2006 Magna mountain bike or a late 1990s Schwinn that was made in Taiwan. NEVER!

That is why, even 'tho I do criticize some makes and eras, I just cannot find it in me to be a "bike snob".....anything old is cool with me! I will be happy to see someone ride a pre-war bike or a 1970s 3-speed. I can tell so many stories in this thread alone. One instance was when I was a Boy Scout, and I was getting old, about to reach the age of 18 and "retire". A new scout's father heard about my hobby through the adults, and the numerous Huffy's in my collection. He told me that his father used to work at the Huffman plant in the 60s and 70s, and as a kid he saw new Huffy Eldorado's, Rail's, Dragster's, Fury's, Silver Jet's, and all the other models roll down the assembly line. Fresh paint, chrome, rubber, and headlights all going down the line. What a sight.
*
*Or, I pulled up to a garage sale on my '61 Monark. The husband called for his wife, who, dropped everything and went to go look at it, and told me how they used to see bikes like that all over town, and her husband had one very similar to it. One time, I was at a cruise-in, and my '64 Firestone was in the back of my truck. An elderly man took notice, and suddenly remembered the old Firestone department store out in the country. Finally, when my '63 Impala was finished several years ago, I took it on a Boy Scout ride. My merit badge counselor saw it, turned to this wife and said, "that's the one he fixed up. Isn't it beautiful?"*

*People love seeing art and history. I have had many, many hobbies. All were fun. None of them encouraged me to be outside and getting exercise. Every other collecting hobby just meant money spent on an item that sat on a shelf. I paid money to look at something. I can use a bicycle!!*


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## dnc1 (Aug 16, 2017)

For all of the wonderful reasons given by all of the above contributors., but for me it's the people and the rides; whether I'm riding and chatting on a club ride or mass event, or riding solo and experiencing my environment in the moment, all I know is that I'm happier for it.


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## saladshooter (Aug 16, 2017)

For me, in my little world of prewar ballooners. It's admiring the art deco styling and the brush strokes of original pin stripes laid down by the greatest generation of Americans that probably will ever live.  Made in USA. Only original paint for me.
Chad


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## Schwinn499 (Aug 16, 2017)

I'm in it for the money. [emoji23]


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## REC (Aug 16, 2017)

Did the old car thing for a long time. This is just as much fun and takes a lot less room to store them. 
Hope to continue until I can't move!

Lots of projects to go!
REC


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## Jay81 (Aug 16, 2017)

All of the above,  and the thrill of the hunt for the bikes and the parts.
I love finding bikes like this







And bringing them back to life while preserving them like this


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## catfish (Aug 16, 2017)

I just like bikes. Working on nice original bikes and bring them back to life is satisfying.


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## Schwinn499 (Aug 16, 2017)

catfish said:


> I just like bikes. Working on nice original bikes and bring them back to life is satisfying.



In all seriousness, I'm in catfishes boat (no pun intended).

I just went about two months without the ability to work on bikes and I just about lost my mind. Back in the groove now and feeling much more sane. I could live without the social aspect of the hobby, heck even could do without riding them if that were ever the case, but I think I will always have a project in the stand as long as I'm capable.


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## WES PINCHOT (Aug 16, 2017)

HEY TINKER!
FAST TURNAROUND!
NICE PICKINGS.
JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THOSE TWO FRAME SIZES?


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## Maskadeo (Aug 16, 2017)

I like the thrill of the hunt in finding a bike that has been out of circulation for a long time.  I wanted to be an archeologist as a kid, so I really appreciate well preserved examples of a bygone era. I love finding a bike that's missing a few parts and searching for them like putting together a giant moving puzzle.

I like meeting the people in the hobby and riding these old bikes! So many characters out there and have made a lot of friends across the country. I love seeing others enjoy the hobby by riding and taking little daily adventures on their bikes.  I love reading informative posts on model changes and all kinds of historical facts. Like anything, you get out of it what you put in. So keep putting in positive stuff!


