# Found 2 of my grandfathers bikes that got away!!!



## nomadman1956 (Nov 10, 2010)

23 years later after my grandfather died, I started wondering what ever happened to some of his cool old bikes, and believe it or not have found some of them.

When I was a kid, my grandfather had a small  bike shop in a 2 car garage behind his house and always had 50+ bikes on hand. ( about 10 of them antiques)  

Every time Id go visit even if I had to move all 50 bikes I would to get to ride my favorites!  A firestone super cruiser, & x53 western flyer.  Oh how I wish Id had taken more of an interest in them back then!!!

I once asked him as a child why he always had so many bikes???   He told me growing up during the depression he always wanted a bike but couldnt afford one and now he could afford as many as he wanted...lol  

After I turned 16 and got a car I quit showing an interest in the old bikes and on  one trip to his house walked out in his shop and all the old bikes were gone.  I was heart broken about the super cruiser and x53. When I asked him why in the world he got rid of them he said neigher me or my dad seem to have any interest in them.  

There was a bike collector in Indy named Morrie Turner that would stop by about once a month for years trying to buy him out of the old ones and his persistance finally paid off.   He got this Egin robin pictured above, my dads shelby airflow and the x53.  

The other day I decided 23 years later to call Morrie and see if recalled who he sold them to and behold he still had the robin and the x53!!!!  The air flow went to califorina about 20 years ago, so I'd say it lost forever! 

Morrie is now 82 and getting out of bikes, both bikes are for sale and restored, but in the $3000 range so Im out of luck getting the x53 back but it was good to see it again and know where it at any way.

Part 2 of the story!!!  The super cruiser!!!   I didnt know what the bike was called as a kid, just that I loved it!!!   As a child I often went with my gradfather to his bike trading buddys and ended up marrying one of there daughters.  

After my grandfather died I often told my father in law how much I wanted a bike like the one of grandpa's but never could decribe it well enough for him to figure out what it was.

Now being a little older and being around Lupe's colletion (my fatherinlaw) I started taking an interest in collecting bikes.  Lupe was very limited on space and disassembled most of his bikes to store and take up less space.  On day while poking around up stairs were he kept part of his collection I happened upon a box with a orange and black horn tank in it, I grabbed the tank and ran down stairs all excited telling him this was like the bike I had been trying to decribe to him all these years!!!!   He looked at me and said the rest of its upstairs and he had bought that bike off my grandfather years ago..... SOooooo.... 10 years later I got my beloved super cruiser back!!!!!  The Exact same bike!!!!

By1994 I had built up a pretty impressive collection of about 30 springfork  horn tanked mens bikes but that year ended up getting divorced and loosing the fellowship of collecting with my father in law I got rid of the collection and just lost interest until now.

I did keep the beloved firestone, and middleweight schwinn my grandfather gave me for graduation. Its 2 town green and look like a phantom (hornet I think) and my Dad's B-6.

I think Im up to about 10 bikes again and bit with the bug harder than ever!!!!   I guess thanks to my grandfather and Lupe I had no choice but become a bike collector!...lol


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## nomadman1956 (Nov 10, 2010)

Morrie and grandapa's X-53....  Wow...  the miles I put on that old bike as a kid!!!!!!


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## markivpedalpusher (Nov 10, 2010)

Fantastic story thanks for sharing I'm glad you are back at it!


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## Talewinds (Nov 10, 2010)

Fixed the broken link..


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## nomadman1956 (Nov 10, 2010)

Thank You !!!!


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## bricycle (Nov 10, 2010)

..Dude, you make me wanna cry..... great story! Thanks for the memories...


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## twowheelfan (Nov 10, 2010)

great story! I love to hear about the ones that got away ....and then come back!


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## IJamEcono (Nov 10, 2010)

Just got home from work and yours is the first post I read. Excellent story. Great way to end my long day. Thanks.


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## militarymonark (Nov 10, 2010)

Awesome story! but the great thing about this hobby is that you might just find more of your grandfathers's bikes since its really a small hobby compared to other hobbies. I have both my grandmothers and grandfathers old bikes and my dads old bike, I prob wouldn't be in this hobby if it wasn't for my father keeping his shelby flying cloud all those years.


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## chitown (Nov 11, 2010)

Thanks for sharing that and welcome back!


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## fat tire trader (Nov 12, 2010)

Thanks for sharing your story. Keep working on Morrie and remind him of how he kept going to your grandfather. Those bikes should be worth more to you than anyone else, Morrie should realize this, and sell them to you for a lot less, who would appreciate them more than you?
chris ioakimedes
www.fattiretrading.com


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## cruiserbikekid (Nov 12, 2010)

Great story. I love hearing about bikes that come back into families lives. No chance for me, we buried my grandfathers 1930's raleigh sport in the backyard when we built our workshop, back then I had no interest in old bikes. ( I did take off the tool bag, top tube sturmey shifter and tin license plate because I thought they were cool.) I sure wish I could ride that old bike.


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## militarymonark (Nov 12, 2010)

at least you know where its located lol


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## MaxGlide (Nov 12, 2010)

What a great story. I can't imagine how neat that would be to ride on THE BIKE you loved as a kid!

I am encouraged to hear that an X-53 is worth that much in great shape (though I'm not gonna sell it, I ride it regularly to work). I picked up one off of a guy near Los Angeles this summer for $300 and all is it missing is the top of the headlight and the rear fender reflector! Very lucky to find it as I'm in Canada.... not many old cruiser bikes up here!

Wayne


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## BIKE AT THE MOON! (Nov 15, 2010)

Nomadman-got away?  Nope, remember that stupid saying about if it comes back to you, it's truly yours?
Not so stupid...find a way to get those bicycles back!  What a great story...Start a fund today!  I will donate twenty bucks to it!  You need those bikes!!!
-BATM


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