# What Was YOUR First  2-Wheel Bike???



## Old Man Wolf (May 21, 2013)

Hello All!
I had the day off today so I was hoping parts I ordered recently would have arrived so I could tinker with a few of my projects - but no luck.

After spending an hour reading updated posts here I got an idea to start a new thread hoping to get some interesting reading from your responses here???!!!

SO - What Was YOUR First 2-Wheel Bike???
(And do you still have it or one like it???)

MY first 2-wheeler was a Lowly & Humble AMF RoadMaster Jr!

The bottom bracket bearings got messed up so my Dad got rid of the bike to a friend of his from work (Very Much against my will!!!)...
... but I got Very Lucky and was able to get the bike back some years after Dad passed away!

This originally came with the Colored Hard-Plastic Seat...
... but the dealer we bought the bike from (at the New Castle County Farmer's Market) sold us the Troxel seat to replace it.
(That plastic seat HURT a young boy - even at THAT age!!!)





















All the kids made fun of my bike in our development because of it being a "girl or boy" convertible bike...
... but I thought it was a Great Looking bike with the tank in the up position and I was Very Proud To Have It!!!

I've got a ton of memories with that bike and that's why I keep it in a corner of the living room even today at 45 years old!!!
(... and I STILL get a smile every time I glance at it when I walk by!!!)


I'll put a post in "Wanted To Buy"...
... but I'm still hoping to find a set of Bottom Bracket Bearings and the Rear Fender Reflector for this if anybody has them???
Please feel free to email me direct at OldToyTrains@aol.com with photos & price if you have them???

Looking forward to hearing about YOUR First Bike and maybe seeing pics if you can show one!!!

Thanks!
Blessings!
Will,


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## Old Man Wolf (May 21, 2013)

*My AMF RoadMaster Jr...*

Actually Guys - I have to admit...
One of my dark secret future projects is to build an ADULT SIZE version of the bike!!! 

Talk Soon!
Blessings!
Will,


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## decotriumph (May 21, 2013)

*First bike?*

I have to say that I do not know what my first 2-wheeler was. All I remember is that it was a beat-up brown and white 20" hand-me-down from older cousins. My first new bike was a 1960 J.C. Higgins Flightliner that I got for my 9th birthday. I have one exactly like it now:


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## MrColumbia (May 21, 2013)

My first 2 wheeler was parted together from several bikes pulled out of the town recycle pile by my father. Basically a Columbia Playbike. After several years of riding "junkyard" bikes I finally got my first new Columbia like the one here only in "Radiant Mocha"


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## OldRider (May 21, 2013)

My first bike would have been a 40s ladies loopframe CCM with 28 inch wheels. My brothers and I all shared this bike and us shorter kids had to ride standing up. I had one just ;like it till a few years ago......nothing special as you can see.


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## Terry66 (May 21, 2013)

Mine was a '69 Ross built 16" musclebike. It was badged as a Grants Department Store bike. Here I am cruising on it at about 3yo. That's my dad's Ford in the background. I wish I still had the bike (or the car!)to give my grandson, but I have no idea what happened to either one of them.





I found a ratty '71 Schwinn Lil Tiger for my grandson. I had it powdercoated metallic green, had the seat recovered, fresh decals and added 12" air filled tires with a coaster brake...and streamers of course! He loves it.


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## ridingtoy (May 22, 2013)

Will & Wendy said:


> I've got a ton of memories with that bike and that's why I keep it in a corner of the living room even today at 45 years old!!!
> (... and I STILL get a smile every time I glance at it when I walk by!!!)




That's pretty neat...still having your childhood bicycle.

My first bicycle was a 26" AMF Roadmaster from around 1959/60, don't recall the exact year it was given to me. It was a tank model with chrome plated fenders and a star chainring. Colors on it were red and black. The seat was black vinyl with white edging. There was a horn button on the tank, but I never put batteries in it. I gave it to one of my cousins after buying my Schwinn Suburban in 1974. That's about all I remember about it. Seems it had a model name but I can't remember what it was.

Oh, and Terry, you did a terrific job on that Lil Tiger. Looks better than brand new!

Dave


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## looneymatthew (May 22, 2013)

*pimp*

thats classic . did you photo shop your head on that seventies ad . love the poly pants. killer  . 




