Nostalgia Thread - First BMX, MTB, Road Bikes

[Frozone]

Meconium's thread on restoring an old bike got me thinking about first steeds.

Bike years correspond to acquisition years.

First bike was '76 Suzuki BMX bike
First road bike '83 Gitane Super Challenge (sold to buy first pair of mtb clipless pedals)
First mountain bike '91 Schwinn Paramount 50 (Shimano DX, SIS thumbshifters, still have the original wheels in the attic)
First Suspension Fork, Grey, '92 Manitou 1 (purchased immediately after getting smoked on a Sundance downhill by a hardbody chica on a Rock Shock equipped MB-1. (I thought those new shocks were for pansies and motocross, yea right)

Wadya got?

[NorCalSJK]

First bike- mid 80's Purple Mongoose Freestyle bike(rotors, front/rear pegs)
First Mt. Bike- 1988 Peugeot Orient Express(black, cargo bag in back)
First Suspension bike- 1996 Specialized Rockhopper(front suspenstion)
First Dual Suspension- 2005 Cannondale Prophet(see stoke thread)

[funkendrenchman]

First non kid's bike - i have no clue what it was
next bike - late 90s Giant mtn bike, rigid
first real bike - 2000 Independent Fabrication hardtail
first squishy bike - 2001 Kona Stinky Six
first pimp bike - 2004 Norco Team North Shore (too big)
current ride - 2004 Cove Peeler

[SkiingBear]

first bike - some cruiser styled, ape-hanger handle bar, banana seat thing...repainted by my dad
next bike - Early 80's Huffy BMX...it was the heaviest bike I have owned to date
first mtb - 90? Giant Iguana...my father convinced me I needed a 22" frame
first suspension bike - '96 Giant ATX 860...hardtail, had an RST 1.5" travel fork...still ride that bike, but only the seatpost is still original, everything else has been replaced
first real road bike - 2004 Felt F60
first single-speed - 2001? Schwinn Mesa GSX...bought the frame and pieced the rest together

[bigtrubs]

first bike w/out training wheels: a really sweet green something that you pedaled backwards for brakes

next bike: Some purple somethingorother

after that: a Nishiki hybrid everything bike

first bike to get me stoked to ride down stuff fast: Cannondale Chase II

first bike to break my shoulder: see aforementioned Cannondale

fastest bike: a Nishiki road bike from the 80s donated by a cousin.

sorry about the lack of technical details...

[truth]

1st bike: Schwinn Stingray w/ banana seat, red on red
1st bmx: Hutch Pro Racer
1st road: Centurion Criterium 1986
1st mtb: Specailized Stumpjumper Comp rigid 1991
1st susp: Gary Fisher custom 1995 (JUDY SL)
1st real road: Yeti Road Pro custom 1996 (for sale)
2nd real road: Specialized S-works (fitting next week)

[Viva]

1st bike: a little red tricycle that, when it broke, my mom gave to the Mexican dude down the street (Mr. Bedrano?).

1st bicycle: Some nasty-looking thing from Pep Boys

1st road: Univega SportTour that I still have after nearly 25 years. Now converted to single speed with X-tires.

1st racing frame: Diamondback Expert TG. Essentially a Centurian rebadged to Diamondback. nice bike that I didn't ride enough.

1st MTB: Scott Sandoa This thing absoultely hurled. I could tell almost immediately upon riding it hard that it would quickly break on me. Everytime I hammered on it, the thing would creak and groan like a cheap whore. I sold it within weeks to a student for exactly what I paid for it. The next MTS was a Jamis Diablo and that was a worthy bike.

[Shepherd Wong]

1st BMX was a Kung Ko
2st Mountain was a Diamondback apex.

[biggins]

I like this thread, here's hoping it keeps going.

First bike- Columbia beater turned into a ghetto bmx by the rents for my 6th b-day.
First real bmx- Red Line MXII
First 'sweet' bike- Diamond Back Woody Itson Strikezone (sweet flatlander)
First MTB- '89 Specialized Rockhopper- with a 'HeightRight' on the seatpost
First fully- just acquired '03 Cannondale Gemini (fuck yeah)

[gravitylover]

First bike - green garage sale cruiser
First new bike - 1974 Kent 3 speed banana seat, shimano twist shift with HUGE sissy bar and dual side rear baskets. This bike was cool, I could take two friends with me.
First road bike - 1976 C Itoh, Reynolds 520 with full Campy Nuevo Record but started out with Suntour Superbe. Had racks on the rear to carry a golf bag on one side and a surfboard on the other. Cost was $40 to have the racks welded up to fit on the frame just right. Weight without the racks was 18 pounds in 1978.
First MTB - 1984 Diamondback, 18 speed with those weird integrated stem/bar things. Poor bike didn't make it through the car wreck when I jacknifed on I-80 outside Elko in an ice storm, it was on top of the trailer.

