Tell me the story of your go-to-school bike in one hundred words and less
02-02-16, 06:47 PM
#51
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
My Freshman year of HS, my Viscount road bike was stolen (I think I dropped the key next to it).
A little planning ahead, Dad was planning a sabbatical in Italy in the spring of my sophomore year, taking Mom and me with him. So, I decided to find a used Italian road bike in Italy. So I bought a used Colnago Super in Parma Italy (probably a little over a decade old at the time). I rode it around to all the nearby castles, then brought it back home with me.
That bike lasted through the rest of High School, and went to college with me. A few different living arrangements in College. I think it got locked up outside a bit at the quad. In the co-op, it slept under my roommate's bed. During the time under my roommate's bed, mysteriously the spokes pulled though the front rim. I never figured out how that happened. There wasn't much need to ride from on-campus housing to campus. I also lived at home with my parents a bit, and would frequently do the 10 mile or so ride into campus.
I had a place to study late on campus, but the bike would come inside with me.
When locked outside, it was locked with a first generation (round key) kryptonite lock. I would pop the front wheel off, and the front and rear wheels and frame were locked.
By the late 80's, the road bikes were definitely falling out of favor with the dominance of very expensive mountain biles (of the time). Perhaps that saved it a bit.
I remember at my first job working swingshift, I had a choice of riding my "Beater" with the generator lights, or the Colnago with sewups. The beater got old quickly. I got a set of night-sun lights, and the old Colnago remained my primary bike for years and years.
A little planning ahead, Dad was planning a sabbatical in Italy in the spring of my sophomore year, taking Mom and me with him. So, I decided to find a used Italian road bike in Italy. So I bought a used Colnago Super in Parma Italy (probably a little over a decade old at the time). I rode it around to all the nearby castles, then brought it back home with me.
That bike lasted through the rest of High School, and went to college with me. A few different living arrangements in College. I think it got locked up outside a bit at the quad. In the co-op, it slept under my roommate's bed. During the time under my roommate's bed, mysteriously the spokes pulled though the front rim. I never figured out how that happened. There wasn't much need to ride from on-campus housing to campus. I also lived at home with my parents a bit, and would frequently do the 10 mile or so ride into campus.
I had a place to study late on campus, but the bike would come inside with me.
When locked outside, it was locked with a first generation (round key) kryptonite lock. I would pop the front wheel off, and the front and rear wheels and frame were locked.
By the late 80's, the road bikes were definitely falling out of favor with the dominance of very expensive mountain biles (of the time). Perhaps that saved it a bit.
I remember at my first job working swingshift, I had a choice of riding my "Beater" with the generator lights, or the Colnago with sewups. The beater got old quickly. I got a set of night-sun lights, and the old Colnago remained my primary bike for years and years.
02-02-16, 07:49 PM
#52
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Originally Posted by OldsCOOL
What year was the Super?
I bought it in 1982, but it has the bottom bracket with the ring of holes, so it would probably date the frame around 1968/69.
And, yes, I still have it, but now only ride it on mostly sunny days, at least until I get satisfied that I can do a professional paint job on it.
While there is something to say for Patina, there is some question whether it was repainted once prior to 82. Factory repaint? And, the current paint is just too far gone.
02-02-16, 07:54 PM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
Photos are in Post #34
I bought it in 1982, but it has the bottom bracket with the ring of holes, so it would probably date the frame around 1968/69.
And, yes, I still have it, but now only ride it on mostly sunny days, at least until I get satisfied that I can do a professional paint job on it.
While there is something to say for Patina, there is some question whether it was repainted once prior to 82. Factory repaint? And, the current paint is just too far gone.
I bought it in 1982, but it has the bottom bracket with the ring of holes, so it would probably date the frame around 1968/69.
And, yes, I still have it, but now only ride it on mostly sunny days, at least until I get satisfied that I can do a professional paint job on it.
While there is something to say for Patina, there is some question whether it was repainted once prior to 82. Factory repaint? And, the current paint is just too far gone.
02-02-16, 08:11 PM
#54
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Originally Posted by OldsCOOL
You just dont see those everyday. Nice 60's classic!
02-02-16, 08:26 PM
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In high school and college, I rode a lagoon/white Raleigh Gran Sport. One day I crashed at about 30 mph. The frame was badly damaged, repair was well beyond my ability or resources. I kept the Brooks saddle as a memento of that bike for a long time. After that I commuted by skateboard or on foot.
