×

Bikes and their cycle in our lives

Recently on the Internet I came across a picture of a bike that looked exactly like the bike I rode when I was a boy in the 1950s. It was a picture that evoked memories of youthful summer days and of occasional winter days for that matter.

My first bike was a small one, with 10-inch hard rubber tires, and equipped with training wheels. I probably got it for my seventh birthday. From that bike, with its drag your feet brakes, I graduated to the bike in that picture. It was a Western Flyer bike which were produced by bike manufacturers like Columbia and Huffy and sold by Western Auto Stores from the early 1930s until the early 1960s. My uncle happened to own the local Western Auto and that’s were mine came from.

My bike, like the one in the picture, was a 24-inch model painted maroon and cream and equipped with standard balloon tires and coaster brakes. It had fenders over both the front and rear wheels and it was also equipped with a chain guard that loosened and rattled more and more with the passing years as I went over bumps. It also had a kickstand that was in constant need of tightening.

My brother Bob and some of our friends rode 26-inch bikes that came equipped with “tanks” that enclosed the upper frame parts between the front fork and the seat post and were also equipped with seats over the rear fender meant only for the death defying. I guess you say that my bike was a Chevrolet and the 26-inchers were Buicks.

In those days a few people owned what at the time were called “English” bikes which had light frames and were equipped with gears and hand brakes. However, most of us rode 24- and 26-inch and in some cases 20-inch “American” bikes with large balloon tires, coaster brakes and heavy steel frames. Our bikes weren’t light but they were sturdy and could take the abuse we gave them.

We rode our bikes everywhere and being fearless did things on them that I wouldn’t and probably couldn’t do for a million dollars today. Without gears, when you went up a hill you either peddled mightily or got off and walked the bike but all that effort was worth it when you went flying down a long hill on a country road on a sunny summer afternoon.

The one thing you had to worry about, beside a farmer’s tractor hauling a wagon or hay baler was lose gravel along the shoulders of country roads. If you got into that you could be sent into a slide that generally resulted in skinned elbows, arms, knees and legs. Let’s just say that you could really get beat up. That seldom happened because while we acted fearless we weren’t stupid.

In the 1950s the bike industry and the bike riding public weren’t as safety conscious as they are now. While bikes today come equipped with whole sets of reflectors, back then bikes generally came equipped with just one front and one rear reflectors that were the size of half dollars. Top of the line bikes sometimes came equipped with headlights that were either battery or generator powered and many of us added them to our own bikes. Unfortunately, that didn’t always last very long particularly on bikes ridden by boys of twelve or thirteen who thoughtlessly would drop their bikes to the ground when coming in from a ride.

Bike helmets were unknown and of course there was no law requiring their use as there is now. The closest we came to head protection was probably a baseball cap. Fortunately, I don’t remember hearing of anyone receiving head injuries while bike riding.

My bike was my primary transportation until I got my driver’s licenses in the early sixties and it gave me faithful service in those years. I’m not sure what happened to it after I left it to gather dust in the garage although it might have been given to the man who did yard work for my family and didn’t drive. Today my bike riding is confined to an exercise bike at the gym but I still remember those summer days flying along on my bike.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today