Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

What is your quintessential Silver Era, USA bike boom bicycle (circa 1965-1975)

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

What is your quintessential Silver Era, USA bike boom bicycle (circa 1965-1975)

Old 12-12-15, 01:32 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: south kansas america
Posts: 1,909

Bikes: too many

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 411 Post(s)
Liked 233 Times in 139 Posts
What is your quintessential Silver Era, USA bike boom bicycle (circa 1965-1975)

quintessential= adj., of or relating to the most perfect embodiment of something. What bicycle available during this time do you see as the "quintessential" example? Just as a starter, and one that many have commented on before, would be the Peugeot U0-8. This bike seemed to be plentiful in numbers, and was available thru the whole boom period. It typifies, by being French, the boom period manufacturer/supplier, that being Europe; later in the period, Japan built bikes took a bigger share of the American market. It certainly represented a change in the American market, or, possibly, drove a change, from the bullet proof products of Schwinn, to the lighter bike of Europe.
uncle uncle is offline  
Likes For uncle uncle:
Old 12-12-15, 01:43 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Kactus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Tacoma, WA
Posts: 2,828

Bikes: 1962 Schwinn Paramount P12, 1971 Schwinn Paramount P13-9

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 344 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times in 20 Posts
I would say the Peugeot PX-10. It was probably the most available and affordable "true" racing bike one could hope to buy.
Kactus is offline  
Likes For Kactus:
Old 12-12-15, 01:49 PM
  #3  
Still learning
 
oddjob2's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: North of Canada, Adirondacks
Posts: 11,620

Bikes: Still a garage full

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 847 Post(s)
Liked 66 Times in 44 Posts
Schwinn: Varsity, Continental, Super Sport.
Raleigh: Record, Raleigh Grand Prix, Super Course, and Super Course MK II.
Le Jeune TdF.
oddjob2 is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 01:51 PM
  #4  
Banned.
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 27,297
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 378 Post(s)
Liked 1,407 Times in 908 Posts
Lower-middle class: Sears Free Spirit. They sold a ton of those, and Schwinns were out of reach.

Folks who lived near a Schwinn dealer and had the money, perhaps the top 1% in my home town: Continental.

Urban dwellers with access to funds and information: Peugeot UO-8, the only foreign bike I saw until about 1981.

Top of the line: Cinelli Super Corsa 1972-on: For those that had the knowledge and the money, generally guided by bike shops.

I was simply not exposed to any market other than catalog sales and other people's Schwinns until I entered the service and got around a bit.
Heck, the largest TV/Electronics dealer around gave away 10-speed bikes during a huge promotion every year. Those were 2/3 of what I saw during the boom.

Last edited by RobbieTunes; 12-12-15 at 01:55 PM.
RobbieTunes is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 02:52 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 17,127
Mentioned: 480 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3788 Post(s)
Liked 6,573 Times in 2,580 Posts
Raleigh Sports--never out of style!
nlerner is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 03:16 PM
  #6  
Extraordinary Magnitude
 
The Golden Boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,640

Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT

Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2597 Post(s)
Liked 1,678 Times in 926 Posts
Originally Posted by RobbieTunes
Heck, the largest TV/Electronics dealer around gave away 10-speed bikes during a huge promotion every year. Those were 2/3 of what I saw during the boom.
Crazy TV Lenny?
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*

Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!

"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
The Golden Boy is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 04:44 PM
  #7  
weapons-grade bolognium
 
thinktubes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Across the street from Chicago
Posts: 6,335

Bikes: Battaglin Cromor, Ciocc Designer 84, Schwinn Superior 1981

Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 984 Post(s)
Liked 2,353 Times in 882 Posts
I'd have to 2nd the vote for Free-Spirit.
thinktubes is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 05:59 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
Chrome Molly's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Forksbent, MN
Posts: 3,271

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 301 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 15 Times in 15 Posts
Originally Posted by RobbieTunes
Heck, the largest TV/Electronics dealer around gave away 10-speed bikes during a huge promotion every year. Those were 2/3 of what I saw during the boom.
"Get a bike. Get a bike. Get a bike"
Chrome Molly is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 07:21 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
Shp4man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: San Diego
Posts: 1,051

Bikes: 1989 Schwinn World Sport. 1994 Diamond Back Response Elite MTB. 1964 Schwinn Typhoon. 1974 Bridgestone Sprinter, 2015 Scott Sub 10 Citybike.

Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1687 Post(s)
Liked 78 Times in 34 Posts
Here's what I was riding back then. It was an ultracool ride. (then)

Shp4man is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 07:44 PM
  #10  
feros ferio
 
John E's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us
Posts: 21,765

Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;

Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1384 Post(s)
Liked 1,294 Times in 819 Posts
In my opinion, the single most important game-changer make and model was the 1970 American Eagle Semi-Pro (Nishiki Competition). OK, I admittedly rode a 1971 for 20 years and 40k miles, until the seat tube lug broke off of the bottom bracket. I assert that this was the first decent-quality mass-produced Japanese bicycle offered to the mass market in the US. Suddenly the image of poor quality bicycles from Japan was being challenged, even though I do not consider this world class, as its late 1970s successors were.
__________________
"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
John E is offline  
Likes For John E:
Old 12-12-15, 07:58 PM
  #11  
Senior Member
 
obrentharris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Point Reyes Station, California
Posts: 4,715

Bikes: Indeed!