During a stint in grad school, much later, I rode a Bridgestone MB-0. That bike I didn't crash, or lose, and I have it today.
A few years ago, I found another lagoon/white Gran Sport, and built it for my son.
The end.
During a stint in grad school, much later, I rode a Bridgestone MB-0. That bike I didn't crash, or lose, and I have it today.
A few years ago, I found another lagoon/white Gran Sport, and built it for my son.
The end.
02-03-16, 04:45 AM
#56
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
I do
02-03-16, 07:11 AM
#57
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
02-03-16, 08:32 AM
#58
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My first 10-speed was a too-big, one-year-old Schwinn Varsity that I bought from a friend for $40. I rode it to high school one day — Earth Day 1970 — and took it to my first year of college. It was a small campus so I only rode it for recreation, often instead of attending class. During that year I upgraded the saddle to a Brooks.
I dropped out of college for a few years. When I went back, I commuted to an urban campus on the same bike. After I graduated and got my first “real” job, I rewarded myself with a new Trek 614 (instead of the 720, which was out of my budget). I then gave the Varsity to my dad. He rode it for years, then parked it in his garage when his health started to decline. When we cleaned out his garage a few years ago, I put the Varsity and a Free Spirit at the end of the driveway and they were both taken by people who were walking home from work because they had no other transportation. I had swapped out the Varsity’s saddle after my dad quit riding, so the 45-year-old Brooks is now on our Burley tandem and doing just fine.
I dropped out of college for a few years. When I went back, I commuted to an urban campus on the same bike. After I graduated and got my first “real” job, I rewarded myself with a new Trek 614 (instead of the 720, which was out of my budget). I then gave the Varsity to my dad. He rode it for years, then parked it in his garage when his health started to decline. When we cleaned out his garage a few years ago, I put the Varsity and a Free Spirit at the end of the driveway and they were both taken by people who were walking home from work because they had no other transportation. I had swapped out the Varsity’s saddle after my dad quit riding, so the 45-year-old Brooks is now on our Burley tandem and doing just fine.
02-03-16, 09:01 AM
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I bought my first 10-speed bike during the bike boom of the 1970s, soon after I started college at the University of Georgia. UGA has a very spread out campus and I quickly found out that I couldn't get to classes on time simply by walking or relying on the bus system. The bike I bought was called a Pan World, if I recall correctly, and it was a poor excuse for a bike. It never shifted well and the wheels were always getting untrued. Perhaps that's why it was never stolen. I am surprised that I kept cycling after owning that bike because it was so miserable. However, I caught the bug anyway, and one of the first things I bought after I started working was a decent road bike, a Nishiki.
As far as advice for children in college, I would look for a decent used bike in good working order. I would stay away from flashy bikes that could attract thieves and focus on practicality -- such as mounts for racks, fenders, etc. I would also invest in a good U-lock and cable.
As far as advice for children in college, I would look for a decent used bike in good working order. I would stay away from flashy bikes that could attract thieves and focus on practicality -- such as mounts for racks, fenders, etc. I would also invest in a good U-lock and cable.
02-03-16, 10:16 AM
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I walked to elementary school (200 yards away), took the bus to high school or drove when I got my license, but in college I bought an Austrian Sears 3 speed at a yard sale (I doubt that I paid more than $5 for it). I rode that thing for years, or carried it on a rack attached to the front of my VW Beetle (I needed frequent access to the engine). When I left college, I gave it away.
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02-03-16, 10:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Spaghetti Legs
One day I will live in a town that has bike racks. When I die and go to heaven, it will have bike racks like this^^^
They're coming. That was up in Tigard, Oregon, so about 100 miles from home as the crow files... and quite a bit further away if one takes the Oregon Scenic Bikeway.
I suppose it is a handy concept for that quick tune-up. Perhaps a good pump is the most useful. That stand was about 100 feet from a bike shop, but some after-hours access might be nice.
Tigard did also have bike racks.
02-03-16, 10:54 AM
#62
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hah. my go to school bike was a Peugeot dirt bike. This was probably in 3rd or 4th grade.
02-03-16, 11:48 AM
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My college bike was my teenage race bike, a team issue Parkpre which I've shown countless times already. Here's a photo of basically how it was when I stopped racing and throughout my early 90s college years (except that it had a Mavic 801 rear derailleur which later broke and was replaced by the Chorus unit shown in the photo below). I basically put the bike away after college and didn't touch it again for almost 15 years before I decided to fix it up and rebuilt with a Dura Ace group.
