I turn 31 (hex) a little later this year.
I grew up in the 60's and 70's - with some regularity hanging out at my uncle's bicycle shop. Raleighs were his bread and butter. He didn't sell Schwinns - but I think that had almost as much to do with not wanting to step on the local Schwinn dealer's toes, as it did with preferring Raleighs (although I grew up thinking Raleighs were better - and during this time period, they certainly were much lighter). All the way through college I did not have a car, and did not drive. I would think nothing of hopping on my bicycle and riding 60-80 miles in a day (wish I had that fitness level still).
It wasn't until I was in college, and was recovering from the latest in a maddening string of bicycle thefts that I rode my first "good" bicycle - a '77 Raleigh Super Course. Sadly, about a week before I joined the Navy in 1981, it was stolen. I even know whom by, but I couldn't prove it.
Anyways, growing up during the bike boom, and spending all those hours in the shop and riding was something that not even 18 years of not riding could keep out of my blood. I started back 3 1/2 years ago trying to get my late uncle's old 3-speed on the road. Mountain bikes just don't cut it, the three speed doesn't fare so well with the hills around here, and I don't have the resources to buy one of the latest and greatest. Finding, tinkering with and riding club and boom era bicycles has been very satisfying.