homelessjoe

In 1959 my older brother bought a new Schwinn Black Phanthom....[a big beach cruiser].......in 1962 when I turned 12 I got it handed down to me......I stripped off the fenders and tank and chainguard and rode it from sun up to sundown literally.....my wheels of freedom.......there was a bunch of us boomers and if you didnt have a bike you couldnt hang out with the gang....if you had a flat your life was ruined........for the next three or four years we toured all over lower Michigan........the great lakes lakeshores state parks fishing hunting camping out to the beach.....spring summer fall....we did 60 or 100 miles a day without thinking....all of us could peddle all day long.......I tied my waxed canvas backpack on my rear rack....sleeping bag to my seat .....my ww2 army canteen wired to the side of the rack and I had one of those aluminium lunch boxes wired to my handle bars.......eight peanut butter sandwiches two apples two bananas and a bag of peanuts...my pocket knife and four of five dollars in my pocket I would be good for a week at least.............when I turned 15 I got a real touring bike .....a 1965 Schwinn Varsity........10 speed !..........of course now I have a Miyata 1000 and for backup I have another Miyata 1000. and a LHT....but the moral is ......its not about the bike at all.........