Classic & Vintage - Your very first childhood steed

Ok, so we are not exactly talking classic & vintage, but I thought it'd be fun to describe your first childhood bike (plus accessories). Here's mine:

Olive green huffy, single speed (that would alternately be - slow or sprint), huge black pedals, reflectors everywhere.
banana seat with B-I-G handlebars (seats three - driver, one kid behind on seat, one on handlebars). Circa 1977-1982
Big Black Speedometer/Odometer (as in the size of your car dash odometer)
Wooden clothes pin with baseball card (usually some Brewer - those seemed to be the cards I got most - plus I didn't care: they were American League and I liked the Pirates) for the nice prrrrring sound.
Occasionally, the flourescent "straws" covering the spokes.

Worst crash on this bike - hit a chuck hole in the alley by my house - nice road rash and big scab.

The actual permanent chip in my shin bone came on childhood bike #2 - the 10 speed Raleigh Rapide (Circa 1982) - result of the metal claptrap pedal being imbedded there.

How about you?

First bike? there's a question. I pestered my dad for (what seemed like) years for a bike. It finally arrived as a surprise "out of the blue" one summer. A blue Raleigh Olympus. This was a small framed 5 speed racing bike with a great blue paint job. It was more-or-less Raleigh or nothing in those days but we were proud that these great bikes were made in our home town of Nottingham. The "ultimate" bike at that time was a Raleigh Arena 10 speed.

Anyhow, at once a dilemma presented itself. You see my dad had decided that with this being my first bike it would be better to replace the drop bars with ordinary ones. This was definately not cool and I proceeded to give Dad some grief about it. This was not helped by the fact that Dad had bought a Raleigh Magnum (5 speed tourer, BIG frame) and had drop bars.... He must have thought I was an ungrateful sod though... Luckily I escaped any mickey taking from my mates. Thinking back, it could have been the inspiration for the mountain bike - the frame on that little bike was indestructable!

I soon outgrew this bike and did not own another until my twenties, and that was definitely a road bike. With proper handlebars.....

Cheers,

Ed

I still have a bike my dad bought for me around 1974 when I was 13 or 14 years old, a Motobecane Nomade.

My dad was a carpenter and my mom was a school cafeteria worker so I know there was not a lot of money to spread around. I've always appreciated their sacrifice to get me a real "bike store" bike rather than a department store bike.

We bought the bike from Al Lizarazo at Bike Gallery in Charlotte. Bike Gallery is still owned by Mr. Lizarazo to this day. I'm thinking of taking the bike back there one day to show it off.

I know it's the low end Moto model and not worth squat on the market, but it's got a special place in my heart and I expect I'll keep it forever.

My first bike was not a tricycle, my parents waited till I was 6 to get me a bike; that was when they bought a red Mattel Varoom bike with a banana seat on my birthday. That bike got me to learn how to jump steps and whatever I could find to fly over, because I really wanted to fly but my parents wouldn't buy me an airplane!

I recall a similar thread several months ago, but here goes again.

I got my first bike, a mid-1950s Schwinn 2-speed balloon-tyred middleweight, at age 12. Before that time, I lacked the physical coordination and self-confidence needed for cycling. Four decades later, bicycling is still the only sport I have ever truly loved.

Living in a canyon in the Santa Monica "Mountains" of west Los Angeles, I soon pestered my father into buying me a 10-speed at Wheel World in Culver City: a $55 red bottom-of-the-line Bianchi Corsa with steel Universal sidepulls, half-step (52-47/13-16-19-23-26) Huret Allvit gear, and wingnutted 26" wheels. (Yes, it was essentially Italy's 4kg lighter, $15 cheaper answer to the 1962 Schwinn Varsity.) I rode it for 9 years, until I gave it to my fiance and bought the Nishiki. After I built up the Peugeot UO-8 for my wife and reclaimed the Bianchi, I converted it to a 3-speed coaster, shifted by the Huret friction downtube lever. I converted it back into a 10-speed and rode it a few more years, until the frame finally began to crack near the head tube. I salvaged several parts and installed its original BB lockring on my current Bianchi, when the teeth of its own aluminum (dumb idea, Campagnolo!) lockring got nicked.

Today, what do I ride? ... a fat-tyred Schwinn and a Bianchi road bike. The more things change, the more they stay the same!

The first I remember, the one the training wheels came off of, was an orange Columbia (I think). The chain guard was orange, hell, the whole bike was orange, and "10-4 good buddy" with a trailer truck painted on the chainguard.

I don't remember much more about it but it was the coolest thing to me at the time.

Although, the only bike I should have never gotten rid of was a Mongoose Californian (BMX) if anyone has one in original condition e-mail me please...

PJ

Red, 24" Schwinn Tornado, circa 1959 (when I was 6). I learned to ride on it (never had a trike). So did my two younger brothers - who crasehd my bike, then got new cheap bikes that didn't last but a fraction of the time the Schwinn did. I rode that bike until AFTER I had a driver's license, and never had another bike before leaving home for college.

