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Klunker question: were vintage front springers ever used??

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Many reasons they weren't used including ones you pointed out. Oh, terrible handling too. (for off road) Website above is great and you can see more of the real deal here: http://www.clunkers.net/
especially this - http://www.clunkers.net/tips/tips.html
perfect bike in kit form
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I don't think the klunker boys were so much riding fire roads as racing downhill - most any bike will ride fire roads and single-track
 
“I don't think the klunker boys were so much riding fire roads as racing downhill - most any bike will ride fire roads and single-track”

Of course they rode fire roads and tracks on klunkers. Hence the evolution from bomber to klunker to early MTB for better climbing prowess. In fact, riding trails and fire roads on vintage iron is still a thing around here.

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Great thread. I grew up right by De Anza College and was just a few years younger than the Morrow Dirt Club gang. We road whatever we had on the fire roads, horse trails and paths up above Cupertino and Saratoga.I went form a Huffy 3 speed stingray to my brothers hand me down 64 Varsity and then bought a 1973 Italvega at Cupertino Bike Shop that I still have. I remember friends riding stingrays they put together from parts found in orchard junk piles or behind dumpsters. Some guys had Raleigh 3 speeds, Schwinn Typhoons, Tornadoes etc. What everyone wanted was a chopper fork so we found forks and cut off the blades, then bolted them onto the ends of the other forks and put a 24" rim. the best ones lasted a week or so before failing. It was always great bombing down Regnart Road, Prospect and riding across the hay field that is now part of the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. This makes me want to take my 58 Schwinn American and drive down there for a ride, or maybe my teens Pierce and see how the carbon fiber crowd that ride those trails now react. ;)

Gary
 
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