In an attempt to avoid more work today, I thought I would ask a novel question of the day, what were your first five bikes? What happened to them? I think I got to five before I started to really n+1 my life.

I'm 35 now, for perspective, and had some hand me downs bikes at first but my first five are:

• Old Schwinn Stingray 20" wheels - yellow - training wheels - Just remember it being heavy
• Old Schwinn Stingray 24" wheels - red - 3spd Bendix hub had first, "crazy gear", and third, even heavier but could surf that bike down the block, sold at a garage sale in my early teens, regret it now
• '91 Murray Mountain - yellow and black - Kmart special, 10 spd, caliper brakes, lots of lee chi, started to mountain bike with my brother on it, gladly sold it at a garage sale
• '93 Trek 930 - Electric Plum - first bike I ever bought with my earned money new, rode the ever living p*ss out of it, replaced nearly every part on it because of abuse and learning to wrench, kept it until just few years ago. I never rode it anymore but really regret selling it.
• '88 Trek 400 - Racing Red - got it used from the bike store in high school, modified it a lot in college, Scott AT4 bars, cyclocross tires, I think it was a size too small. I put it back to road bike mode and traded it for a Raleigh Titanium Professional along with some shop work. Don't miss it, but it was fun to tinker on.

Sometime I bought a '77 Redline BMX frame that I put Skyway Mags and flat land handlebars too but I can't remember when. It was the winter jumping bike, made sense when I was a teen.

So what was your first five?

The first 5 I recall (can't remember the children's bikes).

1980 Swchinn Traveler - Now it's my daughter's SS city bike (I can't find any pictures of it in the wild, only when it's in storage at my house and getting some much needed lovin')


1989 Specialized Rock Hopper - My brother-out-law has this one and uses it. No pics to share

2005 Marin Bobcat (now Nail Trail because of a warranty frame replacement) - my winter-bike and single-track bike:


2009 Kona Dew Drop - the daily-commuter and all-around beast


2010 Globe Daily - great grocery hauler and date night cruiser (also, it was a prize from the Nation Bike Challenge ).

Huffy Pro Thunder
Diamondback Silver Streak - best Christmas present ever
Centurion Ironman Master (red/white) - tore the knee on my cub scout pants on a night-time test ride (dang toe-clips)
Centurion Ironman Master (teal/white, with Dura Ace 7400 this time) - bike was like new (still is, as I kept it), rode so smooth on test ride - first experience with DA 7400 (still love that group)
Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra built up with C Record - twenty years later, bought this, a bike I would have lusted for as a teenager. Still have it.

My first bike was a Raleigh BMX, I got it when i was 7. It was stolen from a playground.
My second bike was a Lotus Odyssey...between the Lotus and the Raleigh, I rode my dad's old Raleigh Sports, and thus acquired my hatred for IGH and three speed bikes of that nature. I was hit by a fed ex truck when I was 16...damaging the frame.
My third bike was a Specialized Sirrus, bought with the money from the Lotus incident. I took it to college with me where it was stolen after being locked up outside overnight. Stupid mistake on my part.
My fourth bike was a Cannondale that an LBS provided when I rode for them briefly. I returned it when I left for college. I was happy never riding it again.
My fifth bike was a Miyata 914, bought it used. I had it in college and for several years afterwards. I sold it prior to moving back home. LOVED that bike.

I really started getting into bikes in the 80's when box and freestyle was hot. I went through a plethora of hutch and redline bikes.

This is a fun thread! My bikes, with years and a one-line blurb with what my memory comes up with at first impulse.

nr.1:
Wooden Draisienne. To get a sense of balance, they tell the parents. Don't bump into the coffee table all the time, the parents tell the kids.

nr.2:
A 16" wheeled bike full of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stickers. Coolest bike in the world ever. I guess this is the moment the first needle went in.

nr. 3:
A red (you know, cuz it's faster!) Batavier, the junior brand of Batavus. Even cooler, this one had fenders and reflectors! rocket tech for 7 year old me.

nr.4: a "All Terrain Bike 24", 24" single speed mountain bike. Dad took me on a tour. 15 km to the campsite, it felt like Columbus 1492. Now that ride is the first breezy part of my regular training route. Time flies, now does it? Never got cured of my liking for bombing on unpaved roads, nor the single speed bug.

nr. 5: A "Piet Pelle" Gazelle. Child-sized 3 speed. I think I started a "Rosebud" thread on that a while ago. Every inch a gentlemen's bike, except in a smaller size, like one of those kid waistcoat-and-tie getups your mom made you wear at weddings.

