Like many here I do both. I have some very nice bikes that I display that I will also ride occasionally and I have other vintage bikes that aren't quite as visually as perfect that I ride more frequently. Probably my favorite and most ridden bike is a '41 Westfield Custom Deluxe. My girlfriend's favorite is the '37 Roadmaster Supreme. Both of us are a shade under 5'6" so comfort adjustments is not as much of a challenge. Anything bike I acquire will be ridden at some point. If not by me then maybe my grandson. So I make it point to try and set each bike to where they not only ride great but will be comfortable as well because they should be fun to ride. When I got my beautiful Monark it rode horribly but with a little work it now rides as good as any bike I own even if the seat is a little hard on the butt after a while. I have a spary painted X53 that looks OK but is a great riding bike that I enjoy taking out.
I have a '41/'46 Hiawatha (Shelby) that I display just because I love the colors. When I first got it I rode it half a block and the pedal fell out of the crank arm. The crank arm at some point had stripped out and would no longer hold the pedal. Someone had attempted a repair sometime in the past but the repair failed. I could have just displayed it but I wanted to be able to ride it and show it off. Fortunately I have a good neighbor that had the metal skills to fix the issue and make it look as good as new. I was able to ride the bike in the 4th of July parade this year and it rides beautifully.
I started messing with these bikes for 2 reasons. First it captured my imagination from when I was a kid. I learned to ride on a large red bike in about 1965. The bike seemed old at the time but I can't say if it was 5 years old or if it was 20 years old and there are no pictures of it. But the memory of that bike led me to fall in love with old ballooners. Secondly, riding these bikes gives me something to do and share with my grandson. He now rides a vintage Stingray and and just loves old bikes. So sharing the love of bikes has become a family thing.
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