TiHabanero

The addiction started innocently enough in 1971 on a Saturday around 2pm. Dad and I drove to the Schwinn store with my paper route money to buy my first geared bicycle. Eagerly I handed over 104 dollars even including sales tax for a Sierra Brown Varsity with the optional derailleur guard (1 dollar extra). Four years later I was into it deep, reading everything out there about bicycles. Tom Cuthbertson had Bike Tripping in paperback and I read it through and through. Touring was the goal, and I was about to embark on it.
Bought it out of the window at the Schwinn store. Opaque Red Super Sport. This bike served me well on tours from Michigan to Georgia, and up to Canada. After that the world opened up and racing became part of that world. Raleigh's and Miyata's were the race machines. Then in 2000 I was given a couple sets of tubing. Reynolds 531 was one of them and it became my first design and build. Have built a few more to boot.
What was a simple exercise of showing a young man what earning a paycheck, and saving those dollars can do, became a life long obsession and a passion of immense proportions. A tip of the hat to my dad, that wise old man.

pastorbobnlnh 

Let's hear it for Dads and Moms who teach their children the value that hard-work can lead to great satisfaction in adulthood.

Prowler 

It was a few years earlier for me and it was lawn mowing money. Mine was a campus green Varsity. I learned many fine lessons from my Dad, especially the value of things I paid for with my own money. Well written Ti.

Roger M

It was a couple of years later for me. I helped my Grandpa get firewood from the forest in Northern Idaho for a month during summer. I was paid $160, and went straight to Ken's Cycle to pick up my new red 1974 Le Tour.

That bike gave me a newfound freedom.

Thanks Ti, for the memories.