Got a little too tall for all of those. Still, the happy memories remain.

I'm 65, and the first six (sorry for violating your question, but the sixth is when they suddenly got more interesting) were:

Growing up in the 50's and early 60's:
1. 24" single speed with a coaster brake, unknown brand
2. Raleigh 3-speed as a teenager. Crashed into a friend's bike coming down a fast hill near home. I survived, but the Raleigh did not, as I recall.
3. Clubman (made by Puch) 10-speed with Simplex derailleurs

Now an adult after college:
4. 1971 Libertas (gas pipe tubing)
5. 1972 Raleigh Gran Sport; think it had tubular tires for a while. Still used regularly by my former roommate from those days
6. 1972 Masi Gran Criterium (from Italy) when I started racing and wanted to be sure the bike would be never be an excuse for poor performance. Unwrapped the frame myself, and insisted on a Phil BB and hubs.

no. 1- Chrome Mongoose BMX bike with radial laced wheels, gold pegs and gold rims. It looked pretty classy, and I wish I had it.

no. 2- Lime green Schwinn Suburban- Bought because I started a bike courier job, 40+ pound indestructible tank. I hated it. It didn't fit and the setpost clamp was broken, sold it less than a month later to buy:

no. 3 Puch made Free Spirit. A beautiful bright blue English 3-speed type bike, with a generator lighting system, double eyelets front and rear for racks and fenders, a bit over 35 pounds. I rode it hard for a year and learned how to wrench and fix bikes with it. Was stolen from me at gunpoint coming home from work, found by the police, but with a twisted fork, destroyed front rim, and tons of scratches and chips. I still have the frame.

no. 4 Nishiki Olympic- I thought these were all hi-ten, but mine was 4130. I saw it locked up daily for months thinking it was a Motobecane because it had Nervex copy lugs and a black and red paint scheme that was exactly what Motos had. Owner put a for sale sign on it and sold it to me for $50. That was also stolen, but never returned. If I could ever find another Nishiki-becane, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Weighed just barely 26 pounds.

5. Red Lotus Classique- Full 1st gen Dura-Ace, Suntour dropouts. This was my favorite bike I ever ownedTo this day I've not found one as comfortable. Weighed about 24 pounds.

No apologies needed, enjoying the list.

1. A Huffy Cheetah Slick - 1967, Sting-ray style bike that was all the rage in the 1960s.

2. Kabuki 10 speed - 1976, My dad saved me from buying a department store bike by taking me to a coworker's bike shop.

3. Fuji Royale - 1981, Bought to upgrade from the Kabuki.

4. Miyata 310 - 1984, Bought to replace the Fuji that was stolen. I still ride it fairly often.

5. Schwinn Sierra - 1986, Bought when mountain bikes were taking off. I still ride it, but only the road. Black Chrome has a few scratches, but still looks good.

I am going with first six also for the same reason as Dfrost

Something small with solid tires. Handed off to a neighbor
A Schwinn of unknown ilk. Handed off to another neighbor
AMF Hercules 3 speed. Abandoned by me after much modification when I moved and had no room for it in the car
Huffy POS 10 speed. Sold for $10 to another college student.
Motobecane GT. Sold to a fellow college student for $100 and some of that special low tar blend for athletes
Lejeune Pro. Still have it and ride it.

After that I would be hard pressed to tell what came when.