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## prewarmachine (Aug 16, 2017)

It's a nice slow down tinkering on an old bicycle for me. 15 years ago or so, my dad and I restored a prewar Schwinn DX and a Whizzer, and I loved the whole process. From that, I learned that I love working with my hands.  Been building a car for 5 years now and when that gets frustrating I just step away and go to the bikes. It's relaxing and nostalgic. Lately I've really liked to think about where these bikes have been before coming to me. There's history and a story behind all of them. On top of all that, you can't beat the style of these old bikes and it's pretty darn cool to be able to use them the same today like they were used many decades ago.


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## vincev (Aug 16, 2017)

Bikes is one of my hobbies I enjoy for the hunt.I have many hobbies and when one gets tiring I switch over to one of my other hobbies but usually stick with bikes,old cars,antique toys,etc.Always have to have many hobbies because enthusiasm rises and lowers in hobbies and you can always concentrate on another when one gets boring.


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## higgens (Aug 17, 2017)

Tinker I like your new Shelby can't wait to see what you do with it


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## morton (Aug 17, 2017)

#1. I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating.   If you have physical problems, you might be interested in knowing that my doctors have said that I am not in a wheelchair (I'm also "blessed" with spinal stenosis) and my Parkinson's is progressing more slowly than normal because of my cycling.  I usually ride about 5-10 miles per day and occasionally make it to 20.  Nothing to brag about but for me it is about the best I can do.  Even if you can only make a mile or two, it does a mind and body good.  I had much trouble finding a bike I could ride comfortably, but I learned many things from this site that enabled me to build customized bikes inexpensively to meet my physical needs.

#2. I recently lost a very special friend, Lucky Dog.  Being able to express my loss here, and the many wonderful comments made by CABERS has done much to help me through this tough time.  It's like having a digital family that really cares.

Overall, collecting, riding, going to shows, and this site......don't know where I would be without them. For me, the CABE cycling fraternity and cycling itself is heaven sent .


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## MrColumbia (Aug 17, 2017)

I like this hobby because I love mechanical things, old things, affordable things, things I have a personal connection to and history. Antique bicycles are a direct match on all points.


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## bulldog1935 (Aug 17, 2017)

catfish said:


> I just like bikes. Working on nice original bikes and bring them back to life is satisfying.



it's tinkertoys for grownups


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## indiana dave (Aug 17, 2017)

I collect redline Hotwheels cars also. Problem is, I won't play with them. They are displayed in a cabinet in our home, and very few people get to see them.
My bikes, on the other hand. I ride them often. My kids ride them. My kids friends ride them. We enjoy taking them out, and seeing the smiles on peoples faces when we ride by. We often get stopped and asked about them, and enjoy hearing stories about "How I had one like that when I was young)
I enjoy going out to a quiet garage at the end of the day, and spending an hour or so putting another part of whatever bike is on the stand together... or cleaning and polishing another wheel. Or tracking down whatever was squeeking last time I rode a particular bike. (OK. So that might not be relaxing!)
We have a few ballooners, a few Stingrays, and a few 80's BMX bikes. We love them all.

Oh yea. I can fit 20 bikes in my garage.... Can't quite fit 20 cars. LOL


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Aug 17, 2017)

I like old stuff. I'm a car guy, so I like old cars, and have owned 30 or so 50's 60's cars over the years. as an extension of my old stuff and old cars sickness, I collect old toy cars, toy airplanes and toy guns, and general "automotive" antiques like signs from dealerships.

 I have been a bicyclist my whole life, still ride my road bike I bought in 1983, and have a mountain bike as well. did the old bike thing in the 80's, nothing like what a lot of you guys do, mostly middleweights from the 60's, but one pre war missing the expensive parts. sold all that but kept my 1949 Schwinn because I have a 1949 Chevrolet.

my buddy recently bought a crusty frame and put a bike together and that got me back in. I like the building aspect of it all, finding something crusty and making it nice, or finding something crusty and just making it rideable again. I like the search for parts as well, made much easier by the interweb. I have been back in for about 6 months and already have 3 new bikes to play with, plus my 49.

I feel sorry for the many people who do not have a hobby. I actually have too many I could give two hobbies to the hobbyless and still have plenty to keep me busy.


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## Wards Guy.. (Aug 18, 2017)

Jay81 said:


> All of the above,  and the thrill of the hunt for the bikes and the parts.
> I love finding bikes like this
> 
> View attachment 661520
> ...



