blackhawknj

I switched from 10 speeds to 3 speed for commuting back in 1999, and in due course acquired a Huffy Baypointe. It has been very satisfactory IMHO, once I got it set up properly-Brooks B-66 saddle, SRAM 24T cog-I live at the top of a good-sized hill-Union generator set with the old style headlamp, Carradice tool bag. It has required a bit more maintenace than my other 3 speeds-I have had to replace both pedals, had the cups in the bottom bracket break on me, a few broken spokes and more recently the Shimano 3S-newer style with the smaller hub and no dustcap-quit in 2nd gear. 7,000 miles. I had built a spare rear wheel with the same model of hub so I was prepared there. At about 4,000 miles I laced the hubs into Sun AT18 rims and retired the old steel rims. I saw a message about riding a "clunker", IMHO it if rolls smoothly, pedals easily and gives good service, it's a good bike.

Squeeze

How about a Mongoose? This thing weighs a ton and has the water bottle holder in a really bad place but gets me around. I've since bought a '90s rigid MTB for commuting but frankly this is the better "mountain bike" for single-track bumps and jumps for Saturday morning fun with some neighbors who ride, and have been nice enough to let me join them despite my nearly 20-year layoff from biking.



I'd ride a Huffy with pride if it worked well. It sounds like yours does.

One of the fun things I've learned since joining this forum (and riding with my neighbors) is it doesn't seem to matter what you ride, as long as you do.

I've gotten the same reaction from some riders where I work who have bikes that cost more than my car is worth.

The Classic & Vintage section of this forum is fun, I think. Check it out if you get a chance. Those guys like everything!

stringbreaker

Its usually the components on the less expensive bikes that give out. Brakes that won't stay adjusted and the like. If you can replace them with upgraded items that are used but not used up then you can have a pretty decent bike. there are lots of decent used components on craigslist or even e-bay if you shop carefully. Garage sales are another good source for upgraded parts alos. If a less expensive bike works for you great. My commuter was a Bikesdirect.com buy for $599.00 that's not cheap but its got good components mixed with some not so great stuff. I swapped out the stuff I didn't like for items I had on hand that were upgrades and have a good steel frame commuter/touring bike for less that $800.00 after all it told.

AusTexMurf

KonaAaron rides a Ti Huffy through Philly, sometimes......
Not sure it actually counts towards this cause, though.

Papa Tom

I'm the furthest thing out there from a bike snob, but I have to say that, even my 1996 GT Outpost Mountain Bike (for which I paid $300 seventeen years ago) rides a lot better than any Huffy I've ever ridden. That said, I have two comments:

1. It was actually my friend's Huffy MTB that got me hooked on bicycling all over again at age 34. I had been tooling around with an old Peugot 10-speed when I asked if I could give his bike a try. Never had I felt such a solid bike and never had a ride felt so smooth as that Huffy! The very next day, I went shopping and bought a Huffy of my own. That same day, a neighbor, who was into mountain biking, pleaded with me to check out a "real" bike before I got the Huffy's tires dirty. Without missing a beat, I went to the local bike shop and asked to see the least expensive MTB they had. As soon as I sat on the GT Outpost (which was about $100 more than the Huffy) I felt a world of difference. I bought the GT that day and have ridden it ever since. My point? A Huffy feels great until you've ridden something else.

2. If people can drive clunkers and cheap cars to work and to the railroad station so they don't have to worry about their car being stolen or damaged, why should there be anything wrong with commuting on a Huffy? It's a solid bike that will get you from A to B, and chances are, it will be the last bike stolen from the rack.

Bjforrestal

You have a super huffy it sounds like. I have a 20 mile very hilly round trip commute, I won't even try that on my low end raleigh...i Would if i had the right gears, nice brake levers with hoods, al handlebars, seatpost, alloy rims, spd pedals, and a brooks saddle, But i dont so It's my trek 520 or I drive...if my commute was 3 or so miles I may change my tune. Either way kudos on making the super huffy work for that many miles!

Yip812

My commuter is an old ugly Murray mountain bike (circa early 1990s). I ride through goat heads and just needed something cheap that I could put thorn proof tubes in. It was sitting in someones driveway with a free sign. Just needed tubes and a brake adjustment.

DX-MAN

In '97, I bought a $100 Huffy "Blades" 18-sp rigid. It was what was under me when I had that pivotal moment of recapturing the riding passion I'd missed for 25 years, and have never lost since. I have a bit of sentiment for that bike, even though the old beast is now reconstituted scrap.

