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Search: Posts Made By: sykerocker
Showing results 1 to 17 of 17
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Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-14-17, 07:26 AM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

In mid-73 I took a couple of months leave of...

In mid-73 I took a couple of months leave of absence from Adams Cycle to help a Presque Isle Bicycle Club buddy open a bike shop about a half mile down the street from Adams, with Merle's blessing,...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-13-17, 07:13 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

Then I'm probably remembering 1973 or maybe 1974...

Then I'm probably remembering 1973 or maybe 1974 prices. '73 really sticks in my mind, that was the screaming bicycle year for me.

What I am remembering is:

$100.00 - Schwinn Varsity and I...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-13-17, 12:11 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

A powder blue World Voyager was my touring bike...

A powder blue World Voyager was my touring bike back in 1973. If I could find another clean frame in that color, I'd build up a duplicate tomorrow. That's something I've wanted to do since I got...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-13-17, 12:05 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

Regarding my completely unplanned, running way...

Regarding my completely unplanned, running way too long, passionate defense of the Varsity (and Continental, for that matter):

First off, I've never expected to run into a group of people who...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-13-17, 08:45 AM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

I base my claims on my experience at AR Adams...

I base my claims on my experience at AR Adams Cycle. For $100.00 (the base price of a 10-speed in 1972/73) you had a choice of: Schwinn Varsity or Suburban, Raleigh Record, Astra, Roger Riviere and...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-13-17, 06:14 AM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

Your guess is pretty close. Schwinn never...

Your guess is pretty close. Schwinn never intended to become a "cool" bicycle manufacturer. They intended to become a big profitable bicycle manufacturer who, because they were so profitable, were...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-13-17, 05:48 AM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

I'm going to guess that you're a bit younger than...

I'm going to guess that you're a bit younger than my 66 years.

Schwinn was a full line manufacturer because, back in the days of my childhood, there was no other full line manufacturer of quality...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-12-17, 09:02 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

To save you the effort of having to drop back a...

To save you the effort of having to drop back a couple of pages, I'm recopying one of the points from something I wrote two days ago:

"3. One constant sub-thread I'm seeing weaving in and out of...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-12-17, 03:16 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

It was pretty much Japanese everything. At...

It was pretty much Japanese everything.

At the beginning of the Bike Boom pretty much everything the Europeans were sending over was introduced in the early 1960's (the Simplex Prestige dates from...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-12-17, 02:56 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

As I was writing my comment Bianchi immediately...

As I was writing my comment Bianchi immediately came to mind. Not sure who owns them nowadays, but they still seem to be actually making bikes, rather than just being a nameplate on something...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-12-17, 12:05 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

And when you stop to think about it, did any of...

And when you stop to think about it, did any of the major bicycle manufacturers come out of the Bike Boom as essentially the same companies they went in? To me, Trek and Specialized were the big...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-12-17, 12:01 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

It's interesting what you can see from the...

It's interesting what you can see from the different points of view.

My point of view was twofold: 1. By 1975, I was only working for Merle part time. I'd joined the United Steelworkers and was...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-11-17, 06:12 AM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

Now, while Raleigh had a relatively great...

Now, while Raleigh had a relatively great distribution arm in the US in the 1950's, it was still limited. I constantly use Johnstown and Erie, PA as examples because they're the two places I lived...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-10-17, 10:26 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

That's because we weren't comparing them with...

That's because we weren't comparing them with European bicycles. Back in the glory days of Schwinn, most people had no idea there were other bicycle manufacturers. Before 1970 in the US, other than...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-10-17, 10:15 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

Merle Adams was a guy who made it in the bicycle...

Merle Adams was a guy who made it in the bicycle business despite himself, I was always left with the feeling he didn't want to be there in the first place.

We made an odd pair (he was a very...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-10-17, 06:54 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

At Adams Cycle, Merle wouldn't carry a bicycle...

At Adams Cycle, Merle wouldn't carry a bicycle higher in price than the Schwinn Super Sport or Raleigh Super Course, because he couldn't see why anybody would want to spend more than $150.00 for a...
Forum: Classic & Vintage
03-10-17, 06:50 PM
Replies: 424
Views: 65,147
Posted By sykerocker

Dropping in late

Just spent a nice hour reading this thread from the beginning, thought I'd toss in a few thoughts from my years at A.R. Adams Cycle in Erie, PA (1972-1976):

1. During the Bike Boom, people were...
Showing results 1 to 17 of 17


 
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