 It looks like you cleaned the paint on that bike, what did you use?  I have one that I'm afraid to touch because I don't want to lose the color. Can you help?


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## Jay81 (Aug 18, 2017)

Wards Guy.. said:


> It looks like you cleaned the paint on that bike, what did you use?  I have one that I'm afraid to touch because I don't want to lose the color. Can you help?




The frame, rack and part of the tank were repainted over the original paint. After washing the dust and dirt off, I used Goof Off and a rag and slowly and carefully removed the over paint. The goof off can go through the original paint if you're not careful, and I would keep it away from decals, pinstripes etc. as it will remove them. I recommend using a white rag (old towel is what I used) because the goof off can cause the color from a rag to bleed onto the paint you're trying to clean, especially on white paint. Then I used Meguire's ultimate compound to bring the shine back to the paint.


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## vincev (Aug 18, 2017)

I have to admit .The bike hobby seems to have the best members.I can associate myself to "bike guys".I have  old cars but not a guy who likes to bring cars to car shows.Seems collecting antiques and old toys is ok but not people I would hang around with. So I like bikes the best when it comes to average people.


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## Cowboy in NC (Aug 18, 2017)

"The Hunt" was the thrill for me- going to new places all the time, many times dangerous places and digging out a TREASURE.I was in a barn one time that was full of rusty old bikes that also had at least two or three Rattlesnakes in it! How many more I don`t know. Needless to say- I didn`t stay very long. Anybody wants to go- I can draw you a map...  That was many years ago. Although I might still pick up an occasional new find- the thing that I really like now is something I`ve never seen before- or something I`ve never had or something that I`ve got to take home and figure out what it is. I`ve had and seen a lot.  When I started in this hobby, there was no Internet, and not many books on the subject. There were "Big Boy Collectors" even then (always up North)- but not in my area. Years later, I met fellow collectors in various parts of my State and visited their collections. And they came to see mine. We traded and gifted each other parts and whole bikes- the way it should work. Great Guys who became Great Friends.
The Friendships are Number 1, The Thrill and Excitement of the Hunt- Number 2, and "Trying to find a place to put another Bike"- Always came in last at Number 3...-------Cowboy    "I have had a good time..."


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## 56 Vette (Aug 19, 2017)

Kind of by accident for me, fixed up a bike a few years ago after not riding for 20+ years. Got blown away by the amount of help I got searching info, and having Memory Lane in my back yard. It kind of took off from there. The people involved in this hobby have way surpassed the people in any other hobby I have! All walks of life are welcome, from the people like me putting together something to ride and be proud of, to the people who's collections blow your mind, there is no shortage of sharing information. I'm so glad this hobby has room for all of us bitten by the bike bug, not to mention the Vince and Dave, err I mean Boris thing!!! Joe


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## Balloonatic (Aug 24, 2017)

@stoney hit on it... my family was seriously broke when I was growing up, so I was never going to get a Krate (GOD! I wanted a Krate) but I found a stingray frame for $1 at a thrift store and built my own bike. A bicycle meant _*freedom*_ when I was a kid, and that excitement of knowing I can go anywhere on my bike has never left me. They are also SO easy to work on, and you didn't have to come up with gas money, or insurance or any of that.... just hop on and ride!

As an adult, I can still create a bike out of parts already in my garage... I love vintage cars, and art deco too, and have many collections of many things, but I still get a thrill out of bicycles. I also love the people... bike people are some of the nicest, coolest, friendliest people you will meet (OK with a few exceptions ;o) Bikes are a hobby you can do alone, or share with others. No other hobby like it.

And the history! Bicycles preceded airplanes, cars, motorcycles... they predate virtually every mode of locomotion besides the train or horse. Without them the Wright brothers might not have built airplanes, or old Ignaz Excelsior-Henderson motorcycles... bicycles moved us forward in so many more ways than just down the street.

I simply LOVE bicycles, as several others here have stated. Ride vintage!

