# Children of the 70s- ever own a "10-Speed" ?



## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips. 

Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.

I actually won a Coast King in a raffle back in the 70s that had index shifting and disk brakes (with tiny disks- not like a mtn-bike).

BTW- Target now sells a $99 road bike that is very similar to the 70s junk.


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## Spinchick (Aug 6, 2005)

*A Murray.*

I got one for my 12th birthday and rode it all through highschool since I didn't have a car. I couldn't even begin to guess how many miles I put on that thing,

I don't think I know what chicken bars are, though.


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## harlond (May 30, 2005)

*World Traveler?*

I had a World Traveler 10-speed. Later World was acquired by Schwinn, so maybe this doesn't count. I really loved that bike and won every bike race my high school ever had on it, but when I replaced it with a Peugeot PKN-10 with Reynolds 531 in the main tubes Stronglight 49D crank, Weinman 605 brakes and--here's the off note--Huret derailleurs, I realized how much better a bike could be. But that's OT, sorry.


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## 9-speed (Feb 16, 2004)

*Oh yeah*

It was '82 or '83 when I bought my 1st "real" bike. It was either that, a bmx bike, or a mountain bike which I thought would've gone out of style immediately and I would be stuck w/ some funny looking bike. But I wanted an "adult's bike." My dad kept saying the Schwinn dealers were too expensive, so I went to Childrens Palace and bought a 10-speed Murray Adagio--shifters on the stem, suicide levers on the top bars (well, attached to the brakes), foam rubber grips, kickstand, 26" heavy chrome wheels. My Italian's not so good, but doesn't Adagio mean slow? 

Murray was a big name in bmx, so I figured if I wasn't getting a bmx I might as well get the name. I think it cost me $120, lot's a $$ for a 12 year old w/ just a paper route.


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## cmg (Oct 27, 2004)

filtersweep said:


> I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips.
> 
> Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.
> 
> ...


had 2 sears freespirits in the late 70's early 80's. the 2nd was the college comutter bike. Both had friction stem shifters, suicide brakes and bolt on wheels. on the college bike i trimed used tires and put them inside the wheels as a second defense against flats, never had a flat and they weighed a ton. yep 70's junk that i beat on for a decade.............


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

filtersweep said:


> I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips.
> 
> Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.
> 
> ...


I had a 10 speed, but it might not qualify as junk...but close. 

Mine was a decent roadbike for a teenager. It was a Japanese lugged steel frame with downtube friction shifters, crome fork, and Suntour DR. Circa 1974 or 75. I don't recall the brakes but they were center pulls, not side pulls. I recall being taught that center's were better than side pulls becuase you got a more powerful and even braking action. No QR's, get out the wrench to pull a wheel. It had those top of the the bar supplemental brake levers. It didn't have a chain guard on the front. I remember my friends always asking why I tied up my pants. It was badged with a European sounding name. It was purcahsed at a bike shop, (on hwy 13 in Burnsville by the Jeep dealer). It was by no means top of the line but it was the right bike at the right time. I rode that thing everywhere with no tube or pump and can't recall ever getting a flat. Better to be lucky than good I guess. 

My sister had a Motebecane Mirage that I lusted for. 

Why did we call them "Spider" bikes?

Scot


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## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

2

First was a generic 10-speed that I bought from a defunct northeastern department store called "Two Guys."

It had Suntour and a bunch of now forgotten parts. Interestingly, my friend had the exact same bike that he paid twice as much for (from an LBS/Ski store) that was branded "CCM" like the hockey equipment.

Second was a Raleigh Grand Prix that I traded a Kodak 110 pocket camera for. White with black pinstripes. It stayed with me until 1992 when I foolishly gave it to Goodwill.


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## kayakado (Aug 23, 2004)

I bought a mid-range C. Itoh in 1968 on a lay-a-way plan. I used to go ride it every time I made a payment. I always kept in indoors and tore it down to the bare frame for lubing on a regualr basis. I still ride it. Last year I rode it on a charity ride and someone miss took it for her friend's brand new bike. It is black with yellow trim, chrome forks, Sugino cotterless cranks, suntour V-GT deraillers, Dia-compe centerpulls. I only bought a newer and lighter bike last year. So now it hangs in the garage as a spare bike for when the new roadie is in the shop. It was a shock to see how far technology has come when I converted to riding a new bike.


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## Alpedhuez55 (Jun 29, 2005)

I had a blue Columbia Ten Speed. I used to use it to do my paper route. I think it had the chicken bars, shifters on the stem and that cheap foam on the handlebars. It was stolen from our back porch after I had it for about a month. 

Since my brother never used his bike after he got his drivers license, I inherited his Triumph Road Bike that was too big for me after the Columbia was stolen. About a year later after saving enough, I bought a decent Lotus Road bike that fit me properly and the rest is history.


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## nate (Jun 20, 2004)

Mine is still in my parents' garage. It is an old Raleigh 10-speed with the shifters on the stem and foam covers on the handlebars (which are probably replacements for the original foam covers).


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## Nigeyy (Mar 30, 2003)

10 speed? That's luxury that is. You were spoilt.

No, I had a 5-speed 35 lb Raleigh Arena in a lovely metallic blue. I can't remember the exact parts -it did have really cheap sidepull brakes that constantly dragged and one (note, not two!) friction shifter on the downtube. The saddle was rock hard solid plastic and I wore it away from a dimpled matt finish to a smooth glossy black. To round it off, I used electrical tape (you mean there was actually tape made for bicycle handlebars in the 1970/80s?) on the handlebars. None of your mamby-pamby gel cushioning, no sirreeee -hey did I mention I had no gloves or helmet, pump, tyre levers or flat repair kit when I went out on it? I did have brake lever extensions on it, which were pretty useless, but did slow you down. After you used them the first time, you realized how bad they were and knew not to depend on them. I think I had a bikestand on it too, though I removed it (shame on me) not so much for the shame of having one, but because it broke......

Still, thousands of miles on it, and my first century on it at around 14 years of age. I used it to commute on when I was at college, but honestly can't remember what happened to it after that.


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## ttug (May 14, 2004)

*memories.........*

My first was a purple monster that weighed a metric ton and was bought at Montgomery Wards. THEN, the upgrade was a yaerd sale bike that was a Schwinn Sting Ray with a red glittery banana seat complete with silver stripes.

