Trying to remember my first 10-speed
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Trying to remember my first 10-speed
BFers,
I got my first 10-speed in the late 1960's or early 1970's. I've struggled to remember the brand/model, but have lost the memory. Here's what little I remember:
It was purple or medium blue road bike - how's that for a start - I don't even remember the color for sure!
I believe it was 10-speeds, with two chainwheels and a 5-speed cassette
It had dropped bars, chrome I think, wrapped in thin plastic tape matching the frame color - no cushioning!
It had down-tube (friction) shift levers
Tires were probably 27 x 1 1/4
I bought it at a bike store in Owosso, Michigan which I think was a Schwinn dealership, perhaps along with other brands. But I don't know if it was a Schwinn. I've researched a number of vintage Schwinn web sites and the Schwinn 10-speeds of that era all seemed to have stem shifters.
It would not have been an expensive bicycle as I was in high-school at the time - I'm guessing it might have been priced in the $ 100 - $120 range (1970 dollars).
So do any of your "old bike" buffs recall what brands from that era used down-tube shifters?
Thanks, Rick in Irvine, CA now riding a 2006 Fuji Roubaix RC
I got my first 10-speed in the late 1960's or early 1970's. I've struggled to remember the brand/model, but have lost the memory. Here's what little I remember:
It was purple or medium blue road bike - how's that for a start - I don't even remember the color for sure!
I believe it was 10-speeds, with two chainwheels and a 5-speed cassette
It had dropped bars, chrome I think, wrapped in thin plastic tape matching the frame color - no cushioning!
It had down-tube (friction) shift levers
Tires were probably 27 x 1 1/4
I bought it at a bike store in Owosso, Michigan which I think was a Schwinn dealership, perhaps along with other brands. But I don't know if it was a Schwinn. I've researched a number of vintage Schwinn web sites and the Schwinn 10-speeds of that era all seemed to have stem shifters.
It would not have been an expensive bicycle as I was in high-school at the time - I'm guessing it might have been priced in the $ 100 - $120 range (1970 dollars).
So do any of your "old bike" buffs recall what brands from that era used down-tube shifters?
Thanks, Rick in Irvine, CA now riding a 2006 Fuji Roubaix RC
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Mid 70's. Flandria. Sort of a bile-green color. Cottered cranks, Simplex plastic (I think), around $60 from Off-Ramp Bicycles in Santa Clara. Immediately stolen, when I started at Berkeley. Do not miss it at all!
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Peugeot? I think they had that color as an option. Do you by chance remember what logo was on the head tube?
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Originally Posted by Radiorick
I've researched a number of vintage Schwinn web sites and the Schwinn 10-speeds of that era all seemed to have stem shifters.
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Gitane Gran Sport Deluxe fits that price range and had downtube shifters. Do you remember any black plastic on the shifters and derailleurs? This would have been Simplex delrin.
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Thanks all for your thoughts. I'm going back to look at 1967 - maybe I got the bike earlier than I thought, when the Schwinn shift levers were on the down-tube.
Best regards, Rick
Best regards, Rick
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Thanks to Bob Hufford's compendium of Schwinn data and photos, I've concluded that what I had was a 1966 Schwinn Continental. That would mean I actually got the bike when I was in junior high school, not high school as I originally thought. The price looks like it was in the mid-$80s, a good chunk of change in those days for a bicycle! I do remember one thing about the ride - those handlebars with the thin plastic tape (and no riding gloves in those days) where uncomfortable as heck after many miles...
Best regards, Rick
Best regards, Rick
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My '73 Motobecane Mirage had that vinyl tape (black).....and yes, it did get uncomfortable. No one had cloth or cork back then in our area.