My dad was into English bikes so my first two bikes were Raleighs, a smaller coaster brake model that I learned to ride on before graduating to a nice three speed around 1959. Then when I was 12 or 13 I got a Royce Union 10 speed for Christmas.

This was when Schwinn Sting Rays were the cool bike. I was disappointed that I didn't have a Sting Ray to pop wheelies on until my buddy and I took a long ride across the valley, him on his Sting Ray and me on the Royce Union. After a couple of miles he was begging me to trade, that was when I started appreciating the 10 speed. It didn't last though as I soon replaced the down handlebars with Chopper style bars for my paper route.

Then it sudedenly wasn't cool to ride a bike anymore, I actually walked 2 miles to high school with my bike collecting dust in the garage. Finally the bike craze hit while I was in college 1969-73, and I went through a succession of 10 speeds. First a Peougeot U0-8 which I thought was way better than my old Royce Union, then a Nishiki Semi-Pro, db tubing, alloy components and high pressure clincher tires on aluminum rims, finally my favorite, a Raleigh International all Campy except for the brakes.