Interesting question. Can't remember all the bikes of my life, but as best I can...
* Probably had a trike in my tots
* Might have had one of those with a banana seat and back bars, but don't remember it
* Jumping to my teens, I had a "motorcycle bike". Had a fake plastic gas tank, (working) front hydraulic shocks, probably spring shocks on rear, thick tires, and a crossbar on the handlebars; looked much like a motocross, but a bicycle. Didn't have it for long, it got stolen in no time after I left it unlocked.
* Had a Norco road bike; light and very fine quality for a Norco. First bike I put work into fixing up and customizing (even got some fake Columbia stickers for the frame). It got stolen in under 2 min., after I was buying some white cable housing for it at an LBS.
* Had a "rasta bike" after that. Don't remember much about it. It was probably a city type bike, not a road bike, and it was the first bike I had stripped down completely, to paint it the colors of the Ital Lion.
* Bought a Bianchi Varsity; which I recently learned was one of the first hybrids ever made. What do you know, 20 years later it still compares well to some of my more recent.
* Mongoose hybrid (forget the model). Liked it better than the Bianchi; decent components. Repainted it just the right shade of sh&t brown, and slapped "CCM Echo" stickers on it, to deter theives. It worked, because I left it outside for years in a back alley, and no one touched it. 'Course, that could have been because it was rusted to f%$#! as a result.
* CCM Excelsior. Alum. frame hybrid w/ susp. seatpost; bought it on sale at dept. store for 2 bills. Comparable to a low end LBS bike; offered a comfortable, nice ride. Couldn't find anything to complain about, other than the brakes being squealy.
* Recently bought a 2007 Giant Cypress DX right after the CCM, to replace it, as it had a front suspension. Never had anything like it. Fitted a cushy cruiser saddle on it. Rides like a Laz-Y-Boy on wheels. Weighs about the same as well.
* Minelli Mojave, hybrid. Nearly new, nice little city bike, no suspension. Gave it to someone.
* Norco ? (can't read the model name). A dark grey 18 spd steel city bike with Dia Compe cantilever brakes, SunTour derailleur and 26" city tires; probably 80's vintage (friction and index thumb shifters). This was someone else's bike that had a stuck seatpost. I had bought the Mojave to replace it, because of that. But then I unstuck the seatpost and rode the Norco and instantly fell in lust with it, and didn't want to give it back. It fit like a glove and handled like an ext. of my body, and no other bike I had, had these great feeling wide handlebars the Norco did. I convinced myself it could stand as a second bike; then bought another, older Minelli mountain bike to replace it. Unfortunately.....
* Minelli Mt. Echo: A 21 spd mountain bike from the 90's, I bought for $35 bills. No doubt because the seatpost was also stuck (this time, alum.), and the guy had bent the seat out of shape trying to unstick it (but of course, he only told me the seat's no good...). Got it unstuck in 2 minutes with a pipe wrench, and fixed up the bike. Replaced the flat bars with some riser bars, and turned the bar-end bars down to "North Road" style, for extra comfort on occasion. What I didn't expect, is falling for this bike as well. It produced a very smooth ride that made me feel like I could go on for a century at a fixed cadence, with no pain and no problem (other than in the hands, from the handlebars being lower than I'm used to) - even more so than the Giant. And like the Giant, but in a different way, it almost rode itself.
Compared it with the Norco numerous times, but couldn't figure out whether it was better or why it was better, particularly with the lowered position on the bars. Another comparison last night helped me figure out there's something about the drive train (Hyperdrive C chainring) that transfers more energy from my pedal stroke to moving the bike forward.
* Univega 10 spd. Circa 82, road bike, Shimano 600 gruppo. A Japanese bike, but it seemed like it was more Chinese, because it was pure torture to ride.
* ??? (Seeing about a few more today. Note to self: stop reading BikeForum).
Last edited by TheCappucinoKid; 09-08-09 at 09:50 AM.