However, there were early chopper bikes that were pedal powered and I recall my HOT bike was a chopper with a red flame covered seat and of course, low rider handle bars that enabled enormous power transfer and marked the family dog as a moving target.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

bright yellow sears free spirit. top brakes, stem friction shifters, bolt on wheels, fat tires. my sister had a purple free spirit girls modle, with the stepthrough frame. her stem shifters were indexed. man, i wanted those indexed shifters.

that bike held up for a long time. i saved up paper routes money and eventually bought a 1984 olympic edition raleigh team usa 12 speed. red main triangle, the fork and seat stays were blue with white stars on them. that was my main ride until i went to college and bought a mountain bike. after i though i would never ride roadie again i gave that bike to a neighbor who needed some transport.

damn, i wish i could take that day back.


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## bikejr (Jul 30, 2004)

*10 Speed*

Well it was a Schwinn Continental 10 speed. It had the shifters up by the stem and the brake lever extenders so you could use the brakes with your hands on the bar tops. Got it in 8th grade in 1974 near as I can remember. Some old lady in a car did hit me and we both survived without major damage.

Some kind of copper color as I recall.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*heck yes*

Sears Free Spirit. What a piece of crap, but it got me around. I'd do 50 mile rides on that thing before I was able to drive. Must have weighed near 40 pounds.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

Fixed said:


> Sears Free Spirit. What a piece of crap, but it got me around. I'd do 50 mile rides on that thing before I was able to drive. Must have weighed near 40 pounds.


I'm trying to remember if my 10-speed had fenders... god only knows what happened to that bike.


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## stevee (Feb 4, 2005)

In the early seventies I bought a used Chiorda 5 speed from a guy who bought matching discount store ten speeds for him and his SO. Later he was complaining about how heavy the new ten speed was and how he wished he had his old bike back. I still have that bike and keep it Mama's garage. Recently I bought a 3 speed Coast King for 10 bucks at yard sale and I enjoy riding it on the MUT or around the neighborhood when I'm pressed for time and want to get in a quick ride on something that makes me work a little harder. It also has full fenders so it is great for wet pavement and venturing off the pavement.


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## theBreeze (Jan 7, 2002)

*Yep, direct from Sears*



filtersweep said:


> or something from Sears... QUOTE]
> 
> Can't remember what it was called, but it was beige with brown bar tape and "earth-tone" stripes on the down tube. Bought it about 1975 or 76. I seem to remember the shifters being mounted on the stem? It was a crappy bike but it was transportation to work and summer classes for a couple years. It spent my college years in my parent's garage, but I took it to grad school with me. After a year or so I gave it to an organization that sent bikes to Central American countries and I didn't ride a bike again for almost 20 years.


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## Nigeyy (Mar 30, 2003)

Oh lord! I forgot, my Raleigh Arena 5-speed did come with fenders!!!!!!

And what a joke they were -about 10 inches long if that, and just attached where the brakes went. Even in my naive, befuddled adolescent mind I realized they were absolutely..... useless. I took them off after a week and didn't notice the slightest bit of difference cycling in the rain -they didn't do a thing.



filtersweep said:


> I'm trying to remember if my 10-speed had fenders... god only knows what happened to that bike.


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## stratoshark (Feb 2, 2004)

*sears free spirit*

Ah, this post brings back the memories. Saved the allowance and picked up a Free Spirit model in white with red and blue decals. Stem shifters, kickstand, one size fits all. I'm 6'4" now, was about 6'2" when I bought it - who knew about bike sizes? My town had no bike shop, just Sears. Tubing? Steel, no wait, iron pipe!

But I had a blast on that bike. I rode it to my summer job, even after getting my drivers license, all of 3 miles from home, and faced ridicule from the old timers about riding a bike. Funny how that doesn't change! And it was my cross-training (before I knew the term) during my high school track days. Rode it on Saturdays and Sundays to keep the legs loose. 

Yeah, it was a piece, but it was part of the foundation of what I greatly enjoy today. I kinda miss it, sniff, sniff.


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## PsyDoc (Feb 3, 2004)

*Sears Free Spirit*

Although a child of the late 60's, my Sears free spirit was a red/white/blue frame with all the "old school" accompaniments. Got the bike Christmas morning 1975 or 1976, and spent most of the day on the bike riding around the neighborhoods looking for my dog
who decided to go for a walkabout. Found him later that night.

I too saved up money earned working in a pet shop, but I bought a white Univega Nuovo Sport back in '80 or '81.


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## The Don (Feb 6, 2004)

*Nope, better: Schwinn 5 Speed Stingray*

Blue metallic flake, banana seat, hi rise bars, a slick rear tire, and a shifter on the top tube with a "5" on it. Got it for my 8th birthday. Best birthday present ever!


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## loosecannon (Aug 26, 2002)

*Huffy*

Sure did. Got mine when I was 10 (how fitting is that). Saved up and for my birthday everybody gave me cash instead of gifts. (Including a neighbor kid who gave me a card with 2 one dollar bills in it.) The Sears Free Spirit I wanted with the red, white, and blue sections was too expensive so I got a Huffy from a discount store. Went to buy it on a rainy evening. Cost me $72. My uncle put it together for me. Orange frame, orange bar tape, orange saddle. Plain black tires, none of those silly "gumwalls" for me. Had 24" wheels. Shifters at the stem, suicide levers on the brakes, bolt on wheels. Weighed a ton. Rode the heck out of that bike. Sold it a few years ago at a garage sale. Sad to see it heading down the driveway with a new owner. Don't think I'll part with my first "two wheeler" with the banana seat.


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## Bryan (Sep 19, 2004)

When I was 12 I got a Sears Freespirit for christmas of 1976. I was living in South Florida then (Cutler Ridge) and you could ride bikes year round. Mine was the bicentennial edition with the shifters on the stem and had the brake lever add ons that curled up to the top of the handlebars. (I dont know what you call those things) Red white and blue with white bar tape. Most of my friends had the cheap-o copycat "Schwinn Stringray" type bikes. We used to have sprint races the full length of the street and because I was on a 10 speed, I would have to give them a headstart. I would do everything on my 10speed that the stingray boys would do, jumped ramps and pop wheelies all the way down the street with the thing. I wish I still had it. 

These days a bike is merely a form of transportation for kids to get to their friends house. They ride their bikes to their friends and then sit inside all day playing x-box or on the computer. You rarely see kids playing outside. Maybe the occasional kid on the sidewalk flipping his skateboard into the air and rarely "landing it".


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## dscottj (Aug 8, 2005)

*Ah, memories*

I'm pretty sure I remember them all:

0. 1971 (3 yrs old) - Dad mounts a seat for me on the back of his bike. To this day one of the earliest and most thrilling memories I have is the speed on that thing, peering around my dad's back watching the deserted fields around our housing subdivision whizz by. 

