I'm looking for a bicycle to use on the trails I walk. I'm thinking of getting a 20" BMX type 'cause I'm short and afraid to fall off something bigger. Lot's O rocks and fallen trees.
I remember my first 'adult' size bicycle. It was a Huffy with 26" tires, single speed, red(yuck). With the seat at the lowest position, I still couldn't reach the ground without tipping the bike over to it's side. I hated that bike. My parents bought it for me for me 8th Birthday. I wanted a 20" Sting Ray, Banana seat, Butterfly handle bars. I got the Huffy instead. I had that bike until 1972 when my mother bought a second-hand Sting Ray for $20.00. I loved that bike. Best B-day present ever. A few months later a friend was selling his Sting Ray bike.
It was a Schwinn Sting Ray Rat Rod. It looked exactly like this one.

http://www.popscreen.com/p/MTYyNzA5...d-Vintage-Krate

I rode as it was for two years until Evel Knivel came along. I took off the the front forks, banana seat, butterfly handle bars, replaced the forks with a standard set, added a 20" front wheel, a triangle seat, and regular straight handle bars and this bike was now a BMX monster.
As a Rat Rod, it was hard the do a "wheelie". With the modifications, I could "wheelie" for over a mile. I had this bike for over ten years and my son learned to ride this bike. It was stolen shorty after that. I miss that bike.

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If it flies, I can crash it!

Got a yellow Sting Ray brand new from the bike shop around the corner when I was about 10.

Those Banana Seats were a lot more comfortable than anything I have ridden in the past 15 years.

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Bernard J. Herman Ohio RLS

Starport Sagitta Rockets
email bherman@sagittarockets.com

NAR # 97971 SR

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A friend of mine had one of those too. Another friend pulled a 1 mile wheelie as well.

Now, I have two 10 speeds that I rarely get to ride. I prefer the old ones to the mountain bikes.
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I had a near mint Schwinn Stingray Fastback (Collegiate Green) that I rode for as long as I could (I was/am too big for it). I could have sold it for a very good price, but instead, gave it to my best friend's son, so that someone of this generation could experience what we had.

A bicycle is a good idea and a lot of fun. Go to a reputable bike shop, tell them what you want the bike for and let them fit you. They make mtn. bikes for every and any sized person. Honest. If a BMX bike is really what you want—same thing. Go do it.

I wish I had something in your size. I have too many bikes and have to start getting rid of some.

In '08 I quit work and pedaled across the country, ocean to ocean. I had planned the trip for two years and I'm very glad I did it. I met a lot good, kind folks and saw the country like you can't with any other conveyance and that was the whole point—to see the country, as I had never been past the Appalacians. Turns out my friends had a pool going to see how far the fifty year-old fart would get before throwing in the towel. Nobody collected. If anyone should ever have the time, I highly reccommend it.

Oh, and the only epiphany I came away with is that this nation is populated with the very best sort of people. It's no wonder the United States is as great as it is. And bicycles are very close to magic.

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Retro-grouch

Wow, Foamy, your picture of that Stingray sure does bring back a flood of memories. Mine was lime green. I remember vividly going down a super-steep hill and losing control of it. I lost a lot of skin to the pavement then! The front wheel started to wobble uncontrollably on the way down. I don't remember if I thought to hit the brakes or not.
It was still ridable, though.
I'll never forget the faces of folks in cars riding by staring at all the blood over my face, elbows, and knees.
That bike got stolen a few years later, and I ended up with a Sutter ten-speed, bought at the Raleigh Shop here in Columbia. Loved that bike, too.

Allen

Great post foamy. I had a black fastback just like yours with a speedometer. Loved that bike. Sold it of $35.00 in the 70's. Now they are worth about a grand.

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BAR in his second tour of duty.
Nar# 32629

Don't confuse wheel size with frame size. Mountain bikes or hybrid style bikes come in 4 or 5 frame sizes and run 26" or 700C (29") wheels. If you have the smallish frame, your standover height and reach should be proper, reguardless of the wheel size.
Larger wheels will roll over stuff much better than little wheels. The current trend in Mountain bikes is to 29" wheels, up from 26" wheels of the past. my 5'4" daughter rides a small fram Trek 29er and can rip up the trails.

Great story Foamy. I drove across this country several times and in all four directions.

I found my huffy. It's call a beach cruiser.

http://www.socalbicycles.com/BikeHistory.htm

Scroll down to the Beach Cruiser.

I should have been greatfull but I was too embarassed when I rode my bike. The only time I had fun with it was when we saw the Monkees ride the bike into a lake we did the same thing and then everything was cool. Everybody wanted to ride my bike into the lake. The bike had a large crank which made it hard for an 8 year old to petal.

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If it flies, I can crash it!

Now THAT is a story and a journey to be truly envious of. I was a bike-aholic as a kid and well into my 20s and 30s. My odometer on my trusty 10 speed back in the day was around 8700 miles when the odometer broke. Still have that bike but the opportunity to ride now is greatly deminished.

Your crosss country trek would be a ride of a life time....my hat is off to you sir!

Earl

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Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

That is an awesome ride story, Foamy. How many miles did you rack up on that little journey? What bike is that? I ride a couple of thousand miles a year, but half of that is on dirt singletrack, or snow.
I never got a schwinn fastback or crate, I had the Sears equivelent. I did get a sunset orange schwinn varsity with paper route money. I wish I knew how many mile there were on that thing.