Fifteen or sixteen cars, a boat, two trikes, lawn mowers, machinery, every magazine known to man, spark plugs in the kitchen, collectables up the Wazoo, go karts, weird vintage stuff, stuff stashed in trailers, oh... and a wax can collection, and now bicycles. I don't even have a respectable junk drawer... what's wrong with this picture???
All I know is that everyone else I see riding on the trail is on a modern bike. I am the only one riding a bike that is over 50 years old
Amen. I’ve got an old Schwinn (my Dad’s) that I ride at the beach when we’re down at the LA house. Black, fenders, coaster brake, unrestored. I think it’s mid-60s.
I guess you're right. But my Varsity is a 1971. 55 years old is 20 years into antique territory. And it looks good in the back of my old 41 Ford pick up. It's a handy thing to have at a car show. But I'll stop, back to hot rods!
I think that what makes this site so nice is that no matter what you like there is a thread for you. Old Bicycles, radios, whatever you are looking for is here. At 78, I'd go to someplace like @Moriarity's and ignore the exceptional cars and just sit down and read the old Rod & Customs. Ah, memories. (And no billet in sight)
A buddy of mine pulled this 76 Stingray off a trash heap in Wheaton, Ill. I gave him a few bucks for it, cleaned it up and bought a repo slick and new front tire. It still has the original dealer sticker on it from the Chicago area. It's nothing special but I really like it. It's so original.
My brother Danny got his shiny new black 20" Schwinn bicycle two years after I got my red one. By that time, my bike was looking pretty rough. I remember Danny and I squatted behind his bicycle, a hammer in my hand. Focusing on the very back of the rear fender, I explained to him how we needed to make his bike look more like mine. Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap... Mom: "Ricky!... What are you doing?!?"
Got into bikes 6-8 years ago. Like I usually do I jumped in with both feet and started buying old bikes in junkyards barns etc. Knew nothing, learning on the fly. If it was a mems bike and a skip tooth or had a tank I bought it. Had 50-60 of them in one Summer. All junkers. Learned 3 things. If it's rare and a popular brand it sells no matter what condition. If it's common and not near perfect it's not worth much. People don't buy parts bikes as a general rule. Sold 5 for good money then found another idiot like me to buy the rest. No more bikes in my future. P.S. Bicycle collectors are some of the most frugal people I have ever dealt with.
My neighbor is a hard core cyclist and was showing me his new bike - carbon fiber frame, gears are controlled via Bluetooth, weighs almost nothing, cost him $5,000. I pointed out I get more exercise when I ride my heavy 50 year old Schwinn LeTour.
dammit man, I paid 11 bucks for 2 Continentals at an estate sale 3-4 years ago. I put all the best parts on this bike and after many ****py Chinese tire failures put a pretty expensive set of Continental ride tour tires on that lasted me 45oo miles. I put another set of those on last fall... I love my old "heavy" bike
Good one! They actually are different and all are good in their own way. The Schwinn is a beefier bike. The Bianchi and Peugeot bikes are lighter and had better shift mechanisms. more like the difference between a Cadillac and a Jaguar.
The Jalopy Journal
