Jiles

I saw something today that brought back memories. Two young boys came past my house with "noise flappers" contacting their spokes.
I remember doing that many years ago, and felt like I was riding a motorcycle---No telling how many baseball cards I destroyed, that could be of value today--- LOL

Jiles

No comments?? Really surprised that nobody here did that.

canklecat

I collected baseball cards, until I lost interest and my little brother took over my collection and expanded his. He'd never have let me get away with using 'em as bicycle noisemakers.

My memories of bicycling as a kid involve nut-crushing accidents, racing away from neighborhood bullies (where I grew up every block had its own gauntlet that had to be run or cycled through as fast as possible), and finally that sense of freedom when we got to a zone free of gangs and adolescent politics.

Pretty much like now.

Jiles

I can understand why you didn't use them------- quiet as possible[QUOTE=canklecat;18551651]I collected baseball cards, until I lost interest and my little brother took over my collection and expanded his. He'd never have let me get away with using 'em as bicycle noisemakers.

My memories of bicycling as a kid involve nut

bargeon

Some time after this caught on you could buy a fake exhaust pipe, a hollow aluminum tube with a plastic flap that acted like the card and echoed through the tube. Mounted on the rear chain stay. The flap was hinged so you could tip it up to stop the sound.

OldsCOOL

We also tied a balloon to the chainstay. That gave an outrageous motor-like noise until it popped.

bobwysiwyg

I, and my crowd did also. The best cards, as I recall, were the ones with plasticized coatings. They sounded better and lasted longer.

1989Pre

Yeah.., I did that thing with the cards (held on by clothes-pins) in the spokes. It wasn't just baseball cards, though: In gum, you might find superhero cards (Batman, Superman), tv show cards or even monster cards.
Another thing we used to do was turn the bike upside down and pour dirt into the fender and turn the pedals like crazy. We called this "making ice cream".

chasm54

Wow, three whole hours without a reply. Needy, much?

The Quiet One

We weren't allowed to chew gum (remember when you got gum with baseball cards?), so we had to vocalize our motorcycle noises.

Dolanarc1

I had an interesting afternoon this past Thursday.
Received the opportunity to ride the new Milton Velodrome with the Canadian Team pursuit squad.
Most of them had only ever trained and raced on indoor 250m tracks. I was telling them about the many old tracks in Europe that were anywhere from370m thru 500m. Also how the tracks were constructed to accept the big motor paced races (100+kph) and also the sprinters creeping along the top of the bankings

trackhub

I did that, putting baseball cards in my spokes. I think everyone did.

Remember when the coolest kid around, was the one with the Schwinn Lemon Peeler, or some similar model? Of course, the very best had the "Gonad Remover", better known as
the shift lever, mounted to the frame's cross tube. Here's an example. Of course, this was due to the influence of the "muscle cars" of the era.

Ravenwing

Yup, although I never used Baseball cards. Used to experiment with different pieces of cardboard, plastic, etc. Had the stick-shift, banana seat, sissy bar, the whole nine yards. Even had my older brother weld up fork extensions to make it more like a chopper. Painted it metal flake blue, put a fat slick on the rear wheel and a smaller skinny tire on the front. Wasn't much for climbing hills, but it was cool!

Steve B.

Yup.

Had a mid-60's vintage, Columbia banana seat with butterfly handlebar bike, in red with a white seat.

Used to put baseball cards on front and rear, used wooden clothes pins.

1989Pre

Well.., there is a reason that they characterize motorcycle sounds as " a throaty roar".

StanSeven

I forgot all about that. Balloons probably were stronger back then. I can't imagine one today lasted more than a few seconds. But you're right about the noise.

Jseis 

I remember the Open Road.

qcpmsame 

You can still buy the noise maker with the resonator that looks like a motorcycle's tail pipe. Saw them in an ebay listing a while back, way to pricey for someone that used the ball cards and balloons for my fake motorcycle sound effects as a kid.

Bill

billd76

Yep used cards and balloons. Great simple fun. Also took the metal cross support from and old back yard swing set, cut it in half, slid the halves over each front fork, drilled some holes an bolted the to the front forks and whalla!!! instant chopper!!!!!

osco53

We, The gang, the four of us little Hellions all about twelve or thirteen once bought the biggest bottle of ketchup we could fine at the store,

Found a Four Way Stop Intersection, Covered ourselves with Ketchup, scattered bikes and bodies all over the road.

Priceless It was when the cars would stop, women screamed, people jumping out of cars freaking out,,

We'd all get up laughing so hard It Hurt and ride away

Balloons and cards in the spokes ?,,, That's Kid stuff ~~~

qcpmsame 

^ yep, and now you and that gang would get hauled off, locked up for a while and have to pay costs for the emergency response crews and vehicles where someone made a 911 call.

leob1

I did the card thing, the more cards toy had the deeper the sound. We'd put them on the chain stay and the seat stays. My mother was not happy that her clothes pins where disappearing.
My parents also bought me one of these;
VROOM If I remember(it was long ago) it made lots of noise, and used 'D' cell batteries. Which in the early 60's lasted about 15 minutes.

Gnosis

I bought a 5-speed bike that had one of those gear shifts! Back then it was described thusly: “That’s totally BOSS, man!”

stardognine

Yep, did cards and balloons (not fully inflated), and if you had sisters, you were likely to find straws cut up the center & installed on your spokes. That wasn't too big a deal, unless any of the straws were pink. That might get you beat up.

Dan Burkhart 

My grandson did that with his bike a while back. Sure brought back some memories.