I did not start cycling until just before my 12th birthday -- as I have posted elsewhere, I was an awkward kid with extremely poor and late-developing physical coordination. My first bicycle, a $15 acquisition from a friend, was a black balloon-tired Schwinn middleweight (American? Phantom?) with a 2-speed Bendix coaster hub controlled by a lever which resembled a brake handle. Six months later I graduated to my first road bike, a bottom-of-the-line Bianchi Corsa, which got me hooked on cycling.
What do I ride today? A [much nicer] Bianchi road bike and a fat-tired Schwinn [mountain bike]. The more things change ...
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069