Current collection includes ORIGINAL PRISTINE 1982 Stumpjumper, Jamis Dragon and a few purpose built pieces. My wife has a sweet 1994 VooDoo HooDoo built with 1998 XT 8 speed (possibly the best drivetrain ever).


Viva - That Scott was all about light and fast, not durable, kinda like the MB Zip at the same time. Did you really think it was an everyday bike?

[cj001f]

First Bike - Schwin BMX circa 1986
First Road Bike - Specialized Epic 1993
Current - Cannondale R500 & Vicious Slider

[Meconium]

First bike- blue banana seat bike with a removable top tube to make it a girls or boys bike.
First and only BMX- Columbia black and yellow I think it was bought at Riches department store
First and only road bike-Nishiki something or other
First MTB- 87 Trek 830
MTBs to fallow 91? Trek 8000, 94? Funk, 97 Marin Team Issue

Picked this up in 97, trying to get it on the road

[Ghisallo]

1st bike - Unknown cruiser style bike... (Location unknown)
1st Road bike - 1970's era Viscount Red Frameset... Cool! (Disappeared)
2nd Road Bike - Vitus 979 with DA White Frameset.. 1980's (Crashed-Gone!)
3rd Road Bike - Look/Bernard Hinault (Le Vie Claire Team Replica) frameset Mid 80's (Hanging on my Wall)

1st Mtn Bike - GT Avalanche (Sold To a friend)
2nd Mtn Bike - American with Shimano XT (Still Have it)

4th Road Bike - Litespeed Ghisallo (Current ride)
5th Road Bike - Specialized S-Works Festina Edition, with DA 9spd (Current Ride)

Well, those are my previously and currently owned bikes..

[bagtagley]

1st bike: POS blue bike w/ hard rubber tires and a coaster brake.
1st real bike: Some sorta BMX bike that my dad and I stripped and repainted. Absolutely loved it until it got stolen from a friends house.
1st Mtn: Camo Columbia bike from Sears. It actually wasn't too bad.
1st Real Mtn: Supergo Alu-something-er-other. Stole it from my brother and upgraded it a bit.
1st (and only) Roadie: LeMond Buenos Aires tricked out w/ the complete Campy Record package...cranks, brakes, hubs, everything. I bought it to train while a broken collar bone healed. Sold it the following year.
1st Fully: Gary Fisher Joshua F2. Y bikes are funny. Got it 3 weeks after the upgrades to the Supergo, cause they just weren't cuttin' it.
1st Big Squish: SC Bullit. Still have it. It's on its 4th season and still tearing it up.

[bad_roo]

Oh man, you're taking me back to the old days!

In the eighties I was fanatical about BMX. My old man would never buy me one, so being somewhat single minded, I went out and won one - a Raleigh Aero Pro Burner. After that I got into trading them with friends and buying and selling parts. Along the way I recall having

Kuwahara KZ-1
PK Ripper
CW ?
Diamondback Silver Streak
Team Mongoose (red with yellow Skyways)
Redline Carrera

I always wanted a Diamondback Harry Leary Turbo in black chrome. Maybe I'll get one to hang on the wall someday...

[Frozone]

Oh man, you're taking me back to the old days!

PK Ripper

I remember borrowing a kid's PK Ripper that was for sale. I had it for a day and thought I had never ridden anything finer... I remember reaching BMX nirvana as I rode it through the golf course, bunny hopping ditches, launching of berms, harassing old ladies with baggy skin and baggy shorts... Those were the days.