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1504 Post(s)
Liked 3,442 Times in 1,127 Posts
I turned 18 in 1970. The bike I lusted after was the Cinelli Super Corsa in the Black Chrome finish at Spence Wolf's shop in Cupertino, Calif. The bike I could afford and bought was a Peugeot PX-10. But for me the Cinelli will always be the Quintessential.
Brent
obrentharris is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 08:15 PM
  #12  
Pennylane Splitter
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 1,873

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1748 Post(s)
Liked 1,421 Times in 972 Posts
The one I remember is the Puch 'Clubman'. I had one back around 1970, great bicycle until it got stolen. After that I was back riding a Schwinn Suburban.
skidder is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 08:27 PM
  #13  
Señor Member
 
USAZorro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Hardy, VA
Posts: 17,934

Bikes: Mostly English - predominantly Raleighs

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1491 Post(s)
Liked 1,071 Times in 633 Posts
Silver Era? That intrigues me more than the question.
__________________
In search of what to search for.
USAZorro is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 09:26 PM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
oldbobcat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Boulder County, CO
Posts: 4,370

Bikes: '80 Masi Gran Criterium, '12 Trek Madone, early '60s Frejus track

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 508 Post(s)
Liked 434 Times in 331 Posts
Peugeot UO-8. With a Pletscher rack on the back.
oldbobcat is offline  
Likes For oldbobcat:
Old 12-12-15, 09:33 PM
  #15  
Old fart
 
JohnDThompson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,935

Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.

Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3571 Post(s)
Liked 3,366 Times in 1,915 Posts
Originally Posted by The Golden Boy
Crazy TV Lenny?
"Firenze" was TV Lenny's (Len Matioli) brand. One year he got dinged by the CPSC and had to "upgrade" the brakes on all his bikes with Mathauser pads. When I lived in Madison, I used to scavenge those pads from bikes left on the curb at the end of the semester. I still have a set on one of my bikes.
JohnDThompson is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 09:39 PM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
Michael Angelo's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Hurricane Alley , Florida
Posts: 3,910

Bikes: Treks (USA), Schwinn Paramount, Schwinn letour,Raleigh Team Professional, Gazelle GoldLine Racing, 2 Super Mondias, Carlton Professional.

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 77 Post(s)
Liked 28 Times in 22 Posts
Late 60's Armstrong, Go it new, still have it.


Michael Angelo is offline  
Likes For Michael Angelo:
Old 12-12-15, 09:45 PM
  #17  
What??? Only 2 wheels?
 
jimmuller's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston-ish, MA
Posts: 13,452

Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10

Mentioned: 189 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1222 Post(s)
Liked 645 Times in 232 Posts
Originally Posted by Kactus
I would say the Peugeot PX-10. It was probably the most available and affordable "true" racing bike one could hope to buy.
Yeah, except that at twice the price of my UO-8 when I bought it I wouldn't call the PX-10 affordable. "Bike-boom" implies lots of people buyin' 'em. Which they did of course, but not at the PX-10 level. Only people who bought them were people already in the bike-riding end of the gene pool. Real boomers didn't buy racing bikes, they bought "racing bikes".
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
jimmuller is offline  
Likes For jimmuller:
Old 12-12-15, 10:20 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 4,812
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1591 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,015 Times in 570 Posts
I had a Raleigh Record in the early 70s, but I'd say the Schwinn Varsity would have been the most common boom bike. Pug UO-8s were more common at the university.
jon c. is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 10:27 PM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
OldsCOOL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317

Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times in 313 Posts
C Itoh
OldsCOOL is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 11:11 PM
  #20  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 8,755
Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3190 Post(s)
Liked 2,460 Times in 1,489 Posts
In the early to mid 70's I got one of those yellow Huffy Scouts from Santa. Rode it many a mile! It was a nice upgrade from walking. One day I was booking it across a golf course at high speed between tee shots when the left brake lever slipped off and went into the front spokes. It jammed in front of the fork. This tore all of the spokes out of the rim and they wrapped around the front hub like a spool of wire. It happened on a gravel/dirt cart path. Instead of a crash, I just came to a sudden stop as the fork/hub dug into the ground. Very similar looking to when a camel goes down on it's front knees first to let the rider dismount. I had to pick it all and walk about 2 miles home.
seypat is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 11:11 PM
  #21  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: south kansas america
Posts: 1,909

