• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Your First Bike? (the pedal kind...)

jaxthedog

jaxthedog
I fervently believe that the bicycle is the "gateway" vehicle to our affection with our two-wheeled beasts. Christmas rolls around and a stroll about our neighborhood finds lots of tots with new bikes. I wonder how many of them will grow up to enjoy the thrill and beauty of motorcycling.

In the spirit of the holidays, here's my memory of my first two-wheeler. :)

http://thechurchoftheopenroad.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-first-two-wheeler.html

Whatever you celebrate over the next week or so, I hope it is happy, peaceful and surrounded with love.
 
Yeah, get on a racing-style bike after years and years riding just motorcycles and it will scare the heck out of you. No tires, no suspension, no brakes ... in comparison. I've been hurt way worse in a bicycle crash than any motorcycle incident.
 
I came from a large family so we had a lot of hand-me-down garage sale bikes. Single speeds, 2 speeds(that you don't see much anymore) and 3 speeds. This was before you really saw cluster gears much, but I do remember 5 speeds (no multiple sprockets up front).
I remember an old JC Higgins single speed I used on my paper route, no idea where it even came from, just an old derelict single speed boys bike we had hanging around. Put saddle bag baskets on it to haul papers, I worked that thing to death, tires every 6 months or so, a new basket once a year, I'd replace the kickstand once in awhile, but it wouldn't last very long and would break, so ended up just laying it on it's basket after it broke, while I delivered the paper (back in the old days, when you didn't just give the paper a toss, most times it went between the screen door and house door, sometimes in a mailbox).
First new bike I bought (with paper route money) was a Raleigh Record 10 speed in yellow and black, when they were still made in Birmingham, England. Wish I still had it.
 
Yeah, get on a racing-style bike after years and years riding just motorcycles and it will scare the heck out of you. No tires, no suspension, no brakes ... in comparison. I've been hurt way worse in a bicycle crash than any motorcycle incident.

:laugh You had the wrong bike!
I have had Shimano and now Camagnolo top line stuff and they will stop me in a heartbeat. My missing mountain bike had disc brakes that sent you sailing if mis-applied. It also had dual suspension...which WAS nice.
Now my issue was the standard front brake lever on the left side...I switched mine to be like the m'cycles so I wouldn't do a stoppie or worse an endo!
I have seen a lot of broken collarbones from bicycles...luckily not me!

I had hand me down bikes until I was about 11...got a Stingray that year . Had some heavy duty paper boy bikes as well...had to upgrade the axles to a larger set because I broke them with 200+ papers I tried to carry in one load on Sundays. I left the driveway one day with a full load of Christmas ad papers and the bike stood up on it's tail when I met the road, leaving me hanging in air for a minute...my brother just howled:nyah
Had a heavy Raleigh 10 speed in Junior High, then discovered better European machines with Reynolds 531 frames ( go figure) My current 8 year old 18speed is an American Cannondale frame with Italian Campy Record goodies. I was riding it when Helen pulled up on her m'cycle and told me to "get a motor" as she roared off from the light...I met her face to face a few years later and laughed about that encounter.

Back to the OP...ooops
It seems to me young kids do not take to bicycles as we did ...they get pissed and want a Nintendo instead...sadly.
 
My generation- the "war babies", we lived on bikes! My first came from Harding Wheel Co., in Topeka,KS ~ 1950. My Mom & I walked downtown & she bought me a blue, refurbed 26" balloon tire bike for $4. I had to use steps,etc., to get on & off and have been riding bikes & MC's ever since, to include some really neat pedal machines. I rode a nice 10sp to work in the 1960's when it was not so common & a nice Motobecane(I traded leather work to a hippie/head shop/bike shop owner for that bike) to class in the 70's when I returned to college One son raced NCAA road racing in college & oldest still does mtn bike long distance races in his late 30's.
 
No matter what the bike; most of the kids in my circle of friends clipped a playing card to the front fender brace. As they slapped on the spokes our bikes sounded (to us) like real motorbikes. We wore out a lot of cards and probably annoyed a lot of adults.
 
Last edited:
Bicycles

My first bicycle I believe was a Shelby, after it was about two years old I took it to a Western Auto store and it became a Wizard Motor Bike, this consisted of what appeared to be a lawn mower engine with a rope pull starter and a throttle control on the handle bars like a lawn mower. A belt went from the engine to a huge pulley now attached to he rear wheel spokes. If memory serves me right you could also get it started by peddling rapidly. For a 14 year old it was a blast.
 
My first "good" bike:

My parents had to make payments to afford it. I got it for my 9th or 10th birthday. My parents were so mad at me because that bike was the first new bike they purchased and it cost sooo much $, and by day two of my ownership I had stripped the lights, rack, fenders, and chain guard off the bike!

i-7TMJLpb-M.jpg
 
My first and only new bike.