MrColumbia said:


> My first 2 wheeler was parted together from several bikes pulled out of the town recycle pile by my father. Basically a Columbia Playbike. After several years of riding "junkyard" bikes I finally got my first new Columbia like the one here only in "Radiant Mocha"View attachment 97467


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## mruiz (May 22, 2013)

Mine was a Ross also, 20 inch red, drop center wheels. Not to flashy. traded it for a goat I had.
 Mitch


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## looneymatthew (May 22, 2013)

*I can relate to that story.*

cool  story.  






Will & Wendy said:


> Hello All!
> I had the day off today so I was hoping parts I ordered recently would have arrived so I could tinker with a few of my projects - but no luck.
> 
> After spending an hour reading updated posts here I got an idea to start a new thread hoping to get some interesting reading from your responses here???!!!
> ...


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## Larmo63 (May 22, 2013)

*My first bike.....kind of*

My dad bought this trike second hand and re-painted/restored it in red, white and blue. My sister

looks pretty excited about it, I have a "yeah, I'm cool and I know it look..."


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## Old Man Wolf (May 30, 2013)

*Photo You Can Get A Laugh At...*

Hey Guys!
Here's a photo you can get a laugh at!!!

Whaddaya think we ought to title it???
"Fits Just Fine!"???




Talk Soon!
Blessings!
Will & Wendy,


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## Levine (Dec 22, 2017)

decotriumph said:


> *First bike?*
> 
> I have to say that I do not know what my first 2-wheeler was. All I remember is that it was a beat-up brown and white 20" hand-me-down from older cousins. My first new bike was a 1959 J.C. Higgins Flightliner that I got for my 9th birthday. I have one exactly like it now:
> View attachment 97455




Your post was years ago so I don't know if this will reach you, but - Beautiful.  If you ever want to sell it please let me know.  It's almost identical it to my own first bike.  I was in love with it but it was stolen soon after I got it and it was only recently that I figured out what it was...


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## bricycle (Dec 22, 2017)

a Tricycle on two wheels....Zoom!


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## rollfaster (Dec 22, 2017)

Mine was a 38 Autocycle Deluxe...

Really it was something between a Ross and AMF 20” solid tire bike. Not the smoothest of rides.


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## Cooper S. (Dec 24, 2017)

I'm not as old as some cave members, but my first two wheeler was like some 2002 mongoose bmx I got from my brother and taught myself how to ride.


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## GTs58 (Dec 24, 2017)

Cooper S. said:


> I'm not as old as some cave members, but my first two wheeler was like some 2002 mongoose bmx I got from my brother and taught myself how to ride.




I like that! Cave members. Spelling error or not, that's funny.


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## Jon Olson (Dec 25, 2017)

My Dad on his newspaper bike in Long Beach, Ca. My Mother with her Packard in San Francisco, Ca.(1920’s) With my Brothers and our 1st 2-wheelers given to us by “The Knights of Columbus” after the death of my Dad at 33 yrs. old. My Grandfather put 2/4 wood blocks on my pedals so I could reach them and ride to any soft place to lock the brakes and skid to a dismount in Modesto, Ca.(1950’s)


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## Jeff54 (Dec 26, 2017)

