Story Time...

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silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
I like to tell stories to friends and I think sometimes I get invited to dinner by neighbors so they will hear stories about the old days. It is a fair exchange I think. I eat a fine meal and tell a story in as entertaining a way as I know how. People used to do that for a living and it was an honorable profession. As a young man I worked in the theater and had some natural ability to tell a good tale or at least I tried.

Recently I told a little story on someone's thread which the people there seemed to appreciate. And I like telling about Dorothy and her remarkable bicycle, so I thought I'd post it here as a kind of re-run and perhaps someone else will like it, too.

"Default Re: Does anyone recognize this bicycle?

Nice job on the bike, Trey. Looks good and will be cared for in the future.

Scotto,
I do relate to what you were saying. I've been fooling with these bikes for some time and one can't help but notice the difference in quality decade by decade... how heavy the fenders, rear racks and such are on the bikes from the 1930's and 1940's. Once the shift was made from balloon tire bikes to middle weights things started changing in the 1960's. Schwinn still made a good bike as a middleweight. No doubt there are others, I'm no expert.

A couple or three summers ago while Fasteddy was visiting at motorbicycle summer camp for boys who never grew up, we went to look at an old Schwinn in a nearby town. I had placed an ad in the local paper wanting fat tire bikes and the lady said she had one that still rode nice

It was sitting in a garage and the elderly lady showed it to us. It turned out that she had been raised near where I lived in a very rural community of mostly Finns who emigrated to north eastern Minnesota back in the late 1890's and early 1900's. She and her sister were second generation, speaking both Finn at home and English at school. They lived in a log home on one of the many fresh water lakes in the area. Dorothy's older sister got the bike brand new for either her birthday or Christmas (don't remember now) in 1942. It was a blue Schwinn girls bike with black tires and cream accents. The fenders had cream colored pin striping on them. A very cool brass head badge announced that it was a "New World" and was made in Chicago by Arnold Schwinn & company. The sweeping down tube also had "New World" in cream and blue script. It was still a handsome bicycle.

When Dorothy's big sister graduated from the local high school she passed her Schwinn down to little sister Dorothy who rode it for years and then kept it in a garage ever since then as an icon from her youth. When she and her sister used the bike the road to town twelve or so miles away was gravel. All the little roads and drives in the area were gravel, too. This was a forest country bicycle that saw a lot of miles for many years.

I realized that I was looking at something very special, a time machine and a family treasure of sorts. "You can take it for a ride if you want. We always kept it out of the weather, kept the tires pumped up and oiled things." It really was a remarkable machine.

We chatted about her old neighborhood of White Iron Lake outside of Ely, Mn. and realized that she grew up just down the road from where I had a homestead back in the 1970's and 1980's. She was gone by then of course, but we knew many of the same families and shared stories a bit. I used to write feature stories for the local newspaper and was familiar with the local pioneer families including many of the people who had been her neighbors when she was a little girl. In that short time we had shared some common ground and she knew that I appreciated her bicycle; that it was not just wheels and paint and metal. I could picture her as a teenager riding her bicycle, hair flying in the wind, cheeks rosy from pedaling. She gave me a hug and kissed my cheek, wiped at leaking eyes and thanked me for sharing her memories. I was the one to thank her.

She wanted ten dollars for the bike. I gave her twenty. When I got it home I rode it around and it was perfect... the old Bendix coaster brake was fine... pedaled nicely. It was strange to think that it was made during World War II, probably one of the last commercial ones until the war was over. 1942 and still rode like new. That says something about the girls who called it their own and about the people in Chicago who made it. One of the tires had been replaced, but I noticed that the tube was still a red one from who knows when, maybe 1942. Still held air,too.

I passed the bike along to Fasteddy as a gift when he returned to Vancouver at the end of bike camp. He has plans for leaving the paint alone other than touching it up in a few places, fixing where the front fender was bent a bit in a small crash and giving it a trike rear end with an electric motor. I think Dorothy and her sister would approve and would probably like to take it for a ride.

You wanted a bike story and now you got one.
SB"

Anyway, it is just a little story about a real person, an old bicycle and how it came into my possession. Not an earth shattering story, perhaps, but it is at least a real one.

Once in awhile I may post another little story to help make a long Minnesota winter pass by. There is something about having a warm fire in the wood stove, a cup of coffee or tea at hand and snow falling like goose feathers outside my trailer window... something about it all that suggests the telling of a story. Among the Indian people in this part of the world story telling was reserved for the most part for winter when people were confined to the wiigwam. The little ones in particular wanted Grandma or Grandpa to tell them a story about how skunk got his stripes or how bear lost his magnificent bushy tail. Story telling is a fine tradition I think.
SB
 

bluegoatwoods

Active Member
Jul 29, 2012
1,581
6
38
Central Illinois
You bet story telling is a fine tradition.