I met a 90 year old man riding a bike once, and he said a bicycle makes you healthy, wealthy and wise. Healthy for obvious reasons, wealthy because he had come up with an idea while riding his bike for a sprinkler that traveled back and forth and patented it, and made his fortune, and wise because he said you see more and absorb more of your surroundings when riding a bike vs. driving in a car or any other mode of transportation. I'll never forget that conversation or his enthusiasm for bicycles... at 90 years old!


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## tripple3 (Aug 24, 2017)

All of the reasons stated in above posts...much more eloquently than I can.
Great friends made around bikes.
I love the feeling I get riding my bike.


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## lgrinnings (Aug 24, 2017)

I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I've never written this out and the question is kind of important to me. 

For me, it's a "Field of Dreams" type of thing. In the movie, when James Earl Jones says, "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time." you can take every instance of "baseball" and replace it with "the bicycle" and it's just as pertinent. It applies to the evolution of technologies used throughout the aviation and automotive industries as well as many others, and it applies to my life personally.

As a kid, my uncle worked at East Providence Cycle which was a Schwinn shop. We didn't have a lot of money after our move from VA to RI, but my uncle hooked me up with a used yellow Stingray. I rode that bike everywhere. As the 70s turned to the 80s my bicycle riding took on a new dimension: BMX. I started saving money for parts to make my Stingray more motocross appropriate. I had the parts lists and prices memorized from all the magazines. Then I traded some stuff with a kid for a Mongoose frame. When I was twelve I had a job picking (in this case picking is working with commercial fisherman on their boat sorting quahogs/clams into appropriate sizes – big, littleneck, cherrystone – while they dig with a bull rake out in Narragansett Bay) and every dollar went toward building that Mongoose into a racing machine. As a teen I started racing, and with the help of my dad, a former flat track motorcycle racer, to help me with advice on lines and the mechanical aspects of racing like gearing, etc., I became the total points track champion.

My dad, Lester E. Grinnings Jr., who passed away three years ago, was a CABE member. Some of you may remember him. He was a genius by IQ standards, and could figure out and fabricate just about anything. My dad spoke with a significant stutter. Because of this, he was told by his teachers in school that he wouldn't amount to much. So he lost interest in school and looked for challenges elsewhere. He found them in the automobile. At the age of 14 my dad was wiring up the wiring harnesses for older kids' hot rods in the neighborhood. He learned to drive as a kid on his grandparents' farm and received a letter from the governor of VA for his perfect driving test score. It wasn't long until he was building his own hot rods and drag racing (for which he has multiple trophies). My dad had a day job as a mechanic at O'Brien and Rohall Lincoln Mercury. Because of his skill and the dealership location in Arlington, VA, he became the official mechanic for the presidential limousine and secret service fleet between the Johnson and Ford administrations. He also raced motorcycles and a bunch of other things that made him cooler than me with my friends growing up.

When I was just starting high school, my dad bought a 1948 Model 54 Cushman scooter. He had a friend as a kid who had one and remembered it fondly. This led to more Cushman purchases, one of which included a Whizzer. Now he was on the lookout for balloon tire bikes as well since he had picked up some additional H and J Whizzer motors. Not too long after, my dad opened his own bike shop and started collecting older bicycles. To him, the older the better. He loved to see the different advancements made through the years and the wild design variations. My dad and I spent a ton of time in his shop talking bicycles. We became Wheelmen. We attended the International Cycle History Conference. Bikes were our thing. 

After college, I got a job a couple hours from home up in MA. I met my wife and started a family. We still talked bikes a bunch, but my time in his shop diminished significantly and, like the son in the Cat Stevens song, my life was full with a wife, three kids, and seemingly endless commitments. Fast forward to 2013 and my parents had decided to move. This meant my dad's shop and collection also need to move. So I took time off from work and drove down to help pack. Going through the 100+ bicycles, parts and ephemera reawakened an excitement in me that had been dormant for years. Bicycles. Life got crazy and I had somehow lost track of bicycles. I was going to need to make time to bring bicycles back into my life. Unfortunately, less than a year after my parents moved into their new place, my dad suffered a stroke and died the day before his 73rd birthday.

