Some pics from BITD
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Some pics from BITD
I came across these in a photo album that I hadn't seen.
About to embark on trip from SF area to New England via Vancouver in 1973, at age 19.
20 lb bike, 20 lbs of gear, tubular tires, leather chamois sewn into shorts. Paper highway maps, pre-helmet, three months+ & 4,500 miles on about $250. I made the bags and front rack. Fit looks not too different from current.


About to embark on trip from SF area to New England via Vancouver in 1973, at age 19.
20 lb bike, 20 lbs of gear, tubular tires, leather chamois sewn into shorts. Paper highway maps, pre-helmet, three months+ & 4,500 miles on about $250. I made the bags and front rack. Fit looks not too different from current.



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Quite an adventure for a 19 year old!
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Ahhh! To be young again. Talk about a memorable. Congratulations.
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George
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Wow! Epic trip. Must have been quite the adventure.
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20 pounds in '73??? What bike was that????
From the '74 Schwinn catalog: Note: the RACING Paramount, not Touring....

"Handcrafted and equipped with the fines components available. Including the lightweight lugged frame of Reynolds 531 double-butted tubing. 10-speed Campagnolo derailleur gears. 51 to 100 ratio, double plateau sprocket. Alloy cranks, pedals, handlebars, stem, and rims. Wide selection of custom equipment. Available in all Schwinn colors including Silver Mist. Wt. 23-25 lbs., range in standard frame sizes."
And FWIW, I did a ~1200mi 'tour' on my 26.5-pound '75 Fuji S-10S in '79 just fine. Several consecutive 100+mile days, for a ~480mile one-way, then a week 'off' in the middle, and then the ride back. I never felt 'under-biked!' on my 30-pound as-ridden bike (with rack, water bottle, toolkit) plus clothing...
From the '74 Schwinn catalog: Note: the RACING Paramount, not Touring....

"Handcrafted and equipped with the fines components available. Including the lightweight lugged frame of Reynolds 531 double-butted tubing. 10-speed Campagnolo derailleur gears. 51 to 100 ratio, double plateau sprocket. Alloy cranks, pedals, handlebars, stem, and rims. Wide selection of custom equipment. Available in all Schwinn colors including Silver Mist. Wt. 23-25 lbs., range in standard frame sizes."
And FWIW, I did a ~1200mi 'tour' on my 26.5-pound '75 Fuji S-10S in '79 just fine. Several consecutive 100+mile days, for a ~480mile one-way, then a week 'off' in the middle, and then the ride back. I never felt 'under-biked!' on my 30-pound as-ridden bike (with rack, water bottle, toolkit) plus clothing...
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In 1974 I raced on a Peugeot PX10 that weighed 21 lbs. There were some pretty light bikes out there at the time. Just replace the Brooks saddle and you save a pound or more
I also toured on it.

Check their catalog: Peugeot Catalog

I also toured on it.

Check their catalog: Peugeot Catalog
Last edited by Doug64; 09-03-20 at 11:22 PM.
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I came across these in a photo album that I hadn't seen.
About to embark on trip from SF area to New England via Vancouver in 1973, at age 19.
20 lb bike, 20 lbs of gear, tubular tires, leather chamois sewn into shorts. Paper highway maps, pre-helmet, three months+ & 4,500 miles on about $250. I made the bags and front rack. Fit looks not too different from current.
About to embark on trip from SF area to New England via Vancouver in 1973, at age 19.
20 lb bike, 20 lbs of gear, tubular tires, leather chamois sewn into shorts. Paper highway maps, pre-helmet, three months+ & 4,500 miles on about $250. I made the bags and front rack. Fit looks not too different from current.
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My first "real' machine, a Fuji America, when I started back riding as an adult in 1982.

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I came across these in a photo album that I hadn't seen.
About to embark on trip from SF area to New England via Vancouver in 1973, at age 19.
20 lb bike, 20 lbs of gear, tubular tires, leather chamois sewn into shorts. Paper highway maps, pre-helmet, three months+ & 4,500 miles on about $250. I made the bags and front rack. Fit looks not too different from current.



