The Birth of BMX
My first bike i think was a Huffy (purple) at age 5
It came from Roses Dept. Store
Had it at my grandfathers house one time on a visit (age 7) - and he backed over it with his station wagon. (ruined)
It was my fault for parking it where i did, not his.
But the next day we all went to the Schwinn Shop and he bought me a Schwinn Grey Ghost Springer/Chopper bike.
I didn't even get to pick it out.
It wasn't what i would have picked - honestly ended up not really liking it.
It was heavy and hard to peddle (big front sprocket)
But it looked Killer and Super Cool
Fast forward a couple more years - Evel Knievel is King
who could ride the longest wheelie and who could jump the ramps the farthest.
Grey Ghost was a total turd for all that, i had to borrow friends bikes.
Then we met up with this "older cooler guy" who was the Bicycle King
Guy could ride a one-handed wheelie about a mile (other hand was giving peace sign or middle finger- depending on location)
And he had real motorcycle dirtbike handlebars - first we had ever seen on a bicycle.
And a small 10 speed seat.
There was no such thing as BMX bikes or BMX kits yet, back then.
So he was the pioneer in our town - and we followed suite.
Thats when we all became stunt riders - show offs.
He knew all about working on and building bikes - none of us did.
So we learned (9-10 year olds)
He said all the Schwinns were just way too heavy to make a good jump bike.
I traded the Grey Ghost to him for a half-ass backup bike he built for himself.
It was a ready-to-go Jump Bike with dirtbike handlebars, knobbies, 10 speed seat.
My parents were ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS i traded the Grey Ghost.
i thought it was a great trade. LoL
Broke the frame in less than a month from big jumps.
We were getting braver and braver , and the jumps bigger and bigger
Regular handlebars (medium and low-rise) would bend from hard landings after a while, then break - everybody had to have real dirtbike handlebars to take the punishment.
We all had various makes of bikes - we broke every frame known to man.
But we didn't have Schwinns - "they were too heavy".
Got a new Sears bike and swapped all my stuff over to it - broke it in 1 week.
Sears gave a replacement bike for the "defect-bike"
Broke it in 1 week - Sears refunded money
Got a new Columbia bike - broke it in about 2 weeks.
They gave a replacement bike and said no more warranty.
Broke it in less than a week.
Had it welded and gusseted and it was holding up for a while.
So here's the punch line
The older guy i traded my GreyGhost to - had secretly decided to tear it all down and build it into a Jump Bike (Schwinns were No Good, Too Heavy, remember)
We all were breaking frames and getting re-welds on regular basis.
He rides up on the skeleton of my Grey Ghost one day.
Still doing mile-long wheelies, and jumping just as far as ever.
New Rule - Schwinns are the Ultimate
We all need to find Schwinn frames.
I wanted to strangle him. lol
He had my GreyGhost frame and i wanted it back !
So i tell my Mom - if i can get a Schwinn frame i won't break any more.
" NO - NOT buying you a new Schwinn - too expensive - AND you HAD one ! "
" And you said they were No Good ! "
Well Mom, turns out, we found out they will work just fine.
And the welds on my Columbia are cracking
" Too bad your GreyGhost couldn't have been turned into a jump bike "
Well, he actually did strip it all down and built it, and jumping with it now, and he loves it.
She just about blew all her gaskets ...but she settled down ...and laughed at me.
Found an early 60's Schwinn Typhoon in Trading Post paper for $20.
And she bought it for me
Never broke it with about 8 more years of hard riding/jumping
It was a cream-puff original with big long chrome fenders front and back, and a spring loaded solo seat.
All that went straight into the garbage.
We all had Schwinn frames within a month or so of him converting the Grey Ghost.
I "think" 1 or 2 "might" have been stolen.
idunno
maybe
idunno