1. 1975 (7 yrs old) - A small "Evel Knievel" bike... white with red white & blue striping and (I **THINK**) tassles on the ends. Dad tried to convince me to ride it without training wheels, but after the second time going into a ditch I wouldn't touch the thing. I don't recall what happened to it. 

2. 1976 - A purple and orange single-gear with the "banana" seat. Still wouldn't go near it without training wheels, until my brother figured out how and then teased me unmercifully until I learned. At mom's insistence, giant blaze-orange flags were mounted on the back, ensuring the bikes would come with their own headwind (she asked when I'd get one on my 30 speed all-composite road bike when I bought it last month... I demurred on a firm answer.) We got those "brum-brum" motorcycle sound boxes that mounted on the handlebars for Christmas, drove the neighbors crazy.

3. 1978 - My brother and I got matching red three speed bikes (from Sears or Magic Mart, a wal-mart precursor), while my dad got a tan and brown ten speed that sounds exactly like what theBreeze had. The hated flags were transferred to these, as I recall they eventually ended up losing the flag part, becoming blaze orange sticks. I remember being cautioned about the free wheel and how to use hand brakes, but I don't remember much else about the red bikes.

4. 1980 - The red bike doesn't fit anymore, but the brown bike does. Dad never rides, so it becomes my primary transport. 2 years in an open carport have warped the wheels so they go "wump wump wump wump" whenever I hit the brakes. The town I lived in had 5300 people and not a single bike shop, so I lived with it the entire time. It definitely had paddle shifters on the stem and brake handles on the tops, along with a "regular" bike seat and drop-downs that everyone who ever rode it except me complained about. Eventually only the chainring shifter would work, turning it from a ten speed to a 2 speed. Used it for years as primary transport to pick up the latest comic books (and, much later, the kind of magazines a 14 year old hides under the bed) and to burn off video-game-induced adrenaline highs.

5. 1984 - Turn 16, get a drivers license, never look back. The bike mouldered away in the garage, dusty and forgotten, until we got evicted from our house 2 yrs later. It probably was given away or sold at a flea market later that year. 

6. 1995 - My new boss lends me his *wife's* bike out of pity when he sees the car I'm driving. Green steel MTB with road tires. I hit a downhill, pass 20 mph, and I'm 3 again, grinning into the wind like a loon. 

It took 5 years before I could afford any bike of my own, and 7 before I got a "real" one and road regularly. But I still remember (or at least think I remember) every single one of them...


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## Indyfan (Mar 30, 2004)

*Yeah, 3 of them.*

The first one was a Murray with 26" wheels and probably weighed half of what I weighed then. That bike was where I learned the rudiments (very rudimentary) of maintenance- bearing overhaul, brake pad adjustment, cable replacement and even some wheel truing. After it got stolen, I got a Huffy of similar design that was stolen within 2 months. Next came a used Schwinn Varsity in high school which probably weighed about a quarter of my then body weight. About that time I started lusting after Fujis and Raleighs of the time (mid to late '70s). Eventually got a Raleigh 531, lugged frame that I built up, but that's into quality bikes....

Bob


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## matanza (Jun 9, 2004)

I bought a Raleigh Record $150.00 to ride with my girlfriend/now wife 1974 She was on a Gitane. The Arkansas roads flatted my tires every time I road from the Airforce Base to town to ride with her. Not much of a roadie then.

Sold it and bought three motorcycles in a short time later. Pedaling wasn't a bit important then nor was weight loss. Maybe weighed 170 pounds soaking wet. OH! what I wouldn't do to be 170 now and able to eat anything in any quantity.

The good old days!


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

*Royce Union*

It was the Early Sixties. I was about twelve. My dad got me a Royce Union ten speed bike. Lugged. Italian made. Light bronze paint job. Huret gears, cottered crank. Wheels held on with 1920's style wingnuts. This was before the days of stem shifters and handlebar foam, so it had downtube shifters and proper cloth tape. I think my dad got the bike for free, and that was about what it was worth. It was impossible to tighten the wingnuts sufficiently, so when I'd hit a decent sized bump, it was even money that a wheel would wobble or completely fall off. The Huret shifter could never hold a gear. I was always in fifth - small cog, small chainring. I quickly turned the rams horn handlebars upward, hobo-style. I did have fun on the thing, though. I rode it constantly. When a wheel would loosen, I'd just get off the bike and tighten it up again.

Before that, I had my older sister's Sturmey-Archered Three Speed Huffy. Of course, I was only eight or so, but I remember it being a quality bicycle. Beautiful, ornate fenders. Skinny tires, not those miserable balloon things.

Later, in college at UCSB, I'd always have a ten buck, wide-tired junker to commute between classes. During the evenings I'd ride the thing on the beach, or to the marsh at Coal Oil Point. I'd watch the sky go dark. I'd listen to the frogs croak. In time, that bicycle would have about ten pounds of beach tar hanging off of it.


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## Thommy (Sep 23, 2003)

*I had a cheap Japanese bike*

In 1974 or '75 my pop bought me a Japanese Ambassador, yellow with gum walls. Fork tube broke after about seven months, I then returned to non-Schwinn 26" cruisers. Everyone else in my 'hood had so-so Raleighs or Schwinns. The older fellas (guys in their early 20's) had nice Motebecanes and Raleighs. How times have changed.


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## Suddha (Aug 2, 2002)

*Kent, Kabuki, Raleigh Sovereign*

The first one got stolen from a bike rack at the Marquette University library. I was devastated. Then I upgraded to a Kabuki. That was a sweet-looking bike - sort of an eggplant dark purple. Seemed so exotic at the time. That one got stolen out of our garage. Then finally, a Raleigh Sovereign that saw me through most of high school and countless "bike trips" - epic 50 mile slogs on country roads. If I only now had the legs I did back then!! I think the Raleigh is still in my parents basement or garage now. Hmmm.... I'll have to look into a single speed conversion project this winter!


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## tmotz (May 16, 2002)

*Sears Free Spirit*

This was about 1976. Rode it for awhile then it was stolen.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

*"English Racer"*

We used to call road bikes English racers - a term I haven't heard in a while. I didn't learn to ride until after our ffamily mover from NYC to NJ when I was 10 YO. My first two-wheeler was a WT Grant version of the Stingray. My neighbor had the real deal - 4 ft sissy bar, metallic flake banana seat, top tube stick shift and all. When I got my "English racer", I used it to explore new fishing holes in my area. Sometimes riding 10 miles or more with a fishing pole in one hand and a tackle box in the other. My brother bent the head tube and wheel when he ran into a parked car and off to the curb went that bike. Believe it or not it was close to twenty years after that until I took up riding a bike regularly.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*No, but*

when I told my parent's I'd gotten into cycling and bought a road bike, they asked if it was a "10-speed." 

