Wouldn't get caught Dead on a Bike in High School..Mary Tyler Moore, Hotel California
01-04-21, 11:37 AM
#52
Senior Member
8 cylinder Mercury Cougar, wish I had that car back, along with my Ford Grand Torino with the big V8. Getting out of the school parking lot was a nightmare, poor planning. On a bike I could bypass all the cars and be gone in no time. Plus the bike rack was really close to the entry/exit door I used, in the mid 70's those bike racks stayed pretty full year round.
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01-11-21, 02:47 PM
#54
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I am going to tell you a story of a guy who rode a bike until he was in his late 70's early 80's.
You mentioned you were a paper boy. The local paper boy in my small town ended up delivering papers until the day he died. That was his job. From a teenager to a paper boy of over 70. He delivered 7 different papers every day 6 days a week for over 50 years. Winter, summer, heat, cold, snow whatever. I have conservatively estimated his total mileage and it is way over 100,000 miles.
The Athletic Director at our High School said he had the strongest legs in the county. Of course this was all done on fixed gearling with a basket on the front that held about 50 papers at a time. The guy is a legend. My hometown area is not flat either as it is borders West Virginia. I have ridden many of these streets and hills in my county and I really can't figure out how he was able to do this for 50+ years. Talk about an animal. It was said by a local writer that he wore out over 200 bikes during his paper career. No matter where you were in our town, at some point in the day would would see Pickles riding his bike and delivering papers.
So, don't feel to bad. He was respected even though he was a 65 year old paper boy delivering papers on a bicycle.
john
You mentioned you were a paper boy. The local paper boy in my small town ended up delivering papers until the day he died. That was his job. From a teenager to a paper boy of over 70. He delivered 7 different papers every day 6 days a week for over 50 years. Winter, summer, heat, cold, snow whatever. I have conservatively estimated his total mileage and it is way over 100,000 miles.
The Athletic Director at our High School said he had the strongest legs in the county. Of course this was all done on fixed gearling with a basket on the front that held about 50 papers at a time. The guy is a legend. My hometown area is not flat either as it is borders West Virginia. I have ridden many of these streets and hills in my county and I really can't figure out how he was able to do this for 50+ years. Talk about an animal. It was said by a local writer that he wore out over 200 bikes during his paper career. No matter where you were in our town, at some point in the day would would see Pickles riding his bike and delivering papers.
So, don't feel to bad. He was respected even though he was a 65 year old paper boy delivering papers on a bicycle.
john
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01-11-21, 03:25 PM
#55
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I am going to tell you a story of a guy who rode a bike until he was in his late 70's early 80's.
You mentioned you were a paper boy. The local paper boy in my small town ended up delivering papers until the day he died. That was his job. From a teenager to a paper boy of over 70. He delivered 7 different papers every day 6 days a week for over 50 years. Winter, summer, heat, cold, snow whatever. I have conservatively estimated his total mileage and it is way over 100,000 miles.
The Athletic Director at our High School said he had the strongest legs in the county. Of course this was all done on fixed gearling with a basket on the front that held about 50 papers at a time. The guy is a legend. My hometown area is not flat either as it is borders West Virginia. I have ridden many of these streets and hills in my county and I really can't figure out how he was able to do this for 50+ years. Talk about an animal. It was said by a local writer that he wore out over 200 bikes during his paper career. No matter where you were in our town, at some point in the day would would see Pickles riding his bike and delivering papers.
So, don't feel to bad. He was respected even though he was a 65 year old paper boy delivering papers on a bicycle.
john
You mentioned you were a paper boy. The local paper boy in my small town ended up delivering papers until the day he died. That was his job. From a teenager to a paper boy of over 70. He delivered 7 different papers every day 6 days a week for over 50 years. Winter, summer, heat, cold, snow whatever. I have conservatively estimated his total mileage and it is way over 100,000 miles.
The Athletic Director at our High School said he had the strongest legs in the county. Of course this was all done on fixed gearling with a basket on the front that held about 50 papers at a time. The guy is a legend. My hometown area is not flat either as it is borders West Virginia. I have ridden many of these streets and hills in my county and I really can't figure out how he was able to do this for 50+ years. Talk about an animal. It was said by a local writer that he wore out over 200 bikes during his paper career. No matter where you were in our town, at some point in the day would would see Pickles riding his bike and delivering papers.
So, don't feel to bad. He was respected even though he was a 65 year old paper boy delivering papers on a bicycle.
john
01-12-21, 05:31 PM
#56
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Back in the late 70's , early 80's, as many of you remember, Bikes were still attached to your memory as something you rode in Junior High to deliver newspapers.
The late 70's and early 80's were a funny time. Mary Tyler Moore, which I watched with Dad and Mom every Saturday night, came to an end and my happy childhood was over. So was my paper route and my bike lay idle and we gave it to a neighbor.
A lot of things were suddenly strangely not Cool when we were in High School at that time . Being seen with your parents was one . Taking the bus to school was really shameful. Being a good student was not respected.
Riding a bike? That meant you were immature and attached to your junior high days. Do any of you even remember a Bike Rack at school?
My parents were immigrants and that made me an outsider.
