Dirt Bikes!
Looking through a Western Auto Catalog today, I was reminded of how important a dirt bike was when I was growing up. It seemed to give you street cred, although in my case that “small town middle class suburbs” street cred.. The kids with the dirtbikes were the ones people flocked to, an early version of the muscle car, I guess.
I had a conservative model from Sears for much of my childhood, it was yellow and I often worried it would be branded a “Girl’s Bike”, a shame that I could not recover from. One kid in my school called me on it but he wore pajama shirts to class and wasn’t exactly a big threat to my name. I eventually bought a BMX when I was 13. I still sometimes hit the same trails I did as a kid, I find the “Monkey trails” a lot harder now.
I grew up with coaster-brake BMX knock-offs and a blue Free Spirit ten speed.
While there are many things I’m nostalgic about from my childhood, the bikes aren’t on the list. I find myself very, very happy that mountain bikes exist.
I still have my ’77 Scrambler. It’s a freakin’ tank.
http://tinyurl.com/6oooeu
I had a Scrambler too. It was a hand-me-down from my brother.
Schwinn wasn’t exactly the coolest name in bikes (the really cool kids had a Mongoose), but I loved it. At least it was better than my best friend – he rode a Santa Fe.
I still remember the lame TV jingle “Saaaaaaanta Fe. That’s the way!”
bubbashelby: that bike is sweet! How the heck did you keep it so nice? But, that fork looks awfully flimsy. Is the crown really as thin as it looks?
Arkonbey: My Dad is a car guy, so he taught me to take care of it. Always use the kickstand, park it inside at night, polish it on occasion. Stuff like that.
Those are “Competition” forks. They may look flimsy but the bike could probably bounce into a Buick and come out the victor.
I think I’ll revisit it and do a new post on my blog soon.