They've always referred to any bike with drops as a "10-speed."

WHAT are "chicken levers" and "suicide brakes?"


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## beattle2 (Jul 16, 2002)

*Child of the 60's here*

Of course I had a 10 speed - a Schwinn no less. I turned that handlbars up and could ride wheelies for a block on that thing. I could even jump it like my BMX bike. It had 24 inch wheels not 27 was orange and built like a tank. Loved to show off the wheelies. Don't know what happend to that thing but it was my first road bike. Man it was liberating to have that bike. 



filtersweep said:


> I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips.
> 
> Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.
> 
> ...


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## cmg (Oct 27, 2004)

*suicide brakes*



Argentius said:


> when I told my parent's I'd gotten into cycling and bought a road bike, they asked if it was a "10-speed."
> 
> They've always referred to any bike with drops as a "10-speed."
> 
> WHAT are "chicken levers" and "suicide brakes?"


their the levers that are bent in an "L" shape attached to the brake levers on the side with a screw. they follow the shape of the bars. the brakes only have about 10% stopping power when you use them and are worthless, but in the late 70's almost all department store road bikes had them. Both Sears freespirits i had used them.


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## dawg (Mar 13, 2002)

*Takara*

Takara 10 speed circa ~1977. Pretty nice bike. I had a huge speedometer/odometer on it. Went everywhere on it.


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## bikeboy389 (May 4, 2004)

*FreeSpirit, baby*

Orange and white. Rode that farker from when I could barely reach the pedals (12, maybe?) until I graduated high school. Must have put thousands of miles on it, though it ceased to be my main transpo after I got a moped at 15.

I still rode it in a primitive form of what would now be cross training even when I had the moped and access to a car.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Oh, yeah, I see those on old bikes around campus all the time. I thought they seemed "useful" whilst riding on the flats of the bars, and just guessed it was like 'cross bikes' extra levers. Not so much, eh?


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## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

*Free Spirit*

Metallic red Free Spirit with matching frame pump! My brother won it selling chocolate bars or something and I got it from him.
He is leaning on it in the picture and I am the little girl in the foreground.


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## HouseMoney (Oct 28, 2002)

bikejr said:


> Well it was a Schwinn Continental 10 speed. It had the shifters up by the stem and the brake lever extenders so you could use the brakes with your hands on the bar tops. Got it in 8th grade in 1974 near as I can remember. Some old lady in a car did hit me and we both survived without major damage.
> 
> Some kind of copper color as I recall.


Hey, I had that bike, too! A copper Schwinn Continental 10 speed, circa 1972 or so. Let my sister borrow it and instead of putting it in the garage as I had instructed her, she left it in the backyard and it was stolen at night.


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## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

*Single Speed!*

OK, a no name bike - it was salmon pink, with a white banana seat. No fenders, no nothing - $15 at a garage sale. I loved that bike! Personalized it with a spritz of red spray paint on the downtube.


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## phil. (Aug 3, 2004)

Is that your dad by you in that picture? And you're on the C&O Towpath? I read your post on the commuting/touring board a yesterday or whenever you posted it, great post btw. Really cool that you still can do rides w/ your dad.



zeytin said:


> Metallic red Free Spirit with matching frame pump! My brother won it selling chocolate bars or something and I got it from him.
> He is leaning on it in the picture and I am the little girl in the foreground.


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## mickey-mac (Sep 2, 2000)

I had a Free Spirit: white with red and blue stickers. Sadly it was stolen from the front of the Vons market in Garden Grove when I ran in for a quick bottle of Coke. Lesson learned. Since then I've never left a bike unlocked in a public place where I couln't see it.


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## vol245 (Jan 20, 2002)

terry b said:


> 2
> 
> First was a generic 10-speed that I bought from a defunct northeastern department store called "Two Guys."
> 
> ...


I grew up back there and remember Two Guys.

In the early 70s I had a Sears bike that was a 5 speed. 5 cogs one chain ring. I used to ride it all over the place including a few 40 miles rides which was a lot for it and me. It did not have drop bars. They were the commuter type found on Raleigh 3 speeds. I don't remember much about it other than it was mine and I loved it at the time.


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## DieselDan (Sep 14, 2002)

I had a blue Huffy Omni-10 that (I think) came from a Western Auto. The tires, handlebar padding, and seat were even blue. Rode that to death then I got a Schwinn Paramount.


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## bikejr (Jul 30, 2004)

*Chicken levers/Suicide brakes*



cmg said:


> their the levers that are bent in an "L" shape attached to the brake levers on the side with a screw. they follow the shape of the bars. the brakes only have about 10% stopping power when you use them and are worthless, but in the late 70's almost all department store road bikes had them. Both Sears freespirits i had used them.


 I knew there was a name for those but couldn't remember. My first 10 speed, a copper colored Schwinn Continental did indeed have those. I recall using them a lot at the time along with the shifters on the stem.... Of course I was probably only going 12mph at the time......so who knows...


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## djg (Nov 27, 2001)

*Too old, too spoiled?*

I was born in 1960 and my first bike was acquired in 1966--a basic red one-speed of forgotten lineage. After that came the ubiquitous blue metallic chopper with a banana seat, high rise bars, if not quite ape-hangers, and racing stripes. A great bike, I thought at the time, and for my purposes I must have been right. But my first "ten speed" was a name brand affair with name brand downtube shifters, brakes, etc. That was a Gitane Junior Racer, received amid much fanfare and joy, in 1973.


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## SpikeOOH (Dec 30, 2004)

I just got a green raleigh super course with suntour parts and foam grips, or rather my friend just did, for $20. I'm helping him work on it. We already ripped off the foam grips and fender and kick stand on it because we thought it looked awful. Before we purchased this bike I had never heard of it before. Can anyone tell me anything about this bike? Was it a worthwhile purchase?


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## redlined wrench (Aug 10, 2005)

filtersweep said:


> I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips.
> 
> Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.
> 
> ...


I rode my mom's hand-me down ROSS bike for a while while it fit. It was defiantley from Sears- I remeber the box it came in. Wheels bolted on (fronts had giant wing nuts), stem mounted shifters, cheap plastic bar tape.