Bikes: too many

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 411 Post(s)
Liked 233 Times in 139 Posts
Originally Posted by USAZorro
Silver Era? That intrigues me more than the question.
I consider the 1890's the golden age bike boom. During the decade, bikes became the "go to" mode of transportation, continously replacing animals and animal-drawn-vehicles for more-and-more of the general public. It was only later that the bike was matched and then surpassed by the internal combustion engine powered vehicle.
uncle uncle is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 11:24 PM
  #22  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: south kansas america
Posts: 1,909

Bikes: too many

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 411 Post(s)
Liked 233 Times in 139 Posts
Originally Posted by OldsCOOL
C Itoh
I think your kidding, but the bike shop I worked at... back in the seventies, way before I got their, they sold Kabuki's with those cast aluminum lugged frames. History probably views this design as "klunky" and "heavy", but the gentlemen who was working there at the time (and still does) said that they were on par with a lot of bikes sold at the time. For one thing, they used a lot of japan made components (that worked as well or better than euro ones) and they came more assembled than euro models (time = money) . And, most importantly, they were available... whereas Schwinn's (it was a Schwinn authorized dealership) were non-existent.
uncle uncle is offline  
Old 12-12-15, 11:49 PM
  #23  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 8,755
Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3190 Post(s)
Liked 2,460 Times in 1,489 Posts
Originally Posted by seypat
In the early to mid 70's I got one of those yellow Huffy Scouts from Santa. Rode it many a mile! It was a nice upgrade from walking. One day I was booking it across a golf course at high speed between tee shots when the left brake lever slipped off and went into the front spokes. It jammed in front of the fork. This tore all of the spokes out of the rim and they wrapped around the front hub like a spool of wire. It happened on a gravel/dirt cart path. Instead of a crash, I just came to a sudden stop as the fork/hub dug into the ground. Very similar looking to when a camel goes down on it's front knees first to let the rider dismount. I had to pick it all and walk about 2 miles home.
Thinking back now, that bike and I went through a lot together. That was the grade school/preteen years. Around that same time period I had another accident that could have been fatal but wasn't. I was coming home from a friends house when a driver didn't look back left again, rolled through a stop sign and hit me. Both me and the bike went under the car. Luckily, he was crawling and got stopped quickly. I turned my head around and the right front tire was not far behind my head. The driver and some bystanders got me and the bike out from under the car. I was okay, so again, I picked up the bike and walk about 2 blocks home. I had a studdering problem at the time. When I got home and walked in the house, I was shaking so bad that my parents knew something was wrong. I couldn't do anything but point and studder! We got in the car and went back to the scene and they got the story from the bystanders. This was before the time of ambulance chasers, so nothing became of it.

Another time my brother and I were coming home from baseball practice with my mom and younger brother behind us in a car. My brother was in front on his red and white 10 speed. He was looking around and didn't dodge a soda can. He doesn't do a front end over. It was more of a skid and barrel roll. We get his bike into the car and my mom takes him to the emergency room. He had to get some stitches in his head. I rode back to the house. How we made it through those years I will never know. It seems like someone was going to the hospital at least once a month. How my mom was able to keep her sanity is another mystery.

Last edited by seypat; 12-12-15 at 11:55 PM.
seypat is offline  
Old 12-13-15, 12:58 AM
  #24  
Senior Member
 
Kactus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Tacoma, WA
Posts: 2,828

Bikes: 1962 Schwinn Paramount P12, 1971 Schwinn Paramount P13-9

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 344 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times in 20 Posts
Originally Posted by jimmuller
Yeah, except that at twice the price of my UO-8 when I bought it I wouldn't call the PX-10 affordable. "Bike-boom" implies lots of people buyin' 'em. Which they did of course, but not at the PX-10 level. Only people who bought them were people already in the bike-riding end of the gene pool. Real boomers didn't buy racing bikes, they bought "racing bikes".
That's the beauty of these posts. What you consider quintessential may be totally different from what I or others consider it to mean.[h=2][/h]
Kactus is offline  
Old 12-13-15, 12:58 AM
  #25  
Friendship is Magic
 
3alarmer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 22,931

Bikes: old ones

Mentioned: 304 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26245 Post(s)
Liked 10,229 Times in 7,098 Posts
...at the U of Maryland and around D.C. in general when i was in college there from '71-'75, I'd venture a guess that the majority of drop barred bikes i saw were gaspipe Peugeot. I think I ran through three or four in those years and immediately after. But i was not buying new bikes. There were also a crappe tonne of 3 speed Raleighs and Raleigh products with lesser names on them that were going begging, because everyone and his uncle wanted a "10 speed bike". So I ended up riding around town on those a lot, because they didn't get stolen as much.

I didn't have a what would be considered a "decent" bike (in terms of the frame tubing and components) until I fished a middle of the line Stella out of a pile in a salvage yard in about 1983 or 84.


I now realize it was most probably stolen. Like some others, I remember thinking that the guys who could afford Schwinns must be trust funders.
__________________
3alarmer is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.