Originally Posted by
alanbikehouston
The 1970 to 1975 "bike boom" in the USA was focused heavily on males in the age 16 to age 30 bracket. Due to the "Baby Boom", there was a huge number of males in America in that age group. Just as EVERY guy who is 19 in 2007 must have an iPhone (or at least an iPod), every guy was was 19 in 1972 thought he needed a ten-speed bike. Needed to HAVE one, not necessary RIDE one.,
In 1970, my dad bought bikes for the family. He was influenced by the advice of his Czech emigre friend Vlad, who advised him on what entry-level bikes to look at. I'm not sure why my parents decided to buy bikes, but they did. Part of a fad? Concern for health? A wholesome family activity? Probably all of the above. Anyway, my dad, mom, and sister got entry-level Gitane Grand Sport Deluxes, I got an entry-level Raleigh Record (and I still remember being in the bike shops-- especially the
smell of all those new bikes...). I was 15. My parents went riding a few times with us, but I was the only one who stuck with it. My sister's bike was stolen when she moved to her own apartment a few years later. My parents' bikes are still in my mother's attic (and I WILL get my hands on my dad's Gitane, one day.
). My Raleigh?
Originally Posted by
alanbikehouston
There was a bit of the "Cabbage Patch" doll about the whole deal: fifty million ten speed bikes sold in five years, yet by 1977, you could ride down a country road all day and not see a single other person on a bike.
By 1977, I was fed up with the poor shifting on my Raleigh, which I had endured over the course of 7 years, so, in June of 1977, I bought a Motobecane Grand Touring for $250, which seemed like a fortune to me at the time. It was the sweetest-riding bike i had ever been on. I still remember the test ride, and being fitted to the bike. The Raleigh? I sold it to a friend at work for $20. At the time, I was glad to be rid of it, but today...well, I wish I still had it, for sentiment's sake. It was a beautiful bronze green, and would be an excellent candidate for a fixed-gear conversion, being a uniquely beautiful vintage frame, but utterly useless for any other purpose.
And it's true...In 1977, perched atop that beautiful Motobecane, which is still with me, hanging on the wall in my living room, I was the only cyclist on the roads. No other cyclists, no motorists harassing me. I was riding a fast, sleek, efficient French machine wherever I went, with unlimited miles per gallon.
Originally Posted by
alanbikehouston
The good things about the "boom" was that 10% or so of the folks who bought a bike during the boom stuck with cycling as a regular part of their life. That "core" group of customers made possible the rise of companies such as Trek and Cannondale, focused on higher quallity bikes.
Yep, I'm still the only one who rides, although my sister does have a bike, and my mom did buy a Trek hybrid a few years ago, which has been ridden about as much as her Gitane.