I can't really cry poverty though, as my first bike was a small Pugeot with downtube shifts and rather nice lugs. Not a great bike, but a cut above the Ross, or any Murray.
As an adult, I rode a Nishiki touring bike I pulled from the trash. I think it had downtube shifts, but it still had steel bolt ons and 10 speeds. Oddly enough, the steel wheels were the only ones that would stay true- I'd scavange up some alloys and they would go out in a week or so. Probably why I got them free... but its worth remebering that you can do well with a steel rim if you crank the tension up high enough!


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## 10speedfiend (Aug 10, 2003)

*1977 schwinn deluxe varsity*

Metallic red, shifters on the stem and a freewheel in the crankset so I could shift without having to pedal. Simplex derailuers I think. I also had the "suicide" brake levers with foam grips. One of the selling features was its weight. Only 40 lbs! I rode that thing everywhere. Its still in my dads garage outfitted with a straight handlebar and a different set of levers. Have not seen it in years. I also had a real cool double diamond style frame single speed drop handlebar style road bike. It had 24" wheels. I was ridiculed by the kids riding PK Rippers and Redline BMX style bikes. 
Wade


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## Ben S (Jul 14, 2002)

I had a Panasonic 10-speed, down tube shifters, metallic blue. I thought it was the coolest thing. I got if for my 13th birthday. It replaced a Schwinn Stingray. I remember it had some Shimano components becuase I bought a Shimano podium cap to match. My dad had a yellow Schwinn 10 speed.

Great memories.


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## ARP (Mar 7, 2002)

*I'll skip ahead to the 10 speeds*

Western Flyer, 26", 10 speed 26" wheels, sidepulls, orange in color Shimano components. Rode it quite a bit, had a paper route and used it after I got tired of the Monkey Ward 20"er. Then I got greedy and envious. Neighbor kid got a Schwinn Varsity for Xmas, I was green with envy, I could not afford or wait to afford a Schwinn. The opportunity later came to pick up a used Schwinn Continetal with chrome fenders. Snapped it up, rode it for a while until my sister took it to college where it was stolen. I then bought a decent Viscount Sebring (restored a few years ago) before heading off to school.


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## PhotonDon (Jul 12, 2004)

1971- Orange Belgian bike with wing nut "quick release" hubs, Huret deraileurs, and a plastic saddle, no padding. Rode the hell out of it.
1972- vomit green Schwinn Super Sport. Rode my first century at 15 with two seat posts welded together to make the bike fit. No alloy on that bike!
1973- Motobecane Grand Record. NOW we're talking. Still have it (or at least most of it).
But the bike I wish I still had.....1968 Schwinn Orange Krate. 
My parents loved me very much.


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## HAL9000 (May 1, 2002)

1972 Peougeot U08

I really miss that bike. mafac brakes, simplex (delrin body) front & back, simplex quick release, Ideal leather saddle.... man I went fast on that!


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## mossy (Oct 1, 2004)

My friend and I in the mid-70's had the "wants" bad for either a Free Spirit 10 or a Scwhinn Varsity or Continental. He finally got a Varsity for his birthday, never even offered to let me ride it once, the bum. I later got a 10 speed for my birthday, a John Deere, and no it wasn't green and yellow, but black with brown trim, kind of cool, with genuine Suntour components, most likely a free spirit with different decals. It weighed about as much as a tractor.


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## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

phil. said:


> Is that your dad by you in that picture? And you're on the C&O Towpath? I read your post on the commuting/touring board a yesterday or whenever you posted it, great post btw. Really cool that you still can do rides w/ your dad.


yes thanks I xposted the pic after posting here


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## Brooks (Feb 6, 2004)

*Schwinn Varsity, baby!*

I had some generic blue bike, maybe a three speed, but my first real bike was a Schwinn Varsity 10 speed. Blue with suicide brakes and probably a kick stand. We lived in the hills of the SF East Bay and that sucker was 40# at least. I could just get up the city road to our driveway but could never get up the driveway. For my 16th birthday I got a Peugot UO8 with toe clips. At about half the weight of the Varsity and toe clips, I could really climb our driveway and the hill by our high school. I rode that bike from SF to Boston one summer as a loaded tourer. Sadly it was stolen while in college (bolt cutters outside a busy gym). That bike opened my eyes to the joy of cycling that hasn't left to this day.


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## Despacio (Jun 27, 2005)

Hahaha. My first "road bike" was a Univega Safari 10. I loved that bike. I knew things were getting serious when I took the kick stand off. No self-respecting 13 year old road biker was going to be seen with a kick stand.


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## Toothpick (Oct 14, 2002)

I had a junior sized Peugeot, yellow. It was 10 speed w/downtube shifters, was light and very nice. Could ride forever w/no hands.

Then my dad got me a Schwinn Traveler III. Stem shifters, heavy. I couldn't ride it w/no hands because it didn't track exactly straight. I've still got the Schwinn, and even take it out on occasion. It's still heavy, but can get me to the destination (if I don't flat in the rear - no QR) 

It was kind of a bummer to move to the Schwinn, but I never let my Dad know I was disappointed because it was FREE!

On a kind of funny note for those who've heard of it, my Dad got me the bike at Richardson Bike Mart back before Jim Hoyt had any ownership (he also got me the Peugot there). Just kind of funny in comparison to the bikes they carry now.


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## Cory (Jan 29, 2004)

*"Dad, I think I backed over your bikes."*

Whenever I buy a new bike, the old one is so old it's not worth the hassle of selling, so for years I just stuck them in a shed behind our house. I always meant to tune them up and donate them, but over the years I accumulated a dozen, including a Schwinn Varsity, a pink Raleigh singlespeed and a Peugeot A-08 (from college, my first "real" bike).
About the time my son (25 next week) got his drivers license, I rolled them all out and hosed everything off and was going to spend a Saturday getting them running, then haul them down to the Salvation Army. The heir to my fortune came home from school and, trying to squeeze into the 30-by-30 foot parking space I'd left him, backed my new Subaru into the row of bikes. I was able to cannibalize and swap out and wound up with six or seven runners . . . sort of wish I had that Raleigh back, though..


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## matt1 (Jun 25, 2004)

My first bike was second hand and my Dad got it for me in 1968.I was only 7 at the time so I had no choice in the matter. The frame didn't have a brand name. It was black and waaaay too big for me. That was my Dad, ever practical. It had the good old Sturmey Archer 3 gears but unfortunately the link that goes into the hub got broken after about 2 weeks. 
More unfortunate was the fact that I lived in Fiji at the time and Fiji didn't have a bike shop. The link broke with it stuck in top gear with no way of fixing it. This bike was really heavy and I recall it had some sort of big disc brake on the front wheel. Needless to say I experienced nearly 2 years of hell with a bike that was too big, really heavy and in top gear so I couldn't even climb a small incline let alone a hill. I think this experience scarred me for life. I still can't climb for nuts.


