beng1

I took a drive to look at a Roger Riviere ten-speed that was pretty crusty but had my 25" frame size, but the guy would not budge on the thirty dollars he wanted for it. On the way home however I passed a yard-sale with this Schwinn sitting next to a pile of old tools. I asked the guy how much and he said five-bucks so I loaded it up. After I got it home I put air in the tires and adjusted a few spokes and that was all it needed. Had fun riding it around the neighborhood. Someone converted it to coaster-brake, but that is what I grew up with back in the sting-ray era so I like them. The coaster on this bike is a Shimano unit. I see a lot of adults riding around on these 20" bmx bikes in my town, but because I am almost 6'3" tall I do not ride them too often, the Stingray style 20-incher is a lot more comfortable for me. I am guessing this bike is from the late 90s. After I picked up this Schwinn I stopped at a friend's junk-shop and he gave me a Specialized cyclocross style bike he had bought at an auction for $2, but I did not want it so dropped it off on the porch of another buddies house whom I knew could use the bike or it's parts. This was all in addition to taking the LeCoaster for a nice ride. It was a good cycling weekend.

CrimsonEclipse

Best I can do is tree fitty

Koyote

I've never understood the desire to have lots of cheap nasty things instead of one or two really good things.

mstateglfr 

Noted.

tomato coupe

Yeah, it's hard to get excited about a $2 bike when you're used to the luxury of $5 bikes.

Chuck M 

I suppose Beng may be thinking he who dies with the most toys wins and not that he who dies with the most toys still dies and can't take his toys with him. Although I think it is easy to see why he wouldn't want to take his toys with him.

Mojo31

I never see adults riding BMX bikes.

CAT7RDR

I see a plywood ramp in Beng's future.

tomato coupe

Eric F 

I can see your attraction to it - no grips or bar tape. 😉

Do I see the remnant of a brake lever from the original rear cantilever brake? Interesting that someone wouldn’t just remove all of it.

badger1

Grips or bar tape is for wussy. Manly men -- '80s men -- prefer bare steel bars.

Eric F 

I became a man in the ‘80s, but I do not prefer bare steel bars. I prefer carbon fiber bars, wrapped with cushy stuff. Currently, I’m questioning what it means to be a man.

indyfabz

Damn! Beat me to it!

wheelreason

Abbey Normal Syndrome...

big john

I worked with a guy who raced BMX in the adult class. He got involved when he was taking his son to the races and discovered some of the parents raced, too. He had a pretty nice bike which he did ride on the street occasionally.

I also see guys using old BMX bikes to get around. They don't look comfortable.

Eric F 

I do. These bikes belong to a guy I know and his wife...


They get together with other BMX bike riders and do group rides.

livedarklions

I was able to dig up this barely used coffin, and with a bit of sanding and some Lemon Pledge....

VegasTriker

Well, if you are considering weight lifting as a hobby, buying an old Schwinn more suitable for being used that way makes sense. I was impressed by the "high quality" welds shown in one picture. When I bought my first bike after high school it was a Fiorelli 10 speed with low end Campy components. It was either that or a Schwinn Varsity, both listed for sale used at $100. Maybe had I bought the Schwinn I would never continued to ride from then on. The Fiorelli was a gem.

teejaywhy

I see them all the time. And it makes we wonder... two things come to mind:
- suspended driver's license
- stolen bike

dedhed

Best score so far

​​​​​​https://www.ebay.com/itm/265428110084

​​​​​​https://bmxmuseum.com/bikes/schwinn/94292

phughes

I'm 58 but I identify as an adolescent.

shelbyfv

The "bikes" continue to devolve.

beng1

Me in the early 70s. I used to ride this 20-incher before I got a 10-speed Columbia road-bike. I was the fastest in the neighborhood because I could grab the curve of the bar and pull up while I was pushing down on the pedal. The bike had long cranks and high gearing and would really haul. We used to jump over home-made ramps and whatever natural ramps the landscape offered. I broke the frame landing and my old man had to braze it back together. I got a knobby rear tire for it so it would go on dirt very well. We made race tracks in fields and in the woods and had a blast. This was before they were selling "BMX" bikes like the one above.

Eric F 

Lots of vivid memories of building ramps out of found materials with the other kids in the neighborhood. We built a big (to us) dirt jump and a couple of banked turns in my buddy’s back yard. He had enough space that we could ride a little loop.

1974 or ‘75, my dad bought me this frame (built by BMX pioneers, Littlejohn/Murphy), and 2 sets of wheels (spoked, not mags) - a steel-rimmed set for banging around the neighborhood, and an aluminum-rimmed set for racing. The steel
set was 3 lbs heavier…I did not like that at all. My dad took me out to the local BMX track a few times, and I raced, but was pretty mediocre at it. I loved this bike for many years, and on summer afternoons with my friends, it took me to places farther away than my mom ever knew. When I was 10(ish), it was stolen outside a bowling alley. I was heart-broken. (Pic is from the internet, not my actual bike)

EDIT: This also reminds me how much I miss my dad. Among other things, I got his passion for bikes. He got to see me race MTBs in the early ‘90s, but passed before he got to see me win on the road.

big john

I broke the frame on my "English" 3-speed jumping it in a construction site. Bought another frame from a kid who had a garage full of bike parts.
In 1971 I was smoking and drinking and working full time and I didn't ride bicycles again until 1983.