Fox Farm

In 1970, my dad bought me my first road bike, a BSA, yes, like the motorcycle company. In college, I had a nice white bike, you know, color was most important? I absolutley can't remember it's name but it was made in Mexico. Then I stepped up and bought a used Motobecane Grand Jubilee with a mix of Campy and Suntour on it. That was a really nice bike and certainly the lightest thing that I had ever been on. It was later replaced by a Vitus which I thought was pretty cool, and for 1980, it sort of was. I replaced that with a Benotto and later a Mercx. I also had a Trek touring 620, one of the first ones that they made. In 1981, I went over to the dark side and bought a mountain bike! It was sort of unusual - it was a Montare Mountain Bikes frame which was sort of a collaboration between Tom Ritchey and Gary Fisher. Shimano friction 7-speed, pre clipless pedals, no quick release hubs, and certainly not suspension. Again, this was early in the mountain bike culture and it was a cool way to cover lots of NFS trails. By the late 80s, I was really missing road bikes and bought a Cannondale 3.0 crit frame and it was super stiff and darty, but boy did it climb hills well. 12 years later my back and butt were asking for something more comfortable and I went to titanium (Merlin) and never looked back. Bla bla bla....

jemoryl

In high school (mid '70s) I rode the crap out of an old Mongomery Ward 10 speed. Finally I cracked the BB shell (steel is real!) and was lusting for a proper bike. A summer job in a local bike shop (ca. 1978) enabled me to buy a Zeus Professional at cost, which I still have. Hope to get this back on the road as soon as I can get around to building some new wheels and buying some tubulars. Hopefully, none of the French threaded components are in need of replacement!

Olebiker

In about 1973 I bought a Hercules 10 speed that was imported by AMF. It had Huret Alvit derailleurs, a lugged frame, and it weighed 34 pounds. I think I paid about $79 for it. It was good enough to get me hooked on riding.

bbattle

2005 Orbea Dauphine. $1799. I knew almost nothing about road bikes except they had skinnier tires than a mountain bike and drop handlebars.

baj32161

Green Lejeune 10 spd...back in 1971, when I was 10 yrs old. It was a Christmas peresnt from my parents and I think they spent $180 for it.

mollusk

My first road bike was a low end, late 1970's Peugeot. It was blue and it had a kick stand and safety levers. I paid about $170 for it new (with generator and lights!) and put 3000 miles on in the first three months I had it riding it in tennis shoes without toe clips, regular shorts, and a tee-shirt. The muscles around my knee got so out of balance (pushing muscles = strong / pulling muscles = weak) that my knees hurt unless I was riding and I also did nerve damage to my left hand from all the road vibration. I couldn't play the guitar for almost a year after that. Then I wised up and got gloves and toe clips and the world was a better place. The bike was stolen out of a shed sometime over Christmas break 1982-83 and was replaced by a mid-level Bianchi in celeste, of course. The Bianchi was a HUGE improvement. That was probably my first real road bike and I paid about $400 for it.

Hugh

1969 Schwinn Varsity. Gold. Brand spankin' new. $74.95, per the ad on the back of Boy's Life. I remember feeling the peer pressure from the kids with Continentals, and their center-pull brakes.

Chad's Colnago

In 1986, I was 12, my dad bought me my first road bike. I don't recall the exact model but it was a Nishiki 15 speed with a triple up front. My dad also bought himself a Bianchi Campione D' Italia, he still has that bike. Celeste green of course. I could keep my bike as long as I rode a 100 miles a week. He put an odometer on it so he could track my miles. Granted, I didn't ride a 100 miles every week but I did ride a lot, especially for a 12 year old.

USAZorro

1977 SuperCourse - gold. Bought new from my Uncle at dealer's cost - $165.00. Stolen in October 1981

Ktmartin

06 Trek 2100 $1400 plus pedals, boots, pump and Cyclops fluid 2 for a total of about 1750. My thought was to buy a good enough bike that I won't want to upgrade until I get a real job. Good luck

No Exit

'05 Fuji Pro... $2k+.... dont remember what I paid exactly, it was a couple of months ago(terrible memory). It's pretty... too bad its too damn cold to ride now.

caloso

'85 Schwinn World Sport. It was a HS graduation present from my parents. Ice blue, 12 speeds with stem shifters and suicide brake levers. What I remember being most impressed with was the quick release wheels. I rode that bike all through college and law school. I commuted on it and even did a couple triathlons with it (3d in my age group in one race!).

