I was 8...I had learned to ride on a cousins bike. I was bored at school and making very bad grades.
My father said that if I brought my grades up he would buy me a brand new bike. Of course now with a reason the grades went up.
We went down to the B.F. Goodrich store and bought a bike for $80 . It looked so good in the store, all bright and shiny. But after I got it I hated the bike, it was so big and heavy, and so hard to climb hills with.

The bike was a brand new 1956 Schwinn Black Phantom.