Plus you've introduced us to Dorothy. A kindred spirit we'd never have come across otherwise. Anyone who can love a bicycle is okay in my book.

We'll be waiting for more.
 

Mike B

New Member
Mar 23, 2011
2,256
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0
Central CA
Every kid remembers his (or hers) first bike.

A bicycle was freedom. In the time it took to walk to the corner, you could ride the whole block. Go places you couldn't go before, see things you never saw. Feel the air rushing past your face.

You used to be able to feel the breeze thru your hair too, but that's now illegal 'cause you have to wear a helmet.

Amazing.

Five year olds riding their first bike down the sidewalk with training wheels...and a helmet.

Geeze. We must protect the children. How did we get so afraid?
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
2,886
151
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OKC, OK
Every kid remembers his (or hers) first bike.

A bicycle was freedom. In the time it took to walk to the corner, you could ride the whole block. Go places you couldn't go before, see things you never saw. Feel the air rushing past your face.

You used to be able to feel the breeze thru your hair too, but that's now illegal 'cause you have to wear a helmet.

Amazing.

Five year olds riding their first bike down the sidewalk with training wheels...and a helmet.

Geeze. We must protect the children. How did we get so afraid?

It seems that more knowledge, in certain instances, is not better. We now know what the consequences of things can be........and it stifles the adventurous spirit of most folks. When I was younger, I did things that make me shake my head in my advancing age. Back then, I was Superman, a free-style climber, adventure seeking junkie. I thought I was larger than life itself. Should I have done a lot of what I did?? Probably not, however, if I had never done them, I would be a much 'shallower' person.

The population in general is trending to much safer activities such as video gaming..........and society is much poorer as a result. I'm afraid as the generations go by, there will slowly be much less to actually tell a story about.


On another note, I belonged to a vehicle forum that also had a 'tavern' area. Years ago we started a thread where one person would write a paragraph or two ---- then someone else would do the same thing. The story took some amazing twists and turns. It became very entertaining! The main stipulation was that you had to wait at least 2 posts before you could post a few more paragraphs ---- that kept the story a little more 'off-keel'.

.bf.
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
xseler said,

"It seems that more knowledge, in certain instances, is not better. We now know what the consequences of things can be........and it stifles the adventurous spirit of most folks. When I was younger, I did things that make me shake my head in my advancing age. Back then, I was Superman, a free-style climber, adventure seeking junkie. I thought I was larger than life itself. Should I have done a lot of what I did?? Probably not, however, if I had never done them, I would be a much 'shallower' person.

The population in general is trending to much safer activities such as video gaming..........and society is much poorer as a result. I'm afraid as the generations go by, there will slowly be much less to actually tell a story about."


I think, too, that our parents expected us to do a certain amount of looking after each other and to wise up about what was stupidly dangerous and what was just moderately stupid dangerous.

I grew up spending my summers on Ojibwa Lake 17 miles north of Ely Minnesota and just a few miles by canoe to the Canadian border. Across the lake was a resort. The children of the owners were our friends and playmates so the lodge became a great playground with a beach, cold pop in Kist bottles, candy bars for a nickle each. We ran around barefooted as if we owned the place. It never occurred to me that this might not be OK, because it was OK.

In thinking about this I recall the sheer joy we had when we realized it was Mr. Larson's dump run day. The resort had it's own dump many acres away from the resort proper with a poorly maintained, pot holed road through the woods to an ever growing pile of resort trash, fish guts, garbage and such. The dump truck was way pre world war II as I recall without much of a muffler, so when we heard it fire up we all came running to climb aboard on the most choice seating and standing locations.

Most favored was to straddle the tear drop headlights out on the bulbous fenders which swept down into running boards, the next best location. Left over kids and wee ones crammed into the cab with Mr. Larson... and off we'd go banging and lurching through the potholes, ducking down to avoid getting slapped by tree limbs along the track to the dump. Over the grinding of gears, groans of complaint from this ancient wreck of a truck were the squeals of laughter from we barefooted urchins. I loved Mr. Les Larson who was a very large Swede with a great disposition. Bless your memory, Lester. And thanks for the great rides.