My Dad bought me a new 26" "middle weight" J. C. Higgins bike from Sears for $36.88. It was a Christmas present n the late 50s. It didn't have as many spokes as most bikes and as a result, the wheels warped easily.
 
Murray Meteor Elite

My Dad replaced a neighborhood hand-me down 20" training bike with this 26" beauty when I could barely straddle the cross bar:) In his world, you got one bike.....no need to mess around with any intermediate size stuff.......kids grow, you know.

A few years later, the bicycle dealer became a Suzuki dealer and Dad. later, purchased a 120cc trail bike and I started my motorcycling career.
 

Attachments

  • 1831.jpg
    1831.jpg
    103 KB · Views: 54
Great website ............ Murray Bicycles

There's not a great amount of content, but this website has some great catalogs from the 50 and 60's.

Funny, I can remember arguing with the kids next door about who had the better brand of bike..........They were all made by Murray but sold under different labels.:) Apparently, Murray was to bicycles what MTD is to lawn mowers
 
My first "good" bike:

My parents had to make payments to afford it. I got it for my 9th or 10th birthday. My parents were so mad at me because that bike was the first new bike they purchased and it cost sooo much $, and by day two of my ownership I had stripped the lights, rack, fenders, and chain guard off the bike!

View attachment 36361

That headlight never seemed to stay on the bike or work long anyways :laugh

Remember those generator head/taillights that rubbed on the tire edge you ran by pedaling...a lot!
 
That headlight never seemed to stay on the bike or work long anyways :laugh

Remember those generator head/taillights that rubbed on the tire edge you ran by pedaling...a lot!

Even a few amps at 12 volts is more than I wanted to pedal:) And, that's before you think about the generator efficiency........
 
That headlight never seemed to stay on the bike or work long anyways :laugh

Remember those generator head/taillights that rubbed on the tire edge you ran by pedaling...a lot!

Correct, after the first bump it pointed toward the ground.....:laugh
 
first bicycle

First Bike? Got me thinking, and being 65+ years ago IÔÇÖm sure this may not be accurate? But as I remember and doing a little research. I think my first bike was a ÔÇ£VÔÇØ bike, mostly a Columbia Vg 295, or after checking the web this is what I remember it looking like. I sure I was second/third owner it was paint pain black with no badges. I surely do remember the skinny tires. But then Christmas 1950 my dad purchased for me a new Western Flyer bike Green with Chrome tank and a horn. I was on proud puppy. How for the rest of the story in January, I had a friend mention that ÔÇ£Benny BunchÔÇØ had a Whizzler motor for sale and I thought Hummm. Well one faithful Saturday I pedaled over to BennyÔÇÖs struck a deal for $10.00 including installation. Throw away the Chrome tank chopper up the rear fender and off I rode home. Been on two motorized wheels ever since. In fact the next winter February 15th to be exact I purchased my first MOTORCYCLE a 250 Indian Brave. Then the list goes on!
 
I was 6, big for my age, and ready for a 2-wheeler. I grew up on a farm, very rural. My dad picked up a 20 inch standard bike from the local Coast-to-Coast hardware store. It was red, and was a "Coast King". No training wheels for me, by brother took me to a small hill, gave me a push, and whoosh! Away I went.

Rode it that way for a couple of years, then as was in style in the 60's, we bought a banana seat and high rise handlebars, and converted it to a "stingray". As the years went by, I outgrew that bike, but it was never thrown or given away. Many years later, when we visited my parents, my dad had a local kid give the old bike a tuneup, and my own son rode it while we visited.
 
My first bike was a 24" wheels, red & white one from the local hardware store. Thirty five years ago, a built up a touring bike and ended up traveling all around the country including Mexico and Alaska on it. It really did create an interest in motorcycling later in life. The most miles I managed on that bicycle in 24 hours was 200 (double centuries). Now I can cover more ground in less time with a whole lot less effort.

BTW, I still have the bike and it does get used regularly... Good stuff lasts a long time...
 
Just finished restoring a 84-85 DiNucci. This hand built steel frame bike was crafted by Mark DiNucci of Portland Oregon. It has tubes running inside the frame tubes to provide internal cable routing. The hot metallic eggplant paint is original and the frame construction is art. The vintage Campy groupo is mostly old parts that came off a bike I broke long ago. I put lots of elbow grease into the polishing. A local shop, Sellwood Cycle Repair, helped with the rest of the parts.
 

Attachments

  • BXM_Bike.jpg
    BXM_Bike.jpg
    50.5 KB · Views: 30
Back
Top