Originally Posted by
Ironfish653
Wow, this is a Boomer thread if ever there was one.
Generation X (me) who’s rapidly approaching 50, came up in the 1980’s. Our first ‘real’ bike was a BMX; in our teens and 20’s ( in the 1990’s) we rode MTBs.
Boom-era ‘ten-speeds’ were what our parents rode. The Stingray? Wasn’t even on the radar.
Road racing in the US was always sort of an enclaved, cliquish thing; and with the traditional rules, structure and ‘putting your time in’ didn’t really appeal to Gen-Xers individualism or the general 80’s vibe.
A lot of broad generalizations here. I'm also a Gen-Xer (although I hate the label, thanks Douglas Copeland!), and didn't own a Stingray. My first 'real' bike was a 'ten-speed.' I did go and watch BMX races in Tucson in the 70s, but didn't ride them myself. I road raced in the mid-late 80s. Didn't ride MTBs until 2000s.