The topic of bicycles arose during a recent supper conversation at our house and we began comparing memories about bicycles. Bikes have become more prevalent lately with soaring gasoline prices, but in any neighborhood that contains children, you are sure to find bikes.

I clearly remember getting my first bike, it was a knock-off of the Schwinn Sting-Ray, lime green with a black and silver banana seat. My older brother John and I each got bikes at Christmas in the late 1960s, when, according to the Schwinn company, seven out of every 10 bikes sold in the USA were Sting-Rays or Sting-Ray knockoffs.

Having six children, it was no small feat that my brother and I both got bikes the same Christmas and it goes without saying that they had to be knock-offs. The Sting-Rays were to children of my generation the "Holy Grail" of bicycles. Even though there was a foot of snow on the ground. We spent countless hours customizing the bikes, extending the front fork, experimenting with different size wheels, getting our own "custom" look.

This was as close to "Easy Rider" as a kid could get, and we ate it up with big spoons. This was the era of hot rods and muscle cars, and some smart people in the bicycle industry realized that they had a market yearning for a chance to make a statement with their bikes.

The rich kids in the neighborhood who were able to afford the real Schwinns were always ready to lord it over us. There were even a few that had the Krate, the most famous Sting-Ray of them all. The Krate had hot rod paint, a small 16-inch front wheel, fat rear tire, rear shock, springer front end, and infamous Stik-Shift, which caused more than a few injuries during stunts or sudden stops. The Stik-Shift was mounted on the frame and allowed the rider to shift gears. It was a car design on a bicycle. Cool to look at, hard on the body when attempting sudden stops. Eventually, the federal government spoiled the fun and forced the removal of the Stik-Shift.

The younger kids in my neighborhood took great delight in in using playing cards and clothespins as noise makers on their bikes, the spokes of their wheels causing the waxed cards to make what we thought was a really cool sound. It must be a universal or genetic thing, because you can still see kids today clipping playing cards to their wheels. I wonder how many decks of cards were rendered useless in the name of bicycle coolness.

As I made my own money on my paper route, I eventually purchased my own bicycle, ordered from the local hardware store. It was an orange 10-speed (take that Stik-Shift snobs!), equipped with a generator to power a headlight and tail light. I soon learned that the extra force required to power this generator on flat areas or inclines wasn't worth the cool factor. I literally rode that bike until it fell apart. By then, I was "too old" to ride a bike and began saving for my first car.

Schwinn is bringing an updated version of the Sting-Ray to stores, and if by chance you have one of the Krate models in mint condition, Schwinn says they can fetch as much as $2,000 on the collector market.

It was never about the money, always about the ride and being cool -- as cool as a 10-year-old can be, that is.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

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