How many of you older guys had a Stingray as a kid?
 

Or any of the banana seat/ape hangers/20 inch tire bikes popular back in the day? Mine was a Monkey Ward 3-speed with the shift lever on the top tube, a leopard pattern seat and gold frame color. Don't ask me what my parents were thinking that year. The bike was quite a sensation at school. It ended up being stolen after about a month.
You?

1969 Schwinn Apple Krate bought new from the cycle & mower shop, with lawn mowing earnings and my big ;) allowance.
I'll come back and add a pic later

I had one, but acquired it used. It was repainted (probably had been stolen at some point) and had a regular seat. It was effectively a mountain bike and was often used for that purpose.

Yes I had a green one with a 3 speed shifter on the top tube as well.

Late 60's gold fastback, 5 speed suicide shifter.
Rode that until I got a varsity about 1973.

Yup, my dad bought it used, 3 brothers rode it in succession after we outgrew the Schwinn Pixie.

I actually laughed out loud when I saw this thread.

Had I posted it it would have read: "How many of you younger guys had a Stingray as a kid?"

I did buy a '98 issue Apple Krate for my daughter on her 11th birthday. (which she still has)

My ride was a Mattel Stallion. Ultra-cool “chromo” - great on a dirt path but weighed a ton and dang near impossible to hold a wheelie.


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Around 1969, when I was a kid in Brooklyn, I had a coaster brake Rollfast with the banana seat and stingray-type bars. Later (much later) in life, I had a Schwinn Pea Picker Krate bike with the 16" Drum front brake wheel and rear Disc Brake. I wish I had thought to take a picture of it. I sold that one.
I did take pictures of a Schwinn Fastback and a re-issue Apple Krate. The fastback was a $4.00 garage sale find in rough shape; I know that the repaint and decals are not very authentic. I gave these to my nephews who actually do ride them!

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I couldn't afford a Sting Ray.
As an 11yo, I did get a purple muscle bike from Sears called "The Rail" -- banana seat, ape-hanger bars, 5-speed with a simulated walnut plastic console, on a frame a bit longer than the StingRay or other muscle bikes.
I saw one come up on eBay a couple of years ago.
It looked almost new and went for $800.
I have to say I was tempted.

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Yeah, I didn't have money for a sting ray either but I did have some kind of banana seat bike. The first one was too big for me so my parents gave it to my brother (some Christmas present, thanks Mom ;) ). The next one fit ok and probably came from sears, zayre, or kmart.

I'm another one with an allowance that barely kept me in gum and Good-n-Plenty. But a neighbor nabbed a bike at the dump and my dad guided a repaint and resto-ray. I sanded for days and each evening I was told not smooth enough. I painted it metallic lime green like my uncle did his Harley and had enough dough for a lime green Schwinn banana seat and sting ray bars. Mom wouldn't allow a sissy bar.

I had a Huffy, black with black banana seat. I think it was purchased at Western Auto, if you remember those stores.

1970 or so. Best Christmas present ever:

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Apple Krate. Rode it for a decade, believe it or not.

DD

i have an X-15 Mattel Varoom trike today.
I bought it for my son 17 years ago off eBay.
My brother and I had one in 1965. Super radical rear wheel steering, the way the rear arms were set, flops over the control stock and the trike banked into the turns. An industrial design feat.

first Sting Ray was 1966 Christmas, 3 speed stick shift, in Coppertone Gold, it took lots of lobbying to get my parents to buy it, we visited a number of shops, my father was bummed Schwinn’s were “fair traded” all the shops had the same price. We looked at other brands, cheaper but more gears, The American Eagle 5 speed... the new Raleigh Chopper... interesting but, nah.
I rode the heck out of that bike.
stolen less than two years later...
then the shocker, I would have to buy the next one myself...
took almost two years, saved all allowance, washed cars, house sat cats, chased inflation.
bought a single speed coaster brake version in late 1969. Was bummed that the shop called my parents to make sure it was OK to buy the bike... fortunately my Mom did state, why are you calling me, it’s his money.

Good/Bad was I was on my own regarding buying bikes from then on. Took another 30 months to buy my first road race bike.

My introduction to the stingray was a bit weird. My family emigrated to the US in 1966. Prior to emigrating, I was enthralled by the Tour de France, the Milk Race and the derailleur racing bikes of that era...the only other bikes around were 1- to 3-speed standard bikes . Upon being unceremoniously dumped into the US non-bike culture (due to my parents emigrating to California), the only bikes around were stingrays, 3-speeds and a very few Schwinn Varsity 10-speeds, none of which were even remotely related to the racing bikes that I was familiar with in England. I soon obtained a drop-bar 3-speed, as close as I could get to a racing bike, however my brother and all my friends were riding these weird stingray bikes. I eventually purchased a racing 10-speed with my paper route earnings (Raleigh Record) but most everyone I knew had a stingray and I did ride many of them. I must say that the stingrays were fun and I think they provided the impetus for the much later mountain bike craze since they were pretty useful off road and bog slow on the road.

My brother and I got matching Sears 24" Spyders exactly like the one below for Christmas when I was about 14. We thought they were motocross bikes and rode the heck out of them. We broke pedals, cranks, stems and handlebars, bent wheels beyond truing, and my brother eventually broke his frame. Dad took it back to Sears (satisfaction guaranteed!) and they sent it out to have the frame brazed. I don't remember what happened to them but we either gave them away or junked them.

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Another one that didn't have the shekels for a Sting Ray. I did get a single speed coaster brake American Eagle (pre-Nishiki)

These are so weird. 24 inch fork on a 16 inch wheel in a 20 in beach cruiser frame fitted for a tween.

By my childhood it was all BMX and anything with a banana seat was a girl’s bike.

Due to my childhood grasp of economics and social classes, I hated them and resented the kids who had them.

I wanted one, but even the 50-mile trip one way to the dealer was expensive for us. The bike itself was out of the question.

I tried to convince myself my Westpoint banana bike was as good. I was not persuaded.

I started out on a Campus Green Schwinn Sting-Ray.
I progressed to a Kool Lemon 3-speed Collegiate (the camelback frame- the smallest they made).
Then to a Kool Orange 5-speed Collegiate (a 22" frame- the largest they made. I grew fast).
Then a Pearlescent Orange Le Tour III.
About that time I started working at the local Schwinn shop and I bought a 26" Superior. I started collecting bikes at that point. As of right now I have a 3-speed Super Sport and a 24-speed Superior plus a cargo bike and 3 recumbents.

There were also rear slicks and sissy bars. Weird.....yes, but I could feel just like Peter Fonda even though I was only heading to a little league game with my baseball glove hanging from the handlebar.


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The REALLY older guys had Schwinn 3-speed English Racers. They bought stingrays for their kids.

Raleigh Fireball DTR coaster (single speed coaster brake) - in gold. (thanks to whomever loaded the catalog)


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We had a Raleigh Chopper when I was little, but it still was old and we didn’t think of it as a serious bicycle, more of a funny weird bike. I was rolling my Mongoose bmx with tuff wheels on the regular.