About to embark on trip from SF area to New England via Vancouver in 1973, at age 19.
20 lb bike, 20 lbs of gear, tubular tires, leather chamois sewn into shorts. Paper highway maps, pre-helmet, three months+ & 4,500 miles on about $250. I made the bags and front rack. Fit looks not too different from current.



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Ride your Ride!!
Ride your Ride!!
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I had a few, as I recall, but by near the end I had worn thru the tires and the spares, and had to hitchhike to the nearest college town to get another.
Max one day mileage was 140, & worked out to 10mph including stops- so starting at 8:00, I could plan on covering 100 miles by 6:00. Little point in trying to go fast as I didn't have much to do off the bike.
Across part of the plains it was kind of dull, & I read a paperback book while riding, but almost ate it, narrowly avoiding a 2x4 laying diagonally across the shoulder. Caught in one big storm which involved sitting up and being blown along over 20mph. I found out later that it was dangerous to be out in lightning.
The jumping-off point for this and two other tours was a couple of blocks from where I currently live. (much) Later mapped out the ride, & it came out almost exactly the mileage that I had estimated at the time.
The route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/5835194
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Me in 1982 riding my Raleigh Super Course Mark II up in the hills around Evergreen, Colorado.

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In 1977, a high school buddy and I rode from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. We thought we were young lions, but riding coast-to-coast at 19 is a helluva lot more impressive! I wish I had some pics like these, but we never even thought to bring a camera.
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July, 1976 - a few weeks before my 15th birthday I did a three-day tour on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Here's my mount, a 1975 Batavus Tour de l'Europe kitted out with Eclipse handlebar and pannier bags -

- and a rest stop along the way, where my shadow appears along with Lester, Dave and Steve and their Schwinn LeTours -

- and then there's this one from late 1978, posing with my 1976 Puch Royal X that I foolishly sold in 1987, then miraculously located and rescued in 2019. I still love this bike!

- and a rest stop along the way, where my shadow appears along with Lester, Dave and Steve and their Schwinn LeTours -

- and then there's this one from late 1978, posing with my 1976 Puch Royal X that I foolishly sold in 1987, then miraculously located and rescued in 2019. I still love this bike!

Last edited by rustystrings61; 09-17-20 at 12:52 PM.
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1973 or 1974, my Zeus Pro and trusty 6" adjustable wrench. I was 16 or 17.

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1987 Mercian Pro, 1985 Shogun 500, 197? Falcon San Remo, 1972 Peugeot PX-10, 1972 Schwinn Paramount P13-9, 1971 Peugeot PX-10, 1971 Raleigh International, 1970 Raleigh Professional Mark I
Curator/Team Mechanic: 2016 Dawes Streetfighter, 1984 Lotus Eclair, 1975 Motobecane Jubile Mixte, 1974 Raleigh Sports, 1973 Free Spirit Ted Williams, 1972 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Philips Sport
1987 Mercian Pro, 1985 Shogun 500, 197? Falcon San Remo, 1972 Peugeot PX-10, 1972 Schwinn Paramount P13-9, 1971 Peugeot PX-10, 1971 Raleigh International, 1970 Raleigh Professional Mark I
Curator/Team Mechanic: 2016 Dawes Streetfighter, 1984 Lotus Eclair, 1975 Motobecane Jubile Mixte, 1974 Raleigh Sports, 1973 Free Spirit Ted Williams, 1972 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Philips Sport
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I was really enjoying the thread, and enjoyed it even more because of the ads between the posts. I am not sure what ads you are seeing in your home countries, but the one I see here in Tokyo is for Juliet's Whisper, google it, and you'll see why.
I wish I had time to ride across the country in those years, but in my days as a young adult, I was wearing green uniforms, black boots, doing lots of pushups, and jumping out of airplanes.
I wish I had time to ride across the country in those years, but in my days as a young adult, I was wearing green uniforms, black boots, doing lots of pushups, and jumping out of airplanes.