silvertonguedevil
Wore out three sets of tires already!
There have been some really good stories and points made in this thread. I've really enjoyed going through it.
My dad saved up all summer long and at the end of the summer, my grandpa took him down to the Schwinn dealership and dad picked out his bike. He bought a brand-new 1962 Schwinn Traveler in black, white and chrome. He loved this bike. He still owns it to this day. In fact, he even still has the tag that hung from the handlebars. He has always been proud of the speedometer on it as it shows 2,600 miles. He said that he took it everywhere and that no one could peel him off of that bike. He also loves telling about the time he and his friends took their bikes and coasted down Division Hill. He said the speedometer was bouncing at 50 mph. He said his clothes were flapping in the wind and tears were running back towards his ears. Oh yeah, and no helmets or pads!
I remember it sitting in the garage when I was a kid and I was drawn to it. I pumped up the tires and cleaned it up and I rode it around for a summer until the original tires finally gave out and then it sat again but that was enough to spark my interest. I was about 14 when I started dragging home old bikes. I had a pretty nice little pile. I "restored" one for mom, rattlecanning it on the front porch pink and white for her. I must say it looked pretty cool. All of my friends were into BMX and Freestyle at the time and finally, I turned my back on the old bikes and joined up with them. We lived in a small town and we tore that town up. There were 5 of us and we were ALWAYS on our bikes. Then came high school, girls, cars, job, wife, kids, etc and the bikes went away. Until......
One day dad called me and asked for my help. He said he was restoring his old bike and he wanted me to look on the internet for decals, parts, etc. He's not much of a computer guy. So I started poking around and all of a sudden, this whole world opened up to me. I realized there were a whole bunch of people out there that loved classic and antique bikes! Well, the rest history! I've got a real sickness now!
I'm into bikes for many reasons. I was able to relate to the story about having an addictive personality. I always go overboard with collecting. I also know what it's like to be into old cars and the money that it takes to be in that hobby and this is a great alternative. I really enjoyed the description of the magic involved in riding a bicycle and the joy that comes over you. It's very true. It IS almost close to flight. I also really enjoyed the Made In USA bit. It was a really proud time for our country and SO much went into making these bikes. I can set my X-53 at the end of the driveway, set up a lawn chair at the head of the driveway, sit down, crack open a beer and sit there and just stare at the bike. The engineering and design and pride that went into these old bikes is amazing!
Thanks for listening.
RIDE VINTAGE!!!
My dad saved up all summer long and at the end of the summer, my grandpa took him down to the Schwinn dealership and dad picked out his bike. He bought a brand-new 1962 Schwinn Traveler in black, white and chrome. He loved this bike. He still owns it to this day. In fact, he even still has the tag that hung from the handlebars. He has always been proud of the speedometer on it as it shows 2,600 miles. He said that he took it everywhere and that no one could peel him off of that bike. He also loves telling about the time he and his friends took their bikes and coasted down Division Hill. He said the speedometer was bouncing at 50 mph. He said his clothes were flapping in the wind and tears were running back towards his ears. Oh yeah, and no helmets or pads!
I remember it sitting in the garage when I was a kid and I was drawn to it. I pumped up the tires and cleaned it up and I rode it around for a summer until the original tires finally gave out and then it sat again but that was enough to spark my interest. I was about 14 when I started dragging home old bikes. I had a pretty nice little pile. I "restored" one for mom, rattlecanning it on the front porch pink and white for her. I must say it looked pretty cool. All of my friends were into BMX and Freestyle at the time and finally, I turned my back on the old bikes and joined up with them. We lived in a small town and we tore that town up. There were 5 of us and we were ALWAYS on our bikes. Then came high school, girls, cars, job, wife, kids, etc and the bikes went away. Until......
One day dad called me and asked for my help. He said he was restoring his old bike and he wanted me to look on the internet for decals, parts, etc. He's not much of a computer guy. So I started poking around and all of a sudden, this whole world opened up to me. I realized there were a whole bunch of people out there that loved classic and antique bikes! Well, the rest history! I've got a real sickness now!
I'm into bikes for many reasons. I was able to relate to the story about having an addictive personality. I always go overboard with collecting. I also know what it's like to be into old cars and the money that it takes to be in that hobby and this is a great alternative. I really enjoyed the description of the magic involved in riding a bicycle and the joy that comes over you. It's very true. It IS almost close to flight. I also really enjoyed the Made In USA bit. It was a really proud time for our country and SO much went into making these bikes. I can set my X-53 at the end of the driveway, set up a lawn chair at the head of the driveway, sit down, crack open a beer and sit there and just stare at the bike. The engineering and design and pride that went into these old bikes is amazing!
Thanks for listening.
RIDE VINTAGE!!!