This was what I remember the cool kids were do ing. Listening to Hotel California. Fleetwood Mac. They all had access to a car and a Trans Am or Camaro from the 60's was the prize. Being underage and having a beer. Blue Jean's , being a jock.
Bikes? You might as well have been talking slide rule, flood pants, mom cut your hair, taking the Bus to school, all of which were part of my life.
I sprouted 60 pounds of muscles suddenly and made the football team. Their was some humour pile driving a once former terrifying bully onto his back over and over until he hid from me in drills. The same terror I had of him was in his eyes now. Didn't do much good, once an outsider, always an outsider, I deserved a starting slot and never got one. Never got close to the cool crowd.
Anyway back to the theme. In 1980, never dreamed riding a Bike daily would be an obsession, did you?
The late 70's and early 80's were a funny time. Mary Tyler Moore, which I watched with Dad and Mom every Saturday night, came to an end and my happy childhood was over. So was my paper route and my bike lay idle and we gave it to a neighbor.
A lot of things were suddenly strangely not Cool when we were in High School at that time . Being seen with your parents was one . Taking the bus to school was really shameful. Being a good student was not respected.
Riding a bike? That meant you were immature and attached to your junior high days. Do any of you even remember a Bike Rack at school?
My parents were immigrants and that made me an outsider.
This was what I remember the cool kids were do ing. Listening to Hotel California. Fleetwood Mac. They all had access to a car and a Trans Am or Camaro from the 60's was the prize. Being underage and having a beer. Blue Jean's , being a jock.
Bikes? You might as well have been talking slide rule, flood pants, mom cut your hair, taking the Bus to school, all of which were part of my life.
I sprouted 60 pounds of muscles suddenly and made the football team. Their was some humour pile driving a once former terrifying bully onto his back over and over until he hid from me in drills. The same terror I had of him was in his eyes now. Didn't do much good, once an outsider, always an outsider, I deserved a starting slot and never got one. Never got close to the cool crowd.
Anyway back to the theme. In 1980, never dreamed riding a Bike daily would be an obsession, did you?
Going from middle to high school, I worked in a bike factory, and could have got them for 1/4 the retail price. Some really good deals! But noooooooooo .... I wanted a car! It wasn't so much because they were cool ... it was because you could explore more places further and faster in a car than on a bike.
Didn't really care so much about being a cool kid. I got along with and flitted about in all of the social groups, from the cool kids to the nerds. The ones I was closest to were the ones I knew from Cub/Boy Scouts, and that continues to this day. We are still good friends.
I'm a serial obsessioner, and they've all been fun. But cycling grabbed me the hardest and the longest. And no, I would not have expected that. I think it is because it has so many facets and can be enjoyed on so many different levels. And it doesn't hurt that so many of the people I ride with are awesome.
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01-12-21, 09:18 PM
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01-13-21, 10:13 AM
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A bike..... was a good ride after school to get to a girls house and try to get something going before one of her parents got home from work... without her neighbors noticing your beater car parked out in front.
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01-13-21, 11:03 AM
#60
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Never spent much time being "cool", I rode a bike to school and various part-time jobs until high school & drivers license. 1st car a 1960 Chevy ($175) then came motorcycles and motocross. 2nd vehicle to haul dirtbikes a 1954 Ford F100 pickup ($125). Out of school and working and into off-road 4 wheel drives with a couple of Land Cruisers (real money). Finally cured of my motorhead days, bought the Trek 930 mountain bike I still have and it still rides like new (cost more than my first two vehicles, combined). Recently started fat biking on a KHS 1000 (more than I ever thought I'd pay for a bicycle) and loving it. Blessed with many close trails and I also groom and maintain a short winter trail on my property. I ride at least a little bit almost every day. Good riding to you!
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01-13-21, 11:50 PM
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In my senior year, 1978, most of my friends rode, and several of us raced. My buddy Ed and I once rode from Ohio to Pennsylvania for the weekend. We were way cooler than Mary Tyler Moore.
01-14-21, 03:59 PM
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In 1970 I was a sophomore in H.S., got a job at the only bike shop in our little Village and rode a Olmo Italian 10 speed racer!! Helped several friends onto Euro 10 speeds from stingrays. We always had a dozen or more riders so I rode all thru H.S. 
Shared a car I helped my Mom buy (no father around) to go out on dates but I showed up at my main girl friend's home on the 10 speed all the time!! 
Sadly I quit riding for many years when I went into the USAF, married my first wife, etc. Didn't started riding again till 1984, on a Univega Grand Turismo 18 speed Touring Bike and joined the local club called STRADA. I guess I didn't care if I was with the "IN" bunch, I just know that all my friends thought my Screaming Zonker Yellow Olmo was "COOL"!
Shared a car I helped my Mom buy (no father around) to go out on dates but I showed up at my main girl friend's home on the 10 speed all the time!! Sadly I quit riding for many years when I went into the USAF, married my first wife, etc. Didn't started riding again till 1984, on a Univega Grand Turismo 18 speed Touring Bike and joined the local club called STRADA. I guess I didn't care if I was with the "IN" bunch, I just know that all my friends thought my Screaming Zonker Yellow Olmo was "COOL"!
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Last edited by bjjoondo; 01-14-21 at 04:04 PM.