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## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

*Loved the Kabuki's*



Suddha said:


> The first one got stolen from a bike rack at the Marquette University library. I was devastated. Then I upgraded to a Kabuki. That was a sweet-looking bike - sort of an eggplant dark purple. Seemed so exotic at the time. That one got stolen out of our garage. Then finally, a Raleigh Sovereign that saw me through most of high school and countless "bike trips" - epic 50 mile slogs on country roads. If I only now had the legs I did back then!! I think the Raleigh is still in my parents basement or garage now. Hmmm.... I'll have to look into a single speed conversion project this winter!


I had two. One I traded in on a new one and it was stolen too....wish I had that bike. I did a 21mph average for a 27.5mile triathalon leg on it in 1981. I have been trying to find one to buy and convert to singlespeed. I can't find one.


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## harvey (Feb 27, 2005)

How about a 3-speed J.C. Higgins made in Austria?


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

Some of the bikes in the garage when I was growing up - 

Mine: CCM - red, Schwinn Varsity - red, Fuji-ice blue - don't remember the model 

...and then came my first real racing bke... Eddy Merckx - orange - W/Campagnolo Super Record group, Cinelli bars & stem, Mavic tubular rims - MA40?? with Clements and Concor saddle

Brother: I only remember his Fuji Del Rey - black

Mother: Schwinn Continental - red

Dad: .... get this, John Deer - white


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## DieselDan (Sep 14, 2002)

bikejr said:


> I knew there was a name for those but couldn't remember. My first 10 speed, a copper colored Schwinn Continental did indeed have those. I recall using them a lot at the time along with the shifters on the stem.... Of course I was probably only going 12mph at the time......so who knows...


Oddly enough, Safty Levers. There is a new version that is gaining some popularity with the touring and cyclocross set that is intergated into the brake cables.


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## aliensporebomb (Jul 2, 2002)

*Oh yeah...*

First ten speed? I have a picture of me with it new somewhere:

-Schwinn Traveler III (apparently the first two renditions didn't work too well?)
-I rode that thing to death. Thousands and thousands of miles.
-I had it from when I was about 13 until I was 27 or so. 
-I rode it to friends houses, did 40 mile most-of-the-day-in-the-summer rides
with it, eventually using it to commute to a job 10 or so miles away.
-I eventually added a Cateye Solar to it (the first Bike computer I ever saw),
a cool device - the solar cell charged the rechargeable battery so it would last
longer. It had cadence too. Cool device, wish I still had it. 
-I also added a very expensive german halogen headlight that used a generator
that ran off the tire and had a head and taillight.
-One day it was STOLEN. It was found literally almost 20 miles away - someone
used it to get somewhere and when it was abandoned - someone else vandalized
it.
-I got it back but it was never the same after that. I gave up cycling for about 8
years before getting back into it.
-I eventually left it out for curbside cleanup in our town here - someones probably
riding it now. 

I'm guessing I must have put at least 12-15,000 miles on that bike - probably more.
I didn't get the odometer until later and I didn't keep detailed records in those days.


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## Walt Dizzy (Nov 9, 2004)

*First "big" bike...*

...had no identifying stickers. Or maybe my memory is just bad. But it was a single speed, and red. I hot-rodded that bike by buying a Sears 3 speed rear wheel and bar mounted shift lever. It was so cool! I was one of the first kids in my school to have gears. It must have been about 1967.

One of the other kids challenged me to a drag race. I was winning until I had to shift and blew it. My brother inheirited that bike when I got my '74 Motobecanne. Still have that one.

Walt


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

filtersweep said:


> I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips.
> 
> Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.
> 
> ...


I had a Montgomery Ward Stingray clone and after that died got a red Schwinn LeTour 10 speed. It had a console shifting unit and brake extentions so you could brake from the tops. Rode many a mile on that bike. Cold do wheelies on it even.


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*Raleigh Sprite 27 - 5 speed*

My brother and sister-in-law gave theirs to my wife and me. Hers had the cutest pink basket like the one on the Velo Bella's team shirt. I rode mine around a bunch but don't remember what I did with it. Divorce and drugs can have that effect. About 5 years later I got an Austro-Daimler Inter10 and life changed forever.


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## commuterguy2 (Feb 23, 2004)

*blue nishiki sport*

...this might have actually been an early '80's bike. Suicide levers and the rear wheel was bolt-on, but I think it had a QR front wheel.

Actually, the more I think about it, I realize that was a really sweet bike. It had ten speeds, but I only used four of them--the granny, small ring/middle cog, big ring/middle cog, and big ring/smallest cog.


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## techie470 (May 25, 2002)

*Still have one*

A 77 Nashiki International, it sat in a friend's garage for 20+ years. One day I stopped by as they where cleaning out and they saw me looking at it. She asked if I wanted another bike....PLEASE?? Turns out the bike been riden less then 100. It's my size so off we went. Over the years I've swapped out the Chicken levers/Suicide brakes with side pull and got rid of the stem shifter with bar-ends and put on a rack I had sitting around. All the new parts where from clearance sales and stuff I had, but I probably spent more then the bike cost new. It's now used for trips to the local stores and rides around town.

Back in 72 I bought a brown Schwinn Continental with the money from my first real job. It replaced the Schwinn Typhoon paper route bike. Sold the Continental around 78, never rode it after I bought a car and motor cycle.

Steve


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## ralphbike (Aug 13, 2005)

*Sears cross country*

I had a Sears 10 speed that I picked up in New Orleans at a garage sale for 50 bucks. The guy selling the bike tossed in a primitive set of paniers and a book on cycle touring as part of the deal. I got pretty excited when I read the book on cycling touring. I was getting tired of New Orleans so I decided to head back home to Seattle on the Sears 10 speed.

The paniers were really just to open bags, and I had to toss my possesions into plastic gargage bags to keep them dry. Every time I took a quick sharp turn a corner of the paniers would catch in my spokes and all progress would stop. Forutunately the rims were built like those of a tank, and I never sustained any serious wheel damage. Also on steep uphill climbs my chain would usually catch beween the inner back cog and the wheel hub.

Flat tires were another adventure. The pump I had--I think it may have got tossed in as part of the 50 dollar deal--would only fill the tires up to about 30 or 40 pounds of pressure, and of course I had no quick release hubs so it was out with with the crescent wrench to remove the wheel. Forutunately I was ablle to top of my wheels at gas stations, and replacement tubes were always readily availabel at any Sears or Coast to Coast across the country.

