IdahoBrett 

This summer has been my return to biking. First I dusted off my 15 year old MTB. And then I started looking at older bikes. Fast forward through all that, I bought 7 bikes this summer. No, they weren’t all for me. The whole family got at least one.

I also traveled down memory lane to when I was young and in the Air Force. I had a 1985 Trek 500. I had this crazy idea I would train for a triatholon. While stationed at Edwards AFB in the Mojave desert where the wind always blows. A few too many out and backs, bucking a stout headwind for 10+ miles, nipped that in the bud. I loaned it to a friend because it just sat. He had a part time job washing dishes at the Officers club and didn’t have a working vehicle (he had more than one). He figured being The O-club he didn’t need a bike lock. Wrong. He got about 3 rides out of it and it was gone.

Another trip down memory lane was the bike of my younger youth. I got my first brand new bike at 12. A 12 speed with 26” wheels. I rode that bike everywhere. One summer in high school I rode 7 miles to a friends house and then we rode out to a popular campground/lake 13 miles further, where many of the local girls could be seen in skimpy bikinis. At the end of the day I returned home. It wasn’t 7 days a week. But it was no less than 3. Many hunting adventures with a bow or gun were strapped to my back took place until I left for the military in 1987 as well.

Those were my thoughts of that earlier bike. But I couldn’t recall brand. Just colors. Over a decade ago my Father asked what I wanted him to do with my old bike. I said to haul it to the dump. Sorry all. I was in a foul mood for a year or three back then.

Now today I asked my Mother the family photographer if she had any pictures of my old bike. Of course Mom does. She snapped a couple of pics with her ipad and sent them my way. And all may not be lost. Don’t want to be too hopeful. But dear old Dad thinks he carted my bike to a cousins farm and not the dump.

Not to worry it hasn’t been an active farm in decades. And said cousin is a world champion hoarder….errr…collector. He keeps having to build pole barns cuz they keep filling up. With anything mechanical. Think he has 4 or 5 now and they aren’t little pole barns. So my old bike may be retrieved as soon as I travel halfway across the country for a visit.

But even with pictures I can’t see the manufacturer. It was 1980 and wouldn’t have been an expensive to most. But for Pop’s it probably was, taking care of Mom and 3 kids. A reflector is blocking the badge. The model is a Medalist. Any ideas out there? Thanks all.

juvela

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one-piece chainset

shimano gear ensemble

steel sidepull brakes

top tube transfer reads "Medalist"

would think the two most likely manufacturer candidates to be Huffy (Huffman Corp.) and Murray

but those be guesses only

here is another example bearing some similarities and some differences to your cycle

perhaps they are from the same maker but differing model years...

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when you are able to retrieve the cycle from whichever pole barn is it's current residence you could check the serial marking

a marking which begins with the letters HC would indicate a Huffman product manufactured in the firm's Celina Ohio plant

the serial placement and format would be more meaningful than a brand name for determination of manufacturer if the cycle were contract supplied to a chain store and sold under the store's house brand

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thinktubes 

+1 on Murray

women’s version

AdventureManCO 

A gorgeous beauty that one is You could probably pick up one for pretty cheap nowadays, if you really want the nostalgia and the one at the farm isn't there anymore. You may find that memory has been too kind to you over the years in that regard, but it can be changed to be lighter and faster

juvela

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Thank you!

Interesting that the distaffer exhibits a differing seat stay treatment than the gents.

The gents is almost a 'bone.

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IdahoBrett 

Thanks all! I thought about cropping my face out of the photo for internet anonymity. But when I showed my kids photos of my bike, they asked who was standing there with it.

Nostalgia only covers the good parts. I’m sure it was a heavy booger.

I appreciate ya’ll!

IdahoBrett 

Reverse image search on google yielded. "Coast King" some have said it is a rebranded Huffy sold at Coast to Coast. Which was the most likely store for my folks to have bought me a bike at in 1980.

Head tube badge I found matches:

AdventureManCO 

I think there is a Coast King near me for sale.


Edit: found it. Rough but $30.

can’t send link over phone for some reason but listed in Denver CO

IdahoBrett 

Thanks! AdventureManCO I called my cousin and he doesn’t recall receiving my bike from my Dad. But with a caveat; he has over 100 bicycles and it might be there. He’ll look the next time he’s at his property with the pole barns. He also said he’s thought about getting rid of them all, including some older “French road bikes”. He doesn’t get rid of anything. Ever. I let him know depending on brand/model/components a “French road bike” could have some value. Stay tuned to my saga…..

plumberroy

Huffy actually hired local high school kids to test ride bikes. Basically you were given a bike put in a group and told to go to some place they provided lunch and you ride back . You made $20-$25 a day and got to ride around with the girls. I graduated from Celina High School in 79

AdventureManCO 

100 Bikes?! That was be worth a road trip just to peruse!

AdventureManCO 

Huffy really was the best

IdahoBrett 

I agree!