It was stolen in '96 due to my own stupidity. Boy, I miss that bike.

noodel77

03 Lemond Nevada City. My dad paid $200 for it at a pawn shop and then gave it to me.

RobRyb

First road bike was a junker from a junk shop, $20.

First "real" road bike was a Bianchi Brava ($700) purchased after two seasons on the junker. I can't complain about the junker as it got me started. I left it at a Goodwill.

Rob

Polonswim

I thought I was the only one who bought one of those. Mine is still hanging in the garage.

Rick G

I was 12 yrs old and had a paper route.had this hill that I had to climb twice during my route.my poor little bmx just wasn't cutting it so the second month that I had the route I ordered a 20 bright yellow 10 spd from sears.I road 2 sets of tires off it before I gave it up for a car.I gave $45.00 for that bike.
When I was in the service I was broke ( well all but) so I went out to Kmart and bought a little 24 inch murray 10 speed and road that everywhere on the base.best investment I could have made and wished that I had done it alot sooner.gave somewhere around $50.00 for that one.then I moved back to oregon and quit riding.sold it,got it back and gave it away.would like it back but it is now gone.what a shame.
am looking at a Raliegh cadent or a Giant ocr 3.both ride very well.I will probly just end up finnishing the cheap rehab of my old 10 speed I was given when I started back into cycling.won't have to ride my wm mountain bike back and forth to work when I do that.

bobby c

Had the obligatory Schwinn Varsity in high school, but the first good bike I bought was in '72 or '73 - a Stella something or another. French bike, I don't recall how much I paid, probably several hundred. Anyone know what happened to this brand?

koine2002

1987 Raleigh Technium 460--$200 (I think). No longer have it, a kid in Dallas several years ago took it curb hopping.

awunder

1989ish Cyclepro Regent by Nishiki.
$450 - 500 ish (hard to recal, and there was some parts swapping in the shop, so I don't know what the final price was - Thanks Mom and Dad!)
Red. Very Red. I went nuts in the Nashbar catalogue and rigged it out for touring with matching front and rear panniers. It was sweet and saw a lot of miles with and without the panniers.
Then somebody stole it.

joetronic

6 months ago. A Nishiki sport. Paid 100 used at LBS. Still have it, and its my bad weather bike. Could out find year. LBS thinks around 80ish due to the eightys green.

billallbritten

1974 Motobecane Grand Record. I believe it was just over $300.00. I was finishing up my doctorate and had just gotten a nice check for a research project I'd been involved with, also had a contract for my post-grad job so I splurged a bit.

Unfortunately my neglect of it in the late '90's, early '0X's doomed it I think. I didn't ride it for over 9 or so years, (health issues with and caregiving involving ageing parents), took it apart this summer to assess salvageablility/restoration possibility, serious damage in bottom bracket area, pitting on forks, failed springs on several components, corrosion on most plated areas.

This entry is a bit long as I hope younger riders will take note and keep riding through family crises, which will come. I started riding regularly again Labor Day this year, bought a Trek 7500fx to get back in shape with, have dropped some 20-23 lbs since then and feel much better, physically and mentally. I'm doing 15-20mi most workdays, trying to do 25 - 40 on weekend days.

I wish I'd set aside some riding time around the turn of the century, the Grand Record might have been salvageable with an earlier overhaul and I'd have felt a lot better mentally and physically through our parents' illnesses.

I'll be getting back into drop bar machines when the weight is down to the 180 range or so.

It was a sweet bike.

Best wishes to all,

Bill

MiniLance

1987 Trek 531 Reynolds
A great steel frame.

baiskeli

Trek 1200 (this was in 2001 I think) spent $700 and sold it a couple of years later for $450. Loved the bike but man did it have a harsh ride (the modern ones are much better in that regard).

nick burns

Early 80's Puch Luzern. In the early 90's I had it repainted & equipped it with full Athena gruppo. I still ride it most weekends when the weather's nice.

Silverexpress

1982 Huffy Santa Fe $120