Still, I thought I was doing pretty good until I ran into another cross country cyclist from New York city going through the Columbia Gorge. He had apparantly been working in a bicycle shop for 10 years preparing for this trip, and he did not hesitate to point out all the faults with my 10 speed, starting with the way the joints were welded.

I pretended not to care, but when I finally got back to Seattle I started reading up on bikes. The Sears did have all the things you were supposed to avoid when buying a bike. I though I would keep it and restore it anyway, but when I took apart the hub to lubricate the bearings, metal shavings fell out all over the place.

I went shoping for another 10 speed and bough a Japanese bike called a Saki. I remember my first ride on that and feeling absorbe bumps and thinking "woa" this is really something. I took that bike on a round the world tour, and still have it as my backup bike, although my main bike is now a Seven Axium.

Still, in a lot of ways, I don't think any ride will ever compare to that first, ignorant cross country ride on my old Sears 10 speed. A few years ago my mother called to say she was cleaning out the garage and what did I want her to do with the old Sear bike. "Dump it," I said.


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## mandovoodoo (Aug 27, 2005)

I had my dad's old 10 speed. Gold color, wonder what it was. He was riding it in the mid 1960s. I know it had Huret derailleur in the rear that would sometimes work! Looking back, it only took me 2 years to go from gas pipe tank to 531 Nuovo Record & tubulars. Plus a fractured skull and some interesting scars!


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## Brent N (Feb 27, 2021)

filtersweep said:


> I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips.
> 
> Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.
> 
> ...


When I was a kid, I started with a piece of crap single speed Dad bought at a police sale for $5. My next bike was a way too awesome Schwinn 5 speed Lemon Peeler which I had for a very short time before it was stolen. Parents replaced it with a Schwinn single speed Sting Ray. Later I got a 3 speed Schwinn. Dad won a 5 speed Schwinn in a raffle and traded with me. I never had a 10 speed growing up. When I was in my 50’s, my car broke down and I didn’t have enough $ to get another car. My son gave me a Giant Iguana. It is awesome. I also bought a Giant Cypress. The Iguana was much better for getting through a wooded shortcut. Those got me to work until I got another car. Fast forward to 2020- I am retired and was walking through my Brother-in-law’s barn. I found his rusty old Murray Wildcat, and my dearly departed Father-in-law’s old Murray 10 speed. He gave me both rusty old bikes. With parts from some free junk bmx bikes from Facebook marketplace, I got the Wildcat rideable again. To my surprise, the tires on the rusty old 10 speed actually still hold air after sitting in the barn for over 40 years. I had to replace a brake cable, and knocked a bunch of rust off. The left shifter and cable is missing, so until I find parts for that, it is just a 5 speed...


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

Brent N said:


> When I was a kid, I started with a piece of crap single speed Dad bought at a police sale for $5. My next bike was a way too awesome Schwinn 5 speed Lemon Peeler which I had for a very short time before it was stolen. Parents replaced it with a Schwinn single speed Sting Ray. Later I got a 3 speed Schwinn. Dad won a 5 speed Schwinn in a raffle and traded with me. I never had a 10 speed growing up. When I was in my 50’s, my car broke down and I didn’t have enough $ to get another car. My son gave me a Giant Iguana. It is awesome. I also bought a Giant Cypress. The Iguana was much better for getting through a wooded shortcut. Those got me to work until I got another car. Fast forward to 2020- I am retired and was walking through my Brother-in-law’s barn. I found his rusty old Murray Wildcat, and my dearly departed Father-in-law’s old Murray 10 speed. He gave me both rusty old bikes. With parts from some free junk bmx bikes from Facebook marketplace, I got the Wildcat rideable again. To my surprise, the tires on the rusty old 10 speed actually still hold air after sitting in the barn for over 40 years. I had to replace a brake cable, and knocked a bunch of rust off. The left shifter and cable is missing, so until I find parts for that, it is just a 5 speed...


This is some story! After over 40 years, I would definitely replace those tires, the chain and the rear shifter cable. At the very least, check the tires for small cracks - dry rot.


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## n2deep (Mar 23, 2014)

Never a 10 Speed,, As a kid I had a paperboy special that I put a bizillion miles on, great bike for the desert with wide tires and a little suspension in the front. The fenders were solid enough to support a passenger, great bike for a kid. I didn’t get a bike with gears until my first real mountain bike, a Diamond Back, in the late 80s. Some great stories, good thread.


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## redcrow (Feb 9, 2021)

bikejr said:


> *10 Speed*
> 
> Well it was a Schwinn Continental 10 speed. It had the shifters up by the stem and the brake lever extenders so you could use the brakes with your hands on the bar tops. Got it in 8th grade in 1974 near as I can remember. Some old lady in a car did hit me and we both survived without major damage.
> 
> Some kind of copper color as I recall.


I also had a Schwinn Continental for my first 10 speed, and mine was that same copper color. It was the 1965 version and had a Huret rear derailleur that used a down tube friction shifter. The front derailleur was a simple lever that pivoted on the seat tube and had a cage that derailed the chain when the lever was pushed. Loved that bike.


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## b4_ford (Mar 20, 2010)

First geared bike I had was a Huffy Santa Fe 10 speed with yellow foam grips. I must have been 8 or 9 when we got it.


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## azpeterb (Jun 1, 2006)

When I was 11 y.o. in 1977 my parents gave me a 10 speed from Western Auto. I think it was called a Western Flyer but I might be wrong about that. The thing was a whole lot of blue. Blue paint, blue cable housing, blue bar tape, blue saddle. I would leave it outside in the rain and snow but it always worked just fine. I would try to see how far I could skid with it. Fun bike and fun times.


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## xxl (Mar 19, 2002)

My very first "10-speed" was an "Irish Spring" bicycle I bought for the then-princely sum of $120 and a few boxtops from Irish Spring soap ("Manly, yes, but I like it too!") It was green (of course), and probably Japanese. One of the most unusual sales promotions ever.


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## b4_ford (Mar 20, 2010)

On a related note, if you ever had the chance to own you first department store 10 speed, would you fork over cash to do so? There’s actually a Santa Fe for sale that I could buy, but it seems like a waste of $60.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

b4_ford said:


> On a related note, if you ever had the chance to own you first department store 10 speed, would you fork over cash to do so? There’s actually a Santa Fe for sale that I could buy, but it seems like a waste of $60.


