I started this little post (okay, I can't foresee yet if it'll stay little) because I've experienced more modern bikes, as well as owned and ridden some really old ones. I've always felt more drawn to the older ones. And what got me thinking about it was all the work I've been doing on my wife's Schwinn Cruiser. There I was polishing the chrome rims, when I noticed that she had some really thick spokes. I got my caliper. Yep, 12 gauge spokes. I looked closer at the rim. It took me five good minutes to find the weld where they joined the ends, and I'm still not sure that was it. Checked to see if I needed to true them, they spin (and spin and spin...) dead center. Already, I've noticed the heavier steel in the frame and nicely done welds. And this bike, her bike, is Schwinn's 1996 tribute to the old balloon tire cruisers. IT ISN"T EVEN THAT OLD! If I hadn't looked up the serial number I wouldn't have seen much difference between it, and one built back-in-the-day.
My dad's Schwinn Corvette is an example of when bike makers actually still valued their reputation and didn't want to offer a piece of trash. I admit, I desired his bike. It was HEAVY though. But the nice thing: if you saw a man riding by on one, you could throw a lit stick of dynamite at him; it'd kill the guy and you could take the bike. Not much on this Earth could hurt it. Solid welds here too, heavy-duty wheels, smooooooth bearings, well sprung seat, and those BIG tires. Much to love.
I had a Schwinn Stingray when I was younger. Looking back, I was way too hard on that bike. It never failed me though. My dad was always a die-hard Schwinn fan and he felt that if he bought me something cheaper, I'd kill it. He just might have been right about that. That Stingray was still in pretty good shape when I "outgrew" it. It was then stored in the "barn" (really big shed). Some time after I had moved to Cleveland, I remember telling my folks that anything I hadn't already brought with me they could get rid of, or sell, or whatever. (Shoot me. It's "Idiot Season".) I checked back a few years later. Yep, Stingray was sold.
I picked up this ancient Hercules for about ten bucks when I was too poor to own a car, but didn't want to ride the bus. I thought the lugged frame looked promising. Tore her down, polished the rust off some mating surfaces, lubed bearings, put her all back together with very little fuss...and, for a bike that must have been left outside almost as long as I'd been alive at the time, it ran great! I eventually cleaned her up better and repainted her before I sold her and moved on to a Bianchi. I could never have bought the Bianchi without layaway. The Bianchi was a great bike too, but I barely got to know it before some ***** stole it.
There were many, many others in the interim. I'd rather not own up to the Huffy. The Schwinn Varsity was very, very good for a more modern Schwinn. The Concord Y-frame's shifting sucked. The Mongoose was okay; it went forward and managed not to break; it was only $100. I've forgotten a few that weren't memorable enough. I motorized the Micargi Huntington; the steel frame was pretty good but in retrospect I think the rims may have been a bit light-weight, and the fit and finish of some basic parts could have been better. I still had a blast with the Huntington though. And I still have this Kent Glendale, just for pedalling around and getting my leg strength back after the accident.
The old JC Higgins I have now shares many characteristics of the older bikes above, many which I value: strong welds here too, the wheels were good but I put my worksman wheels on anyway, smooth bearings, excellent construction in general. I have learned since that it was never a top-end bike, but compared to what I see offered in the big-box category of major retailers (where you would have purchased a Higgins when they were new) it is far better made, in ways that you would have to spend more money to get now.
Bikes are like most other things: you get what you pay for, if you are lucky. With new bikes, generally, the more quality you want - the more money you will need. With old bikes that have come down slightly in price, you can sometimes get something that you couldn't have afforded years ago. And I like tinkering, so fixing up an old cruiser and getting it rolling again is really growing on me. There are people on this forum that can tell a Wards Hawthorne from a Sears Higgins at a glance. If I get to that point someday, well, that's not such a bad thing after all.
My dad's Schwinn Corvette is an example of when bike makers actually still valued their reputation and didn't want to offer a piece of trash. I admit, I desired his bike. It was HEAVY though. But the nice thing: if you saw a man riding by on one, you could throw a lit stick of dynamite at him; it'd kill the guy and you could take the bike. Not much on this Earth could hurt it. Solid welds here too, heavy-duty wheels, smooooooth bearings, well sprung seat, and those BIG tires. Much to love.
I had a Schwinn Stingray when I was younger. Looking back, I was way too hard on that bike. It never failed me though. My dad was always a die-hard Schwinn fan and he felt that if he bought me something cheaper, I'd kill it. He just might have been right about that. That Stingray was still in pretty good shape when I "outgrew" it. It was then stored in the "barn" (really big shed). Some time after I had moved to Cleveland, I remember telling my folks that anything I hadn't already brought with me they could get rid of, or sell, or whatever. (Shoot me. It's "Idiot Season".) I checked back a few years later. Yep, Stingray was sold.
I picked up this ancient Hercules for about ten bucks when I was too poor to own a car, but didn't want to ride the bus. I thought the lugged frame looked promising. Tore her down, polished the rust off some mating surfaces, lubed bearings, put her all back together with very little fuss...and, for a bike that must have been left outside almost as long as I'd been alive at the time, it ran great! I eventually cleaned her up better and repainted her before I sold her and moved on to a Bianchi. I could never have bought the Bianchi without layaway. The Bianchi was a great bike too, but I barely got to know it before some ***** stole it.
There were many, many others in the interim. I'd rather not own up to the Huffy. The Schwinn Varsity was very, very good for a more modern Schwinn. The Concord Y-frame's shifting sucked. The Mongoose was okay; it went forward and managed not to break; it was only $100. I've forgotten a few that weren't memorable enough. I motorized the Micargi Huntington; the steel frame was pretty good but in retrospect I think the rims may have been a bit light-weight, and the fit and finish of some basic parts could have been better. I still had a blast with the Huntington though. And I still have this Kent Glendale, just for pedalling around and getting my leg strength back after the accident.
The old JC Higgins I have now shares many characteristics of the older bikes above, many which I value: strong welds here too, the wheels were good but I put my worksman wheels on anyway, smooth bearings, excellent construction in general. I have learned since that it was never a top-end bike, but compared to what I see offered in the big-box category of major retailers (where you would have purchased a Higgins when they were new) it is far better made, in ways that you would have to spend more money to get now.
Bikes are like most other things: you get what you pay for, if you are lucky. With new bikes, generally, the more quality you want - the more money you will need. With old bikes that have come down slightly in price, you can sometimes get something that you couldn't have afforded years ago. And I like tinkering, so fixing up an old cruiser and getting it rolling again is really growing on me. There are people on this forum that can tell a Wards Hawthorne from a Sears Higgins at a glance. If I get to that point someday, well, that's not such a bad thing after all.
