I can't defend the design on technical merits. I agree the genius was in the marketing. But I rode mine quite a bit from age 9 or so until ninth grade, if you can believe it. I even rode it around the Central Park Loop, which is about six miles. I didn't get fatigued doing it, which is rather surprising.

Mine was an off-beat brand. I wished for a genuine Stingray, but even this was difficult for my mother to pay for: $45! I came to love it anyway. It had a Sturmey Archer AW hub, which I learned to adjust. It had a giant stick shift on the two top stays, which I thought was very cool.