The final hoped for thing was to disrupt a bear or two as the truck arrived at the dump as this added to the aura of danger. Les would back the truck into the stinky pile and then a great piston would slowly raise the dump box high up and the load would slide down into the pile. Then the box let go with a tremendous bang of the swinging tail gate. Mr. Larson would find the right gear to get it moving and we were off again lurching, banging and laughing our way back to the lake. I don't remember anyone ever getting hurt and if someone had it would have been considered our own fault for not being more careful. And if one of us did have a minor injury the last thing you did was mention it to an adult. Fond memories. My brother and I were talking about it just this summer... all of that was sixty years ago. and considering the changes in our society, the activity level of children and the readiness to sue any and everyone at the least opportunity, it would not happen today. No sane Mr. Larson would consider for a moment letting a bunch of kids ride along in and on a suspect 1930's era dump truck. More than just six decades have passed us by, a whole way of living and being have gone the way for children growing up. Ah well. All things must pass, I suppose.
SB
 
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curtisfox

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2008
6,041
3,935
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minesota
Awesome story SB
Reminds me of when i got my first bike,i was 12 or 13 and used to mow lawns for my grandfather. It took me half a day with the old push Reo type mower,i can remember it had steel wheels and push hard. Prolly made $3 LOL He had a old girls bike sitting on the back porch,after asking a couple times he let me buy it for $5.
When i got it home it took it all apart and cleaned it,my dad worked at the rail road,and he brought home some 1" wide strips of emery cloth. I sanded the frame down to bear metal. My dad friend hunting friend was a body man so he took it and painted it. I road the thing for a couple years,then i bought a boys bike form my neighbor. I don't remember what happened to that old girls bike,proly gave it to someone. I road the boys until i seen a picture in Popular machanics of a tall bike. So i took mine apart turned the frame upside down change the pedals and wheels around so the pedals and chain were back on the right. I then had the neighbor weld some extensions for my seat and handle bars Sure had some awesome fun then got my Monark twin deluxe motor bike.
I road that until the clutch control broke,my dad took it to work and had a new one made so back on my horse until the engine's rod gave out.
I missed it so i just built on with what i had and my uncle helped me with the welding.
You could ride every were not that many cars on the road like today. Makes one want to go back in time..................Curt
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
Awesome story SB
Reminds me of when i got my first bike,i was 12 or 13 and used to mow lawns for my grandfather. It took me half a day with the old push Reo type mower,i can remember it had steel wheels and push hard. Prolly made $3 LOL He had a old girls bike sitting on the back porch,after asking a couple times he let me buy it for $5.
When i got it home it took it all apart and cleaned it,my dad worked at the rail road,and he brought home some 1" wide strips of emery cloth. I sanded the frame down to bear metal. My dad friend hunting friend was a body man so he took it and painted it. I road the thing for a couple years,then i bought a boys bike form my neighbor. I don't remember what happened to that old girls bike,proly gave it to someone. I road the boys until i seen a picture in Popular machanics of a tall bike. So i took mine apart turned the frame upside down change the pedals and wheels around so the pedals and chain were back on the right. I then had the neighbor weld some extensions for my seat and handle bars Sure had some awesome fun then got my Monark twin deluxe motor bike.
I road that until the clutch control broke,my dad took it to work and had a new one made so back on my horse until the engine's rod gave out.
I missed it so i just built on with what i had and my uncle helped me with the welding.
You could ride every were not that many cars on the road like today. Makes one want to go back in time..................Curt
Thanks for sharing that, Curt. I bet you still wish you had that Monarch!
SB
 

curtisfox

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2008
6,041
3,935
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minesota
Sure do,and i don't know what realy happened to it. I sold some stuff but then i think i just sold the bike what was left. We do still have the motor mount that i gave my son, and i am copeing the mounts on a upcoming build, " From out of the past " what i did as a kid. .........Curt
 

Intrepid Wheelwoman

New Member
Oct 29, 2011
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Hauraki District, New Zealand
Sure do,and i don't know what realy happened to it. I sold some stuff but then i think i just sold the bike what was left. We do still have the motor mount that i gave my son, and i am copeing the mounts on a upcoming build, " From out of the past " what i did as a kid. .........Curt
Not knowing what a Monark twin deluxe motor bike was I looked it up on Google and I am deeply impressed.
 

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curtisfox

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2008
6,041
3,935
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minesota
Yep that's it ,but mine was even fancier had a big crome tank Clove box on one side and tank on the other. Also had the rear rack on the back fender,and brown and cream paint.
Take note of the clutch it has a push arm that pushed on 5 or 6 disks in side of the pulley on the other side just like a car. There was a round ball on the end of the arm that push on the end of a shaft,then push the pulley out to free the disks simple. Boy would it be fun to find one now, but that was over 50 years ago..................Curt
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
That's quite a bike, Curtis. Sure beat the clothespins and playing cards that made mine into a "motorbike" when I was a kid. I remember asking my father about a motorbike and he thought they were dangerous, or so he said, summarized in a firm and final "NO!" I suspect he also knew they were expensive. And of course he had never been a child himself, having been born with glasses, a five o'clock shadow and a law degree. Ya weren't much fun, Dad. On the other hand fathers weren't supposed to be.

