Fifty Plus (50+) - My old friend

Haven't contributed with pictures in the past so I thought I would start at the beginning of my adult biking hobby. A 1984 Centurion ProTour 15. There have been a few changes along the way, but much is original. Still a workhorse and a pleasure to ride. Purchased in the early Spring of 1985 for $385.

Saved my knees,
opened my eyes,
Let me know the areas around where I lived in a whole different way.
Eased my tension at times,
Trained me for ski season,
Made me feel better about myself.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_GW75NWraW4E/SeFEylSeQmI/AAAAAAAACRM/Wi-QjJkXYo0/84BJonroadrideonunivegagranturismo.jpg

Ah, again the wayback machine is set to the year 1984! This is my brand new Univegi oops, I mean Univega Gran Tursmo, 15 speeds, triple chainwheel and I love that bike, did my first Century ride and got the circle patch series from the LAW ( 25/50/Metric/Century), that today hangs in a frame above my current bicycle. Had several good friends to ride with from work, our own little bicycle club:thumb: The photo is taken on a hwy. out on the Southern CO. plains, we were men who rode bicycles, we didn't need no stink'in helmet! ;)

Oh yeah! Sweet bikes from days of yore.

Mine was a '82 Fuji Del Rey sport tourer (no pics). I later converted it to a triple crank, swapped out the old Dia-Comp levers for aero brake levers and added a Mavic MA40 wheelset. I've done lots of centuries, club rides and loaded touring on it. Still have it, still ride it sometimes too.

I've got a couple of old friends here. This is me and my bride while on vacation on Makinac Island in 1983. I've got my 1971 Schwinn Varsity and she has her 1976 Schwinn Varsity.

By the time this photo was taken I had already been commuting with the bike for twelve years.

I've still got both the wife and her bike, the bike is hanging out in the garage with 1475 miles on the speedometer and the wife gets to hang out in the house. My Varsity is long gone and I wouldn't want to hazard a guess as to how many miles it had on it. I think I still have that old bugle horn around someplace though, man was it ever loud!

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/Bikes/42.jpg

I've got a couple of old friends here.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/Bikes/42.jpg

You got 'em on your feet??

Very nice photo, and I'm sorry to focus on a detail - Threadly solipcism, surely an internet crime - but I'm sure I ran my first half marathon, Abu Dhabi March 1982, in a pair of those baby blue Adidas

I was bouncy and light enough 'em days to survive it, but I wouldn't do it now:thumb:

Your pics of the ProTour hurt a little bit. I was forcibly deprived of mine in 1978 by two gangs, after only a month of ownership, one evening while riding to school.

This is what I rode the next night. And I dropped 10 minutes off a 50 minute commute in one day!

http://www.pointhappy.com/gcf/AmEagleNishikism.jpg

I bought it off my best friend for a load of wood that I had bought to make a shipping container for a planned move to be with my girlfriend who was then in Hawaii. But with the help of some local Scientologists, she dumped me.

The American Eagle/Nishiki though has been very faithful all these years and taken me many miles in all kinds of conditions. It's had a number of upgrades.

My 1983 Centurion Elite 12 has been hanging in the garage for far too long. Modernized it to a 8 speed about 6 years ago. The classics guys will complain but the components were all rusted and not salvageable. Think the early 80's Centurions were some of the best bikes of the era.