3 bikes about 1962. 2 were prewar, 1 Schwinn another probably CWC, the 3rd post war Schwinn, likely DX. Of course, How could I have a clue as too pre and post war bikes? I didn't but I know now, duhh. My dad bought the pile in an auction for a few bucks, they were junk, only for head badges you could know the schwinns.  I remember then, only because they needed adjusting all the time. But, the least were the two Schwinn's, especially the DX. I was just a tiny guy and could hardly ride any. Albeit Taping wood to the peddles helped. The thing was though, it was those two Schwinns that learned me the differences between crap and solid. The pre war bikes were a pain because, you had to get the pins tightened in right to keep the rear wheels from movin an we were too ignorant to know how too lock em down right.  The post war DX though, with forward drop outs was the bike that remained stable. That bike embedded Schwinn quality in me mind. The prob CWC was also a learner because the rear dropouts were weak. They'd been expanded to many times so, even after I figured out how to lock in the pins, hammering back the drop-outs to narrow em down enough to hold the nuts and washers would slip. It was like metals from chna, cheap a..s soft. probably lost its tempering. But that prewar Schwinn drop out would hold those nuts.  Well, hold the rim for a short time, until I learned to adjust the pins. It was short lived though because, my disobedient brother burned the garage down, playing wit matches for the um-teeth time. The following year sept 63  we moved into a brand new home. With Christmas coming, guess what I spected Santa to put under me tree?? Yeah duhh, A Stingray! But ya know, new home and all expenses I was hoping there was a real santa as me folks hardly made it through that year. But there were two , brand new bikes anyway. Two POS 3 speed Royce Unions. Another lesson in quality and crap. Disappointed of course, that it wasn't a stingray, or Schwinn as I knew the difference in a good bike and crap. I was very happy to just have a brand new bike, just the same. Yet, Royce Union gives me another lesson in only a few short days ,, My Brother's got stolen xmas day or the very next so I had to share with a knuckle head who abused everything.  Those click shifters were crap, cable locks for brakes and shifter crap!  the pedal arm pins would slip and nuts strip out. Yet all grown up now, I may have been able to get that crap set right and last longer, or a bike shop back then, if could afford such luxury. Yet, still the peddle pins and cable nuts  had soft metal. But for Kids?? .  NEXT time get a dam SCHWINN! Because buying crap like that, even way back then, expecting you kids to maintain them?? It's almost  no different than the crap at wally world today,  providing the dopes assembled em right, , ain't gonna last more than a few months. As fact I don't recall even a month on the 3-speed, having its shifter  cable broke then  for the peddle arm pins getting striped out.

So, actually, my 1st two wheeler was 3 Junkers. 1 crap, 1 better and lastly, one good solid post war, prob. DX that learned me difference quick. That is, even me older bro, excepting matches,  couldn't F up.

My own privet 2 wheeler no sharing wit idiot, you guessed it?  Scraped up parts into a danged stingray!


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## Adamtinkerer (Jan 6, 2018)

I only had mine for a couple days before it was stolen! I remember it was purple, with a banana seat. When we moved, my parents let me pick out my own, and I chose a Columbia "All American". White, with red fenders, and I think the banana seat was blue. It was early 1977, so there were a lot of USA themed bikes after the bicentennial! Three years later, I bought my first rusty old bike, a '57 Schwinn Corvette! And so the madness began!!!


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## tripple3 (Jan 6, 2018)

I just got mine shipped to me from @Balloontyre as a Christmas present!!
It's a Murray built Sears bike.
I even got to ride it again.
It's displayed in the house now with the old B/W pics in the front wheel.
Thank you again Ivo; I love it.


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## Nj_Exit15W (Nov 30, 2020)

My 1st Bike!! 1960's AMF ROADMASTER!!! Streamers on Grips and All!! Big Saddle!!!


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## JChapoton (Nov 30, 2020)




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## bobcycles (Nov 30, 2020)

Royce Union from "Fedco" cheap knock off wannabe StingRay...
poverty sucks!


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## mrg (Dec 1, 2020)

24 in. was kinda big for me but those king size training wheels didn't last to long. this was one of those trade in that the Schwinn dealer painted, new chrome fenders etc. and put in a rack in front of the dealer for sale & the first of many used Schwinn!, In my neighborhood a used Schwinn was still better than a new ANYTHING else. I cut the frame up a few years later to make a chopper and my dad threw it away ( thats trash!! ) but somehow I still have the og ( silver painted ) rear rim hanging in the garage!


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## AndyA (Dec 1, 2020)

No photo documentation is available, but I remember that my first bike was previously-owned, blue, had solid tires, and no chain guard. Probably 20-incher. My dad brought it home one day after work. The solid tires made it heavy and slow; I had trouble keeping up with the rest of the gang.

The lack of a chain guard was an issue. One day I was a couple of blocks from home and ended up sitting on the curb with my pants leg caught in the chain. A nice lady came out of her house and asked if I was okay. I showed her my problem and she went back into the house. She came back with a pair of scissors and cut off the chunk of my pants that was stuck between the chain and the chainwheel. I rode home and my mom asked what happened to my pants. I explained. Mom was mad. Not at me but at the silly woman who didn't know how to get a pants leg out of a chain. She taught me how to do that and how to roll up my pants. Haven't had a problem since, except a couple of months ago I got a shoelace wrapped around a pedal.


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