Absolutely not. An exercise in empty nostalgia. It'd be enough just to look at a picture of it.


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## azpeterb (Jun 1, 2006)

b4_ford said:


> On a related note, if you ever had the chance to own you first department store 10 speed, would you fork over cash to do so? There’s actually a Santa Fe for sale that I could buy, but it seems like a waste of $60.


I would only do that if they started selling Pegorettis at WalMart.


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## b4_ford (Mar 20, 2010)

Mapei said:


> Absolutely not. An exercise in empty nostalgia. It'd be enough just to look at a picture of it.


But it would be funny to give it my kids to ride and record their horror. That alone might be worth the $60.00....


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## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

filtersweep said:


> I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips.
> 
> Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.
> 
> ...


I was given a Sears flat bar 10 speed with down tube shifters for Christmas when I was 12 that I rode until I joined the Navy after high school. I had asked for a better bike with drop bars and better derailleurs but that was not to be. When I got back from boot camp on leave I found out that my father had given my bike away to another sailor he worked with (we had issues it seems), so I bought another bike (a Raleigh CroMoly beauty), this time it had the gear I wanted, which I took with me to my first ship assignment in San Diego.


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## 80turbota (Dec 3, 2011)

My first was a Sears Free spirit. Bought it with my paper route money. Had a beast of a climb to do twice a day. Once a month I had to do it 3 times.. Way easier with that yellow machine. I outgrew it and moved on to cars. When I was in the Air Force I bought a Murry. The best balanced bike I have ever been on. When I started riding on base there were only a couple people riding. When I processed out there was about 20 of us. I should have started sooner. There would have been more I am sure.


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

b4_ford said:


> On a related note, if you ever had the chance to own you first department store 10 speed, would you fork over cash to do so? There’s actually a Santa Fe for sale that I could buy, but it seems like a waste of $60.


I never owned a department store 10 speed, but a beast of a low end early 70s Gitane I bought used in 73. I don't have any nostalgia for it. Crappy fit, crappy saddle, crappy drive train, crappy gearing, crappy steel wheels.


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## bleckb (Jun 13, 2005)

I had a Sears brand, most likely, stingray back in the day, but around 1973 I got my first 10-speed, a Motobecane Mirage, from an actual bike store. I think it cost about $100. All I had to do to earn it was sledge hammer the concrete in our drive way so a new one could be poured. I would have been about 15 at the time.


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## jnbrown (Dec 9, 2009)

1970's Raleigh Record was my first 10 speed.


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## DPD (9 mo ago)

filtersweep said:


> I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips.
> 
> Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.
> 
> ...


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## DPD (9 mo ago)

bleckb said:


> I had a Sears brand, most likely, stingray back in the day, but around 1973 I got my first 10-speed, a Motobecane Mirage, from an actual bike store. I think it cost about $100. All I had to do to earn it was sledge hammer the concrete in our drive way so a new one could be poured. I would have been about 15 at the time.


I received a C Itoh ten speed from my dad as a HS graduation gift in 1974 in Detroit. Not a great bike, but it was sturdy and got me around. Brought it to Oakland, CA where it was stolen while locked at the Jack London Bart station around 1982. Not sure why anyone would steal it since it was not valuable except to me as a sentimental gift.


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## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

My first bike was a 26" 3-sp from Sears. I know they used to sell Raleighs with the "Free Spirit" nameplate on them in earlier years, but by 1972, they were American-made, with non-lugged frames and Bendix internal-gear hubs. Still, it was a nice-enough bike, but it was getting small for me when somebody decided to steal it from the bike rack at my high school in my freshman year, so I went to the local bike shop (the one I worked at a couple of years later..) to look at their used bikes.
I ended up with a minor-label Belgian bike, an "Arrows", which had Huret derailleurs, aluminum rims, Brooks saddle, and seamless straight-tube lugged frame. Nothing terribly great, but just a bit above 'basic' American 10-speeds. I rode it for at least a year, until a car hit it while chained to a light post. That's when I got my Px-10, but that's a different story...


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## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Mapei said:


> Absolutely not. An exercise in empty nostalgia. It'd be enough just to look at a picture of it.


As for 'empty nostalgia', I still have a circa 1970 Raleigh10-sp upright "Dutch cruiser" style bike, with full fenders, mattress saddle, and long shifters on the stem.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

HAL9000 said:


> 1972 Peougeot U08
> 
> I really miss that bike. mafac brakes, simplex (delrin body) front & back, simplex quick release, Ideal leather saddle.... man I went fast on that!


That was my first road bike, in the classic white with black detailing. I rode my first century on that bike. It was stolen in 1978 and I am glad not to have it anymore - not that I hated it but because those delrin shift levers would be incredibly dangerous to use now (I have seen several that broke right at the end of the aluminum sleeve, gouging the rider's palm).


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## Stever65 (8 mo ago)

filtersweep said:


> I'm talking about a down and dirty hardware store, gas station, or department store bike... Like a Coast King... or something from Sears... or even a Murray- with requisite stem shifters, bolt-on wheels, chicken bars, and a kickstand. Bonus points for rubber grips.
> 
> Anything with QRs, a name brand tube set, or down tube shifters does not count.
> 
> ...


I bought a new Bianche Strada 10 speed at Kantor's in the Bronx for less than $100 in the 60s. Before that, I had a Rudge English 3 speed back in the 1950s. I bought a new Raliegh International from a bike shop on 14th Street in NYC in the 80s, but UPS lost it when I shipped it to California before moving there. Their insurance paid for it, and later I bought a restored Raleigh Competition from a bike restorer in Santa Monica. Lately I ride a woman's Trek 7200 which I fished out of a dumpster and bought new tires for. I enjoy the twist shifters, though it's more than 10 speeds.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

Stever65 said:


> I bought a new Bianche Strada 10 speed at Kantor's in the Bronx for less than $100 in the 60s. Before that, I had a Rudge English 3 speed back in the 1950s. I bought a new Raliegh International from a bike shop on 14th Street in NYC in the 80s, but UPS lost it when I shipped it to California before moving there. Their insurance paid for it, and later I bought a restored Raleigh Competition from a bike restorer in Santa Monica. Lately I ride a woman's Trek 7200 which I fished out of a dumpster and bought new tires for. I enjoy the twist shifters, though it's more than 10 speeds.


The Trek 7000 series hybrids were good bikes and the predecessors to the FX series. Unfortunately, grip shifters are becoming increasingly rare except for cheap Wal-Mart bikes. They used to be on some higher end mountain bikes. I have installed them on all my mountain bikes.


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