[ill-advised strategy]

BMX: early 80s redline from pawn shop

MTB: +- 90's Bridgestone MB5

[sfotex]

First MTB: Schwinn Paramount 40. Put a Scott shock on it, then went to a sweet amp fork. Then someone stole it. Fucker
First Road Bike: Centourion Ironman Expert - Had Suntour GPX groupo.
First Dually Mtb: Giant Trance

[InspectorGadget]

• Gold Schwinn Tandem w/front hand brake & two-speed kick-back. I can't claim it as my own as it was a family bike; but, when you're 8-9 years old, a tandem makes for some serious transportation.
• First bike of my very own - Red Schwinn Stingray Custom w/front hand brake, two-speed kick-back, rear slick and the obligatory red banana seat
• My first road bike wasn't cheap - shop employee price was $250. Shut-up! That was a bunch of money in 1974! Unfortunately, the only thing I remember about the bike was the Sugino Mighty Comp cranks and Dia Compe brakeset. My brother was riding my baby when he got hit by a car that folded the bike in half.
• My first mountain bike was a 1986(?) Stumpjumper Team.
  
  After I broke my clavicle on the Stumpjumper, I loaned the bike to a guy at the shop I was working in and he promptly broke his clavicle. I named the bike Christine. I later sold the bike to a girl named Christine and they had many fine years together.

I wish I still had the Stingray.

[crashnburn'd]

My first bike was some sort of small BMX bike painted and stickered in a Dukes of Hazzard theme. Foreshadowing the bicycling problems I'd have in the future, I fell on my first ride and got my foot caught in the chain, cutting my leg all up. I still have a nice scar on my ankle from it.

My first mountain bike was a Marin Shoreline Trail. I actually still have the bike, but I've replace nearly everything on it except for the frame (which has had the swing arm welded back together). As soon as my Nixon shows up (hopefully this week), it will be retired from XC duty.

[marshalolson]

1st BMX: 1984 GT white
1st mtb: 26" wheel SE racing
1st squishy: trek 990 w/ xt & atom race (2000)
1st road bike: 1982 bianchi w/ DA track group

current: azonic steelhead & mercian fixie w/ super record pista

[Camel Toad]

1st kick ass big wheel: the Green Machine!
1st bike : unknown, dark purple, banana seat, broke the frame dad welded it back together
2nd: raleigh 10sp, black
3rd: 91 giant iguana, full rigid (eventually full XT)
4th: gt something or other broke it, transferred parts to iguana
5th: 99 gary fisher ziggurat (xt)
6th: 01 klein quantum pro (dura ace) - fast and light
7th: unknown trashed raleigh, stripped and built as trashcan singlespeed
8th: 04 cannondale jekkle, fun ride
9th: 05 surly 1x1 fully rigid

got rid of everything just riding the surly now

[neil_asheville]

What a great one to bump back up. Who doesn't like nostalgia threads. Nowadays, if it's not self-propelled, has griptape, or a wireless controller the kid ain't interested. Gone are the days of nothing else to do but harass and destroy neighbors yards on redlines and schwinns. I just spent an hour on www.bmxmuseum.com! Here are my early submissions.

The Green Machine days: there was nothing like doing, at what seemed to be 100mph, donuts down a wet driveway.


Seems like the Stingray was IT for a 6 year old in the 70's. Hell yeah...


I rode the wheels off one of these from 8 to 10 years old...


'82ish BMX racing days...the Redline Proline.

Now here I am full circle searching around TGS for new '08 Redline 29er setups. Nice.

[FJ62]

I had a big wheel but the first true bike I remember riding was a little BMX Huffy with red mag wheels that were metal of some sort. Thing weighed a ton but I tooled all over the neighborhood with it.

At some point, a Federated (remember those?) opened near us and they were giving away bikes with any purchase over 100 bucks at the grand opening. My first road bike (and our first VCR) came from there... no-name 10 speed Chinese road bike that was too big for me but I didn't care. Had the weird dual brake levers so you could brake with your hands on the top of the bars, or in the front of the bars.

At some point, launching that thing off curbs caused the wheel to get dented and go out of true. I think I got a Raleigh mountain bike next... and the rest is history.

[Roo]

1984 and 1985 saw me repeatedly bunking on the train from Southampton to Southsea to spend almost every weekend at the skatepark with my Mongoose BMX. The daddy stunt at Southsea was to ride down a slalomy sort of bowl and then leap over the pedestrian walkway and land in the biggest deepest bowl. First time I did it I wrecked on the railings with not enough speed. A couple of weeks later I had another go and did a banzai overshoot, destroying a Skyway wheel landing falt in the middle of the bowl. I finally dialled the trick and could do laid flat one-legged tabletops over it. I was in BMX Action Bike magazine back in 1985 doing that. Wankers spelled my name wrong on the caption!