Yeah, but happened to your cycling when you earned your motor vehicle license?
--- Eric Westhagen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear Richard, > > It is my belief that the balloon tire Schwinn did > more to promote the > bicycle than anyone or any campaign could ever do. > Certainly there were > other bikes like Monarch, but most bikes as I > remember were Schwinns. > They were bicycles for everyone. Just one basic > bicycle. Sure we could > buy accessories and we did. I did everything > possible to increase my > allowance so I could buy accessories at our Ripon's > Western Auto Store. > But those bikes were strong enough for large front > baskets and rear > carriers. We could carry fifty pounds of those > Sunday Journals in our > double bags on the carriers. > > In our family, my Dad bought us our Schwinns at the > age of seven. My > Brother got his two year before I got my new bike. > I looked at that > large box which Dad had picked up--right from the > Chicago factory, for > two years as my Brother rode his Schwinn. > > Finally, it was Spring and I was seven and my > Brother was going to teach > me how to ride a bike. He took me to Ripon's > largest hill. Ripon was > originally a "water-power" town on a "feeble > creek"--Silver Creek. So > there was a valley and a bluff. I could barely > touch the pedals on the > Schwinn and the road went down sharply to Silver > Creek six blocks away. > There was an intersection at the bottom of the hill > with some gravel as > the street was only oiled or had poor post-war > blacktop. I wasn't even > told that if you pushed back on the coaster-brake > the bike could be > stopped. It was my first moment on a bike and my > Brother shoved me > off. Well, I made it all the way to where the > street turned up again > past Silver Creek. > > All the children had balloon tire bikes----all, boys > and girls. And all > children rode these bikes until cars at sixteen. > But I did speed up > with the return of the English bike--the "English > Racer." That was in > the Spring of 1953--the first English Racer in > Ripon. I still ride that > bike. > > I mention this reminiscence to point to this > institutional fact that > Schwinn played a major role in the American bike > consciousness. Just > what the equipment role is today is for others to > decide. > > Eric Westhagen > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies > _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
