I remember my dad bringing home a string of stray 3 speeds when we were kids.

All of them were way too large and fairly bland compared to the flashy Varsity and Continentals that the other kids had.

I had a secret weapon though.

Scooters. We had Vespas, various Hondas like a mid 60s CT200 and Trail 90s.

In the early 70s I got a job building Raleighs and various Dutch brands at a local shop.

Mainly Batavus gas pipe models, but my first decent racer I saved up for was a Type Champion.

I raced that for a bit and then bought a Professional.

Not a bad bike, but my friends were buying Colnago Supers from a local shop.

I went on a four Colnago string until the early 80s.

All the while I had developed a sweet tooth for big bore Japanese motorcycles such as my Kawasaki Z-1, my Italian Moto Guzzi and various Honda 750s.

After my "turning point" motorcycle accident I've been on a real bicycle binge for the last thirty years.