If he could see what I'm up to now he would understand that my reply to his "NO" was and is "YES!"

That was quite a motor you had. In the fifties Monarch had just about the fanciest bikes you could buy. Monarch & Schwinn were dueling it out for a while there. Remember the train front fender light? Those cost about a million bucks now. That great pile of old bikes my friend let me go through a couple of summers ago had a Monarch boys bike in there. No tank or train light survived, but it did still have the fenders and the chrome tail light. Since Steve (Fasteddy) was in to Monarchs I sent it up to him. His restored Monarch Super Deluxe that he made the Chris Craft sidecar for was a study in chrome doo daas and a really sharp bike. A rival I think to Schwinn's Phantom and Panther...

But in terms of sheer beauty of design nothing even approached Elgin's fantastic Bluebird. I think that Elgin, too, had a model at one time that had an engine of their own design. Of course Schwinn had made a deal with Whizzer and that marriage lasted for some time. Too bad that more of the Monarchs were not sold, but I don't think Monarch ever had anything like the market share of Schwinn. Elgin was very big before the war in part due to their design team, but mostly through being offered by mail catalog with Sears. They also had the great idea of selling bikes to kids by weekly or monthly payments which put cool bikes within reach of enterprising paper boys and baby sitters.

In those days I think it was bicycles that boys and girls dreamed about. Now I guess it is Ipads or something like. In my part of the world kids bikes are highly disposable junk and acyou don't see that many kids riding them... they are shuffling around texting their friends and not even looking around. No wonder so many children are out of shape and over weight.

Hmmm... I sound like a crabby old fart. "It wasn't like that when I was a lad, no sir!" he says in a creaky voice...
SB
 
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curtisfox

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2008
6,041
3,935
113
minesota
In those days I think it was bicycles that boys and girls dreamed about. Now I guess it is Ipads or something like. In my part of the world kids bikes are highly disposable junk and acyou don't see that many kids riding them... they are shuffling around texting their friends and not even looking around. No wonder so many children are out of shape and over weight.


Boy an't that the truth.
I was 16 and had a papper rout so was able to buy it used for $75. By that time i had made a go-kart and mini bike,my dad even helped me, had some parts made at work for me.
I still know the guy i bought it from we talk about how much fun it would be to find another.
Back then if you wanted to talk with your friends you had to walk or ride your bike to go see them,the old party lines were slow. .................Curt
 

Intrepid Wheelwoman

New Member
Oct 29, 2011
2,830
61
0
Hauraki District, New Zealand
In those days I think it was bicycles that boys and girls dreamed about. Now I guess it is Ipads or something like. In my part of the world kids bikes are highly disposable junk and acyou don't see that many kids riding them... they are shuffling around texting their friends and not even looking around. No wonder so many children are out of shape and over weight.


Boy an't that the truth.
I was 16 and had a papper rout so was able to buy it used for $75. By that time i had made a go-kart and mini bike,my dad even helped me, had some parts made at work for me.
I still know the guy i bought it from we talk about how much fun it would be to find another.
Back then if you wanted to talk with your friends you had to walk or ride your bike to go see them,the old party lines were slow. .................Curt
I bought my first bicycle with the money I earned working Saturday mornings at a garden centre when I was 16. The headbadge announced to the world it was 'The Perfect' and overall it was pretty darn good. I even rode that bicycle to work when I started my very first for real adult job until I saved up enough money to buy my first car.
Oh yes I remember party lines and having to speak to an operator to give them the number you wanted to call. They were very much different times and I think in many ways they were better times too (Oh dear I think I've become an old lady, - 'When i was a girl & etc......'). :D
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
2,886
151
63
OKC, OK
When I start a 'story' these days, I don't ever say how many years ago it happened.....I just say 'a while back'. As the years roll by, the memory gets a little fuzzy about the time-frame. However, the details are usually razor sharp ----as I remember them! :D
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
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63
Littleton, Colorado
Some of my stories start with, "Back in the 60s............" Then I forget what I was going to tell about because there are some brain cells missing, or damaged.

Whatever, my problem is I forget who I've previously told the story to and end up repeating the same things to people who've heard them before. Funny, as a kid I remember my grandfather doing that too. Hmmm.

Tom