Expanding a thought I had and posted in Commuting

when and where I was a kid (Chinook, Mt early 60's ) The bike that was cool and wanted was a single speed, with fenders, 26 in wheels and sort of medium tires, gender specific A Schwinn was the ultimate object of desire, but there were too expensive so I had a red Coast to Coast. Most of the kids I knew had front basket and used it.....errands for mom, tackle box when going fishing, and all the other stuff a kid will carry. You talked about how fast your bike was and told and heard fanciful stories about how fast English Racers were. Your bike was fun and practical (you could carry junk)....my defintion of utility.

Then came the Sting Ray......They were cool, fun, a bit dangerous (learning to wheelie), but less than practical due to slower speed and because they looked completely dorky with a basket in front....it just wasn't cool. My younger brothers and sister had Sting Rays and friends. I rode them and had fun...but I always went back to my 26 wheel bike....for it's speed and basket.

But this started a whole generation who only used bikes for fun (and getting to school..) Sting rays influenced BMX, etc

Then this generation was primed for the road bike craze....just when their sting rays were biting the dust, too beat up or just too small.

So from sting rays to 10 speeds. All the 10 speeds were race like...no fenders, no baskets nor racks, but exotic, and fast......

then Came mountain bikes...and new bike craze...again focused on fun and excitment, but not very utilitarian.

So we might now be completing the circle as maybe all these Sting Ray kids (not kids any more) who have had fun with bikes over different crazes, may be open to fun and usefulness.

squirtdad