What was your first bike?

[Bikeguy Joe]

What did you learn to ride on?

I had a 16" non coasting bike for awhile when I was 5 which I couldn't ride, training wheels or not.

Then one day my Dad decided to try giving me a shove on my sisters 26" bike. I did fine until I had to turn, but I eventually got it and by the end of that week, I was riding 26" bikes.

I'm not sure what it was, It was new in the late 60's, and it had two domed, side by side headlights and a small, fake tank between the top and bottom bars. (girls bike) It also had a pressed steel rack on the back and the bike was blue and white.

When I was 12-14, I had a 24" Roadmaster girls bike which I learned the fine art of long wheelies.

 

[deacon]

Since I grew up in a mill villiage I'm sure my first was a sears or western auto bike of some kind. It was red and 24" for sure.

I learned on it got a push or two from my older brother I expect. I have childhood amnesia so most things are gone but that isnt for some reason.

 

[Ilikeabikea]

I got my sisters hand me down 12" incher. It was convertable to a boys or girls bike. The bar bolted down low for girls. But dad moved it up for me. I never had any training wheels I just got on it and started riding. Been riding ever since..........

 

[paul]

mine was a schwinn stringray. that bike was awesome. i beat it up like any other kid. used to take pipe and make it a chopper only problem was the new forks were not connected to good and did a wheelie and of came the forks down came the bike and over the handlebars i went. that bike was the ultimate freedom. we went everywhere on them

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

After my sister's 26" bike and my 2 dollar 24" Roadmaster, my Dad brought home two orange bikes, with three speed shifters, banana seats and high bars...they weren't Stingrays, or Krates, but they sure were cool! Huffy?

I wrecked mine in the first two minutes. My brother and I were haulin' down the road and to the dirt side road a quarter mile from where I grew up, and at the intersection was a puddle. I ran through it then hit my new to me hand brakes and there was nothing! IIIEEEEIEIEIIIIEEE!!! over the edge of the road I went, 10 feet down into the "ditch"! It's at the intersection of State Rt. 528 and Hautala Rd., Montville, Ohio...look it up on google earth.

Anyhow, the bike and I both survived, my Dad was PO'ed 'cause I just wrecked my brand new bike, and I was a battle scarred but happy camper.

 

[paul]

ya back then wrecks were cool now it scares me to death to have one

 

[Autocycler]

Ahhh...what memories. My first bike was a BMX Mongoose Motomag. That bike was bulletproof. I broke a few bones riding that bike. Mine had the snazzy plasti-chrome rims too

 

[RedB66]

I had a Mongoose BMX bike. All chrome with the red mags, three piece cranks all the bells and whistles.This was in the late 70's, all the guys in the neighboorhood were in the Boyscouts and we would travel around Florida going to different races. Some of the stuff we did was crazy!! Setting up bricks six high with a ten foot 2x10 and see how far we could jump. That was when it didn't take as long to heal.

 

[Autocycler]

Some of the stuff we did was crazy!! Setting up bricks six high with a ten foot 2x10 and see how far we could jump. That was when it didn't take as long to heal.

In my neighborhood it was cool to ride a BMX Mongoose....kinda like a Lexus for the under 10 crowd Back then, there was nothing so unforgivably uncool as riding a Huffy or Schwinn. Funny how they are pretty much all made by the same company now.

 

[paul]

pacific owns swchinn, GT and mongoose. huffy i think is still its own company

 

[Autocycler]

pacific owns swchinn, GT and mongoose. huffy i think is still its own company

My bad. You are right....Huffy is seperate from Pacific.

 

[General Disarray]

In my neighborhood it was cool to ride a BMX Mongoose....kinda like a Lexus for the under 10 crowd Back then, there was nothing so unforgivably uncool as riding a Huffy or Schwinn. Funny how they are pretty much all made by the same company now.

I remeber riding home on my faded red schwinn with the fiberglass pole and orange flag. I remember the fiberglass splinters. I bet I put a million miles on that bike.
I came home and told dad all the other kids had cool bikes and I needed one. I never asked for stuff. On my birthday I got black mongoose with gold rims and gold handle bars.

I was Knight Rider on my KIT

My dad's office was 7 miles away and I had to ride past Love Field airport and through a not so nice part of town. One day I showed up in his office, he nearly pooed his pants. I used to run cross country, I had a friend I ran with and we would talk the whole 3 miles. Now I can barely pedal long genough for the clutch to engage.

 

[Andyinchville1]

My first bike was 1960's 24" Schwinn cruiser type bike with coaster brake....It was waaaaay too big for me at the time and I had many a wreck because I had to lean the bike so far over just to get one foot to tough the ground..My Parents later got me a 20" BMX type bike with a bannana seat....No more skinned knees....I was a happy camper!
Andrew

 

[Pablo]

For Christmas I got a weird 3 speed hub shifter sting ray style that never shifted right when I really wanted a Schwin Sting ray. That piece of trash had a wide checkerboard sting ray style seat, hard as a rock. My dad was a cheap SOB (ok like me) so he probably got it at a raffle or discount store. My mom tied a tony the tiger tail on the stubby sissy bar. My parents must have known I was disappointed....because in July (my b-day) I got a real Schwinn sting ray.....I was in REAL love. I did about everything but make love to the thing.......I do remember the next year or so putting a smaller front crank gear on it.....must have been an omen.

 

[deacon]

It looks like wal-mart has or is going to drop the huffy line. One of their cheap-o men's cruiser bikes is gone.

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

yay. If you mean the Cranbrook, the ones I saw had terrible welding and should be gone.

 

[deacon]

That was the one, I think they still have the women's. It's a shame I have a huffy from the old days. It is probably the best frame I have. I'm going to do a china girl for my son in law with it this summer. I need someone to ride with even if I have to build a loaner for him and the neighbor to share. It's the neighbor who does my welding.

 

[Dave31]

My first bike was a 1975 Mongoose Motomag. My friend down the street had one too. I remember we used to play "Chips" with our walkie-talkes around the neighborhood. It was'nt long after I got it they stole it. After that I remember my Dad taking me to Kmart and I got a Murry BMX.
I was already racing Motocross at that time so bicycles really wasnt my thing back then. It wasnt until I saw "Rad" or "Break the Ice" BMX movie that really got me started with bicycles.

Who used to put the license plate that came with the Honey Comb ceral? I always did, I wish I saved those things.

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

Here's my first bike, a Schwinn Sting Ray, My dad was a real tinkerer... He put on the steering wheel and the newspaper delivery bags!
This was around the mid 70's.
By the time the bike got to looking like this, I'd had it for many years.
I actually found this pic just a few months ago!!!

 

[deacon]

VB now that is one cool bike. i was going to do a steering wheel on my build bike and just never did. I love that thing.