1) 20"Hawthorne- stolen, returned strip
2) Hawthorne/Taiwan Road bike, Dad worked for Wards...dropped chain in a friendly race and put sprocket into my calf. Retired
3) Schwinn Continental shared bike, went with my brother
4) Nishiki, stolen at park during an intense basketball game... great bike.
5) MB2 handed down to son. Bent frame still hanging around.

After my young childhood Big Box Store POS's, my first "real" bikes started when I was 14 in the early 90's and had my first 5 within a couple years, bought myself with my paper route and detassling corn:

1) KHS Classic steel road Suntour-Accushift-something
2) Trek 850 steel mtn rigid steel fork hardtail Suntour-something
3) Cannondale SR600 aluminum criterium 105
4) Nishiki steel time trial (700c rear, 24" front) 105
5) Trek 7000 aluminum mtn rigid steel fork hardtail LX/XTR

... Then came 1 more by age 16:

6) '93 Cannondale Delta V full suspension mtn Suntour XC Comp

... And 1 more by age 20:

7) '97 Cannondale Super V full suspension mtn Suntour XC Comp

When I was a kid, the BMX/Hot-Rod/Motorcycle kid that lived across the street said "Red means fast."

As far as my first five.

A blue bike- single speed kid's thing with big swoofy bars and a banana seat. I probably blew it up with rocket engines and lighter fluid.

A blue Ross 10 speed. I'd wanted a 10 speed with "rams horns" bars (drops). And my dad got me this curved tubed, super heavy Ross. I was horrified by it. I think my parents tossed it when they moved.

1986 Schwinn High Sierra- got it right before I got out of the Army- still have it.

1984 Schwinn World Sport step through. This was my sister's. I tore it apart- I still use the stem from that bike. Sold the frame about 5 years ago.

1979-ish Raleigh Sprite. Tore it apart, built it up with parts from the World Sport (and a little later, parts from a 70s Suburban). Sold it for scrap.

These aren't pictures of the actual bikes I owned, they are pulled from the web to match what I had.

My first bike looked like one of these:


When I was first learning to ride, my knees kept banging the fake top tube and I would crash. My dad removed it and I suddenly was able to balance.

My second bike was one of these. I desperately wanted to have a BMX, but I got this as a hand-me-down from my mom's boyfriend. I hated it and was typically ungrateful for an 11 year old.



Next was my grail bike of its day: a 1983 Mongoose Expert BMX my dad bought me when I was 12.



Next up, I bought a 1987 periwinkle blue panasonic sport (I think model 500, but possibly 1000) in high school. Couldn't find a good pic.

After college, I was car-free for about a year and got around on a blue 1993 Giant Rincon. I had just moved to Chicago and it was my introduction to Chicago winters to be commuting by bike in -20 F temperatures

Really only two that were "mine" , (aside from eight prospective flip bikes that I have adopted) . Bought a 1983 Schwinn World new and still have it ; bought a 2009 Cannondale CAAD 9 , in 2010 .

My first bike was a red peugeot UO-10. I'd worked all summer to pay for a trip to Europe and I bought it in a bike store in Covent Gardens, London. That was my first multi day trip. I rode it through the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and France over a few months. I mainly camped and picked up extra money by picking grapes in Germany.

My second bike was a Koga Miyata. I was living in the Netherlands and working in a factory there. As soon as I put enough money away, I took off and rode my bike from Finland (took a train to Tampere, Finland) and rode my bike down to Spain. Really great trip. I camped for free for most of the trip and picked grapes in France to make extra money.

Then it was back to the States where I bought my first two "real" bikes in the early 80s (a 1983 Trek touring bike and a racing bike, a custom built British bike that I picked up 2d hand); I still own those 2 bikes. I need to get that Trek repainted though. My fifth bike was stolen; it was a peugeot UO-8 I picked up 2d hand which was my commuter; some junkie took it to feed his habit:

First: Phillips Pilot - donated.
1a: Mattel X-15 Varoom Cycle recumbent trike - donated (shared with brother)
2nd: Schwinn Sting-Ray 3 speed stick shift - stolen
3rd: Schwinn Sting-Ray coaster brake - sold
4th: Schwinn 21" Racer 3 speed - Bought used and sold later.
5th: Schwinn Slick Chick "Sting-Ray" type bike Bought used, converted to a BMX before it was called that, sold for a reasonable profit.