My mother has asked that I go through my dad's collection and start selling things off, which I will be doing in the not-too-distant future. But I've started my own mini collection apart from my dad's and I'm having a blast picking up old bicycles on the cheap and bringing them back to life with my 12-year-old son. I'm being sure not to push the bike stuff on my son, but instead trying to cultivate a genuine love for bringing these beautiful machines back. He, like me, relishes the hunt and sense of found treasure when you come across something worthwhile. So this is where "Field of Dreams" ties back in. I know that, unlike the movie, if I build it, he won't come. I feel the sense of loss when I stop to consider what my dad would think about the job I'm doing or what he might say about an awesome deal I just scored. But the memories are there and they're good ones. And I feel like I'm honoring my dad's spirit by sharing this joy with my own son. 

I'd love to engage much more in the social aspect of this hobby. Since this is a newer development for me, I have yet to make it to any significant swaps and I'm not sure if there are any rides in the area. I live in Newburyport, MA and I'd love to talk bikes over a beer or coffee or just get out and ride. If you're nearby shoot me a note. I'd love to connect. And I'm not afraid to come to you. While it drives my wife crazy, this bicycle hobby fills a spot in my soul, and I'm a happier, better person for it.

-Lester


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## bricycle (Aug 24, 2017)

I hate the hobby, but like the people.   Truth is I like both. I get enjoyment from rejuvenating stuff.


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## bricycle (Aug 24, 2017)

lgrinnings said:


> I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I've never written this out and the question is kind of important to me.
> 
> For me, it's a "Field of Dreams" type of thing. In the movie, when James Earl Jones says, "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time." you can take every instance of "baseball" and replace it with "the bicycle" and it's just as pertinent. It applies to the evolution of technologies used throughout the aviation and automotive industries as well as many others, and it applies to my life personally.
> 
> ...




Wow, an incredible story!


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## kreika (Aug 24, 2017)

It all started on a hot summer day in Oregon about 1975. On a dirt road at Fern Ridge Lake resort my cousins put me on one of their bikes and pushed me forward and off I went. I remember that hot air flowing over my face and looking down at the ground speeding by. I was hooked. Didn't get a license till I was 18 or 19. You can get anywhere on bike in my hometown of Santa Cruz.

 Flash forward to about 1992 a friend said you gotta go here and check this guy out. He has all these cool old school bikes. I went out, it was getting near dusk. There was a short balding man with a large German Shepard walking around his items very nervously. I started asking questions but he said it was getting dark and he was done for the day. Afraid I might steal something I think. He told me where he'd be set up the next day and I was there bright and early. I bought my first bike from him a 1955 Schwinn Deluxe Hornet. So rusted it took heat and kroil galore to get everything free. I replaced every part and got it road worthy and so started a many year relationship with Dan Venturi. Aka bicyclebones. At that point I lived in a rental with all my best friends from high school. While the rest of the crew came over to hang out. Dan made a killing off of us. For awhile, after he'd go out east Dan would stop at our house first in that beater white van and trailer just stacked with bicycle everything. We'd get first pick....of what we could afford. Oh great days those were! Thank you @bicyclebones ! I even worked for  Dan for awhile. Well, he sadly moved out of town. So went my great connection....gone.

With the advent of  the internet, eBay and Craig's my passion still continued,continues.  Somewhere along the way I got hooked on Murray built Mercury Pacemaker's. Love those lines. Then in early Dec last year I stumbled on this website. I have Cabe paper issues from back in the day but didn't know it had gone digital. Thank you The Cabe your a bicycle collectors paradise and thank you to all you kick azz like minded people I've met and chatted with.

Be well, ride on, take care...
Chris


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## GregG (Aug 25, 2017)

Because the bicycle is one of the top human engineering achievements.  I weigh close to 300 pounds, and am constantly amazed that I can get on my 24 pound road bike and get it up to 40 MPH without polluting.  The fact that the wheels weigh under 10, and can deal with that is nothing short of amazing.  Add the styles, the lines, the paint, the pinstripes, the lugs, the chrome, the history, and all the different technologies that are constantly being tried and retried and it is a world that is nothing short of perfection.


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## mrg (Aug 25, 2017)

Could write a couple pages on this subject but my quick answer is it's not a hobby, it's a lifestyle!


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