My next bike was a Fuji 10-speed, bought around 1976 with my first paycheck, post-graduate school.

I guess my first bike was probably a late 60's "Excecutive" with 20x1.75" tires, alloy fenders, alloy rims, and a red and white saddle. The one thing I remember is it had double top tubes and a cantilever frame. It was sort of a candy apple red color with polished aluminum fenders and low cruiser type handlebars. And of course, wide white wall tires. I can't remember what ever happed to it, especially since I still own several of my old bikes. I do remember converting it to a banana seat and hi-rise handlebars when I started to outgrow it. I think it was made in either Germany or Austria. I don't rember if it had a model name or not, I just remember the headbadge saying "Excecutive".

My next bike was a bright red mid 60's 26" Schwinn Typhoon from a local garage sale. I do remember replacing the fenders and tires, and keeping that one real nice.

A very early '50s Huffy Convertible! My dad "converted" it to a girls bike when I outgrew it and my younger sister grew into it. She still has it in her garage.

Western Flyer - 3 spd sturmey-archer, gold frame, banana seat, hi riser bars. Got it in the late 60's. Dad wouldn't spring for an Apple Krate, but hey, it was a bike. Don't know what became of it, it's probably lying in a pile of weeds somewhere on the farm.

Early mid-sixties red Royce Union paper boy single-speed w/ 24" balloon tires. My father wouldn't spring for a Sting Ray, either. In addition to being a philistine, he was also cheap, so he got me a bike that was too large for me, that I was supposed to 'grow into'. As a result of the bike being too large for me, on my first solo ride I did a face plant and badly chipped one of my top front teeth. I'm sure the dentist bills were at least as much as the Sting Ray I could have had...

My next bike was a Raleigh 3-speed english racer with a coaster brake, and in 1969 or thereabouts I got a Peugeot 10-speed, which cost all of $89 or $99 brand new back then...

The "ultimate" bike at that time was a Raleigh Arena 10 speed.


Hi there,
Since starting foruming I've been thinking of my Raleigh Arena; so much so that I put a request up for one on the classic vintage page "Mid-life crisis type request". I didn't realise when I was 14 that I had an "ultimate" :p bike then, put I absolutely loved it and rode it madly for years with no problems. I'm wondering if it's worth getting one and who has one, or whether it'll be like going back and listening to Judas Priest again....and realising they weren't actually very good.
Guys?

My first bike was a "Team Murray" 18" BMX. SOmetimes I wished I never outgrew it...that bike was such a smooth ride, and tough as nails too. It was chrome with black and red trim, and had a full pad set on it. Only bad part was how heavy it was, and how that kept me from ever doinganything too fun with it...but that could have been a bonus as well :)

Well, I have pictures of me on a red tricycle but the first actual bike I can recall was "wheelie" type bike with a banana seat called a "Cheater Slick." I think they were made by Huffy. It was about 1969-1970 and I didn't know Huffy from Schmuffy and didn't care. The bike was yellow and black with a puff of smoke on the chainguard, a fat back tire and was pretty sharp. Later the banana seat was dropped for a road seat and the chain guard came off in an attempt to imitate the early BMXers. Soon after I discovered roadbikes thru my father's 3 speed I appropriated and the Cheater Slick was disposed of by my parents. I think they sold it at a garage sale.

A thread like this was done awhile ago and someone emailed me photos of a restored Cheater. Pretty cool.

I pestered my Dad for ages to get me a bike. We lived in a really hilly area near a busy weekend road (a great winding mountain road, a favorite with motorcycles and ambulances), so getting me a bike also meant getting him a bike and a rack for the car so we could take them to better places to ride.

So I finally ended up with a white Mongoose cro-moly BMX, with blue annodized rims. It had a coaster rear brake and the optional front brake. I thought it was the bees knees... we'd go downtown and ride around the botantic gardens most weekends, and took the bikes with us on camping trips too. Dad bought himself a 10 speed Mongoose mountain bike and rediscovered how much he enjoyed cycling. I inherited his bike about 3 years later when I could finally stand over it. By then my parents were comfortable with me riding places from home, so I used to 'commute' to tennis coaching and friend's houses whenever I could.

(This is my first post, so I thought it appropo that it should be about my first bike)

My first bike was a Ross Barracuda. Got it for Christmas in 1971, which was frustrating because that's no time to be riding bikes in New York City (brrrrr!). Metallic orange paint with chrome fenders and a banana seat that was metalflake silver. The seat was the coolest because it was squared at the edges with a quilted texture along the top. Cush! The rear tire was a square-shouldered slick... just like an NHRA Funny Car! Needles to say, this baby bought me freedom to roam far and wide. I explored for miles and became exposed to parts of the city that I never would have seen otherwise. Today, my six year old daughter has to stay within three or four car lengths of mom or dad as we go for family rides with our helmets, reflective belts, and water bottles. What has the world (and myself) become?

http://homepage.mac.com/davlafont/bikeforums/Cuda.jpg
No laughing at the fashion please... I was seven at the time! Notice the shifter; it had a T-handle!