It's been over 10 years, though, since I've seen a Huffy that I could even BEGIN to recommend; the ones built over the last 2 years are utter filth. Bubbled and gapped frame welds, wheels that go out of true when you inflate the tires (I'm NOT kidding!), and bearings that could have been loaded with metal shavings at the factory.

A couple of years ago, I was dealing with a retired couple that was looking to get back on bikes -- typically, didn't want to spend a lot until they knew it would take -- and had to take a deep breath when they asked me about Huffy cruisers. I decided to be blunt, and damn what my bosses might say.

"Their best use would be as a boat anchor."

A bit of shock on his face, a bit of anger on hers -- which became clear a moment later.

"I retired from Huffy!" she snapped.

"Then you must have taken the quality with you, because now, they truly are terrible."

They didn't buy that day; don't know if they ever did. Haven't seen them since.

RidingMatthew

i had a Murray mountain bike from Kmart maybe and I was doing bicycling merit badge and i was 30+ miles into my 50mile ride to complete the badge and the ball bearings fell out of the rear cassette. I jumped on the hybrid my dad borrowed to ride with me and took off.

i dont really remember what happened to that bike? i don't remember fixing it. i guess i sold it

fietsbob

Huffy Money sponsored a Race team , but the bikes were just painted with Huffy on them.

Merckx rode the Hour on a track bike DeRosa Made , but it had Windsor painted on it,
as the Mexican Company paid for that.

Now eddy heading his own company repainted it with the company name on it ..

I think its in a display case in the Brussels Airport.

AdrianFly

Huffy MTB that dates back to '96 from "Shopko". Featured 18 speeds, index shifting and very knobby tires.

Thousands of miles on that thing and now I use it primarily as a winter bike. It's about finished though and after this winter it's probably going to the dump.

CommuteCommando

Boss sometimes rides in on a Cannondale, of Ironhorse MTB, but still hangs on to his old Huffy ten speed.

stanman13

My 13 y.o. daughter wanted a city-bike style upright rider. I found an old Huffy "Savannah" 10sp from the late 70s or so in good shape for cheap. Interestingly, it came with Suntour shifters (thumbies!) and front and rear derailleurs (Hero). Also came with a decent saddle and serviceable brakes. I worried a bit whether she would be ok with the friction shifting, but I needn't have. Really the only downside to this bike are the 26" steel rims, but I have some aluminum MTB rims that will be going on it this winter. Frame is heavy but not really out of line for a city bike. She likes it and is always ready and waiting for me to get home from work so we can take off on a ride.

cenpengenxer

Yeppers. This is Shreck. (C added to allay any potential confusion between the bike and the cartoon character.) He was a $15 thrift store find. He weathered a bunch of miles for me this season - but will be adopted out shortly.

Here he is immediately after being rescued at the beginning of the season. Original steel wheels and panasport tires.

gerv 

My first commute was on a 1974 or so Sears Huffy wine-colored cruiser.

noglider 

blackhawknj, that sounds like the proverbial old hammer whose shaft and head have each been replaced a few times. Still a good ol' hammer, though.

Yip812

Oh, wow, memories! This is the bike I had from about 13 to 20. We threw it away after my dad's dog "chewed it up". Come to think of it, I think she chewed up the seat and hand grips, and maybe a pedal. But I knew nothing about fixing bikes and my parents just didn't care.

Astrozombie

Twice and on both of them a pedal fell off....

Surrealdeal

I was brought up on Huffy bikes - a stingray when I was a kid (it did awesome wheelies) and some yellow 10-speed abomination from jr. high until I got a license.

It was a tough bike, and 99% of the mechanical problems that I had with it were due to pubescent stupidity and/or operator abuse. Mountain bikes weren't around yet and even if they were, any family that sent their kids out on Huffies did not subscribe to N+1 (There was only "1" in those days). It got rode in a lot of environments and put through maneuvers that were non-condusive for ten-speeds, to put it kindly.

I don't even remember what model that old 10 speed was. I look for it to show up on the old ten speed gallery like an unrequited lover searches for his high school sweetheart but the truth of the matter is I left her, and she wasn't in great shape when we parted ways.

In an online search I did find a photo of my old stingray's evil twin. It was a Huffy "Clean machine" (I got mine for my 5th birthday in 1973):


P.S. - That Schwinn Collegiate locked up behind it looks like a nice setup for short runs.

phughes

If it works, ride it!