ecsjr

Picked up a Huffy Aerowind on CL because I was the first one to show up with the $20. Pretty bad shape, but the paint is good.
The original "Aero" brakes were shot, so I replaced with a set of White Weinmann 570 Top brakes i had picked up but never found anything sutable to put on.

So its a bike with a theme....Huffy and Weinmann....when both were trying to move up on the Quality Ladder.

Before:


After:

old and new

I think it's a wonderfull acquisition ! You got your moneys worth. I'm likin' it too.

mkeller234

Heck yeah! I would have bought it too, just for the fun goofiness of it.

What is going on with the shift lever placement??? What is so aero about that!

ecsjr

Yea the shifter placement is a strange one. They are mounted on a clamp that fits around the top tube and against the head tube. I tried to place them in other spots, but won't fit anywhere else.....and I was trying to keep the parts that were still good.

awc380

Nice handlebars, though.

Bianchigirll 

that is a very good score. nice conversation peice. you should start a rumor that this bike inspired Columbus to make their MAX and MS tube sets *giggle*

OH you still have the original brakes for when you sell this rare, one of a kind, custom, vintage, lightweight racer yes?

big chainring 

Was this the one on Chicago CL? Cool bike from the "aero era". Say that 10 times fast.

shrinkboy

that is very cool. i'd snapped on that had it been 62cm

ecsjr

Yes Big Chainring.... it was the one on CL that said "first $20 takes it"

What's that saying about more money than brains?

yepyep

Man, I still want a Huffy Aerowind so bad. It is really wonderful Americana. $20, score!

Tundra_Man 

I remember when the "Wind" bike came out. It was the only bike for which I can ever remember seeing a TV commercial.

There was a guy hunched over on the drops spinning for all he was worth, while the Christopher Cross song "Ride Like The Wind" was playing.

Nice find!

rhenning

Looks familiar and mine was also missing the brakes. Roger

USAZorro

Sorry to be the bubble-burster here, but what you got is a heavy, gas-pipe conversation piece. When it comes time to ride it, I predict you'll be much less than impressed.

It does look to be in great shape, and I like the bars - worth it monetarily, but ...

Peter_B

No bubble bursting involved.... I think most everyone knows it's gaspipe and tres wierd/cool. I want one to go with my two Hetchins, my Bates, my Olmo, my Somec, etc. It's all good...

ModoVincere

Mine should be here Tues. or Wed. this week. Paid a bit more then you did, but I've been looking for one of these for a long time.

jtgotsjets

I am reasonably sure everyone already knows that. The interest here is primarily enthusiasm for what was then and is now quite a strange, almost humorous bike, not because it is actually aero or fast or nice or anything.

Personally, I'd be a little afraid of one of those crimped tubes folding in half at the wrongest possible moment.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

I've got a "Wind Sprint" from around the same time period. Its a glorious piece of 80's trash...totally hilarious to ride

sonatageek

I sold one last year to a guy in Florida for $125 plus shipping. It was in great shape, but that was much more than I would have paid. It was interesting -- and I liked the Adamas Pedals.

mrhedges

do you guys remember about a year ago when someone was trying to sell one on Ebay for like over 1,000 dollars? good bike for $20

rhenning

Actually the Adamas group is very interesting and had some Shimano firsts including a version of a octilink crankset. The Aero Wind is a nice riding bike considering its price and parentage. Roger

ecsjr

Not bursting any bubbles Zorro...i'm NOT saving it to sell as a classic in 2020. Probably shouldn't have bought it, but can't help myself.

Actually, my Borther-in-law had one back when they were new....that's why i remembered it. Its not going to replace any of my other bikes on the next Century.

rehnning, yours looks like the later one (or earlier one- who knows?) with the different rear stays and i think original 27 inch wheels.

rhenning

Yes it has 27 inch wheeis. I have no idea as to what year it is. I bought it as a foot note in history not as an investment but I never buy bikes as an investment. Roger

norwood

While I would agree that is not a preferred method of drop-out construction and joinery, consider all the millions of Huffy kids bikes and cruisers and such with this construction. Then consider all the untold use and abuse (jumping off everything imaginable) and outright torture, (my own Huffy included) with nary a failure.

Tundra_Man 

This reminds me of a memory of a Huffy failure I witnessed about 30 years ago. We were at the neighborhood BMX track, which was an empty lot that some kids attacked with a shovel to build a makeshift course. There was one particular jump that was much higher than all the rest. It took a lot of psyching ourselves up to take that jump. Not everyone had the guts to go over it. I did once, and that was enough (and I was quite the daredevil in my youth.)

A friend of mine on his old Huffy dirt bike had worked up the nerve to attempt it. He came barreling across the lot aimed directly at the jump. At the last second, he lost courage and bailed off the bike. The Huffy continued on its own up the jump and sailed through the air. I still remember watching as the fork detached itself from the frame mid-flight. The bike landed in two separate pieces then went tumbling across the field. My friend was very lucky he aborted the attempt when he did.

Of course, I believe the cause of the fork failure was induced few minutes prior to the incident, in which he was making repeated attempts to see how fast he could ride straight into a brick wall. He wasn't the brightest bulb in our batch.

Now back to our regularly scheduled Aerowind discussion.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

we used to jump our BMX bikes (mine was a huffy, of course) into the Walkill river on hot days...it was only like 2-3 feet deep so we'd build a ramp along the shore, launch into the river and just ride out in waist deep water. Bikes took a lickin and kept on tickin.