I recently surfed this forum and Oldride (?) to see other Barracudas. Mine looks very different. I'm pretty sure it was a Ross. My (older) brother rode a Chopper, and my friend rode a Columbia. I can't imagine being selectively fuzzy on such details.

This bike lasted about ten years or so. Over time I shed the reflectors, the fenders, the chainguard, and eventually the seat. Dirt bikes were becoming the vogue and this Barracuda ended its time (circa 1981) wearing a road bike saddle and a low black handlebar with crossbar.

Anyway, as soon as I work it out, this image will be my avatar!

1964, a 26" (wheel size) "english frame" bike: basically a 10 speed type frame with upright bars and one speed with pedal brake....I was in 4th grade and couldn't reach the pedals...Dad put me on it and pushed me down a hill! Rode it through junior high school until I found my first 10 speed - a C. Itoh boat anchor, then a 26" frame Stella in high school lasting until I finally made it to the custom frame league in college.

Hmm, brings back memories! First bike was a "ROLLFAST" (from American Auto) with 20" wheels and kind of a burgundy color. Rode that through grade school until my folks thought I had "outgrown" it. Then I got a full size Schwinn bike with 26" wheels and a 2 speed coaster brake shift. I think it was dubbed "automatic shift" or something. It was green. I was so small dad wired wooden blocks to the pedals so I could reach them. (Yeah, grow into the bike, right!) Rode that unitl into high school. During high school I got my first "real" road bike. A blue Raleigh Grand Prix 10 speed. Paid about $100 for it. You should have heard the old man! Why didn't you get a "sensible" bike! He had a thing against anything with drop bars and skinny tires. Rode that bike through college and until I got married. The wife had a Nishiki (?) but she didn't like riding so we sold both bikes. A few years later I got another Raleigh Grand Prix ($199 this time!) which I rode until 1991. Wore the chainrings out. About the same time I also got a Raleigh/Rampar BMX. I had access to lots of trails and the BMX was great. In 91 I got a Trek 1000 road bike. Commuted lots of miles to work on it. I still have that bike, in fact the BMX and the old Raleigh are hanging up in the garage, soon to be joined by the Trek. My most recent bike is a 2004 Rans Tailwind recumbent which I just got a couple of weeks ago. Had to give up the road bike. Couldn't ride more than 15 minutes before my hands and other body parts complained. Just love the 'bent though. Best and most fun ride I ever had.

'bent Brian

Somewhere around 1977 I got what I think may have been a Huffy. I think it was bought from Western Auto. I know it was a black frame BMX type bike. It also had stubby fenders, knobby tires, and said "PMX" on the chain guard. Had yellow and maybe red pinstripes. Fun bike. That thing sat for a long time behind the shed. I'm kind of mad because it sat for a long, long time, and almost long enough for me want to "rediscover" it. Anyway, it got thrown a way while I was at college. I also had a very rare John Deere kids bike with chrome fenders and banana seat. It got tossed as well. I guess we all wish we had things back that we had as kids.

Pat

I had a beige Western Flyer with a banna seat and a sissy bar. Single speed with coaster brakes. I rode the hell out of that, and figured out how to stop my chain from jumping off when none of the other kids could. (You tighten the rear wheel up the dropouts) Once I grew out of it, I got a blue Huffy Omni-10. Everything was blue, frame, tires, and handlebar padding. It was a 10 speed with drop handlebars, and I rode my first event with it.

I got my first real bike back around '71-'72. It was a blue Schwinn Jr. Stingray. Single speed, coaster brake, banana seat. I later upgraded to the big-a$$ sissy bar in the back. Don't remember if it had fenders or not but I do remember taking the chain guard off (remember getting your blue jean cuffs stuck stuck between the teeth of the chainring and the chain--or was I the only one who did that?)

Anyway, I somehow ended up with a real cool slick tire on the back. My older bro had a green Schwinn Stingray. I was faster than him, of course.

I got my first real bike back around '71-'72. It was a blue Schwinn Jr. Stingray. Single speed, coaster brake, banana seat. I later upgraded to the big-a$$ sissy bar in the back. Don't remember if it had fenders or not but I do remember taking the chain guard off (remember getting your blue jean cuffs stuck stuck between the teeth of the chainring and the chain--or was I the only one who did that?)

Anyway, I somehow ended up with a real cool slick tire on the back. My older bro had a green Schwinn Stingray. I was faster than him, of course.

My first bike was a schwinn stingray with a banana seat that someone had spray painted black. The frame, not the seat. It had a coaster brake and i thought everyone else's bike was cooler. In retrospect, that bike kicked serious butt and 25 years later i have discovered the singlespeed/fixed thing and one day soon im gonna make a coaster brake bike.

I got a blue Huffy Omni-10. Everything was blue, frame, tires, and handlebar padding. It was a 10 speed with drop handlebars, and I rode my first event with it.

I just bought a Huffy OMNI-10 at a garage sale. It is just as you describe - blue painted frame, blue seat, blue padding on the drop handlebars, and tires with blue tread. Quite a good looking bike. I was wondering if you knew when they were made?