From then on it was all racing bikes till on the cusp of 30 years of age I bought a mtb.

I remember my dad bringing home a string of stray 3 speeds when we were kids.

All of them were way too large and fairly bland compared to the flashy Varsity and Continentals that the other kids had.

I had a secret weapon though.

Scooters. We had Vespas, various Hondas like a mid 60s CT200 and Trail 90s.

In the early 70s I got a job building Raleighs and various Dutch brands at a local shop.

Mainly Batavus gas pipe models, but my first decent racer I saved up for was a Type Champion.

I raced that for a bit and then bought a Professional.

Not a bad bike, but my friends were buying Colnago Supers from a local shop.

I went on a four Colnago string until the early 80s.

All the while I had developed a sweet tooth for big bore Japanese motorcycles such as my Kawasaki Z-1, my Italian Moto Guzzi and various Honda 750s.

After my "turning point" motorcycle accident I've been on a real bicycle binge for the last thirty years.

Oh boy! Lemme think ...

The years are a 'best guess' for the first bit:

1. Winther tricycle ('63-66')
2. Unknown, unloved cheap kids' bike ('66 - '68)
3. Batavus 24"-wheeled boys' bike. Green and unbreakable. ('68-'72)
4. Batavus 28" Flying Dutchman 3-speed. Green and unbreakable. Stolen when the GF borrowed it and left it unlocked. ('75-'88)
5. Kyoso 18-speed hybrid. Not a nice bike. ('95)

Stayed clean until I bought an old racing bike in '09 and found this forum.

Not counting tricycles and that really cool red pedal tractor, I had

1) 1966 Schwinn Bantam with removable top tube ("convertible!") and cutting edge dual-downtube technology
2) 1969 Schwinn Stingray (dark green - coolest bike ever until my sister got a Lemon Crate)
3) 1970ish 5-speed Raleigh Sprite, like this, only dark red
4) 1974 Winchester (yes, a bike. Not a ri f le.)
5) mid-70s Le Tour (my first non-gift bike, I bought in 1979 for my campus commute)

#6 I still have, my good old Lambert, I bought as a frame and fork in 1982 after my Le Tour got run over by a car.

Cranking up the way-back machine...
1. Sears bike with 16" wheels
2. Junkyard build bike with 20" wheels (stingrays style)
3. Old Schwinn Continental my brother gave me (too big)
4. Murray Spectra 10-speed with 24" wheels (stolen from back yard)
5. Huffy 3-speed
5-1/2 Got my Murray 10-speed back. This is about when I discovered Bicycling magazine and the world of cycling, and bought a Takara.
Does the fact that I remember all this illustrate a bicycle issue in my life? "Hello, my name is Mark and I'm a bike-aholic. I haven't bought a bike in two months"

From the very beginning:
1. A circa 1900 Iver Johnson.
2. A maroon colored middleweight Schwinn, from the 40's.
3. Several trash-picked 1950's balloon-tired bikes.
4. '63 Schwinn gold-colored Stingray (how incredibly cool was that?)
5 An early 70's blue Sears Free Spirit 10-speed. (Seemed cool to me at the time )

1. Schwinn Bantam(?) - I think. Had the fake top tube. Bent it in half doing a bunny hop off of a loading dock.

2. Generic BMX - Rattle can red with black Tuff wheels. Beat the crap out of it. Cleared 5 garbage cans. Came down hard on 6.

3. Generic Schwinn cruiser - Took the frame, made wheels with 3-speed IGH, fat knobbies, flat bar. My home-made mountain bike.

4. Schwinn Super LeTour - Black. Used it as a touring bike in high school. Would take off with friends on the weekend, camp Saturday nights.

5. Trek 8000. - I think. Splatter paint. Awesome. Used it as a commuter after college. (During the college years I was riding my roommates Honda Spree before I bought and drove into the ground a Honda Passport - the - Look ma, no clutch. scooter)