In the 1965 to 1975 era, there were no "mountain bikes". Guys THOUGHT a Schwinn Varsity was a mountain bike. Rode them on dirt and gravel roads. Down mountain trails. Over curbs. Off of loading docks. The steel cranks, steel rims, and steel handlebars took that sort of abuse year after year. And, many of those bikes are STILL on the road, three decades later.

The life span of a 1970's French or Italian bike, with alloy cranks, alloy rims, and alloy handlebars, subjected to similar levels of abuse could be measured in hours, not years. The 25 pound imported bikes were great bikes for 150 pound riders, riding on smooth pavement. But, for blasting down the side of a mountain on a fire road, no bike was better than a forty pound Varsity.