What was your first 'good' bike?

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I had a couple of Eaton's Gliders (rebadged Raleighs from England) when I was a child. They were pretty basic - heavy steel single-speeds with coaster brakes, and very reliable. Quite expensive for the day when inflation is taken into account. After outgrowing the second one @ around 13, I didn't ride a bike again until I was in my last year of college. I bought a used Canadian Tire 5-speed from a classmate for $60, and rode it for a couple of years.

Then, it was time for my first bike-store bike. In April '84 I bought a Norco Bigfoot mountain bike for C$425. It was 3 x 5 speeds, and had Chang-Star cantilever brakes. In retrospect I should have gone for the Norco Sasquatch - a lot lighter, and quite an upgrade, but hard to justify @ C$600. The Bigfoot was my primary bike until late '02. At that point the rear derailleur got sucked into the back spokes and bent that part of the frame. Jr took it over a couple of years later, and converted it into a single-speed fixie winter commuter. He rode it for several years until the frame finally broke.

Anyway, here's a much younger me with my pride and joy in '84. I bought a Bell hard-shelled helmet in '85, and later got cycling clothes. My hair seems to still be here although it is a lot shorter now, and has changed colour. As well, I've bulked up a bit with valuable adipose tissue.
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MTB? Cannondale, then a Marin (from California USA) which I love and still have, and now I also have an Intersens (Dutch), all I believe with Deore or Deore LX.

For road, an old Fuji 10 speed, then a K2 3x9 with Tiagra, I now ride a put together Scatante compact 2x9 with 105.
 
I still enjoy my early 80's model Raleigh Corsa. It gets the job done just fine. But my BMC carbon is much nicer on rough roads and longer rides. My Cannondale MT400 is fun to ride for an older MTB.
 
Growing up, I had a Diamondback BMX bike and than a Giant Perigee road bike with downtube shifters in 1994. I didn't understand the weird valve stems at first and I got a presta to schrader adapter.
I bought a Raleigh M50 mountain bike with money I got back from the 2001 tax relief act. I had bad luck with that Raleigh and threw it in the trash. I managed to ruin two rear wheels on that bike
over shifting the chain into the spokes. Busted a bunch of spokes and taco'd the rear wheel.
 
Still riding my Mid 90's Cro Moly Gary Fisher Mountain bike. One shock replacement along the way - the original had elastomers in it that eventually distinigrated... The brakes have been upgraded, but the rest of the drivetrain, even the grip shifters are original. I keep riding it because, well, things don't seem to break much on it. Until something else does, we keep on riding...
 
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My first bike-store bike was a Mercier 10 speed. Bought it new in 1971 for $125US. Simplex derailleur, Mafac centerpull brakes. It was a huge step up from the hand-me-down AMF Hercules that I was riding.
 
Bought a Velosolex L'Etoile road bike, full Reynolds 531 frame and fork, in 1975. Still ride it. I paid $225 on a closeout sale. Changed bottom bracket, wheel sets, cluster and neck over the years. Candy red with gold finished Mafac brakes.
 
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Originally Posted by MNgopher
Still riding my Mid 90's Cro Moly Gary Fisher Mountain bike. One shock replacement along the way - the original had elastomers in it that eventually distinigrated... The brakes have been upgraded, but the rest of the drivetrain, even the grip shifters are original. I keep riding it because, well, things don't seem to break much on it. Until something else does, we keep on riding...


Those older chromoly frame mountain bikes ride like a dream.
 
Hercules 3 speed bike growing up. Never has a problem with it "Brazed and bonderized in Liverpool". Great bike for its era.
 
Huffy, with stripped handlebars. We got ripped off by the neighbor kid, paying $50 for it, but it worked. I built up some good arm muscles keeping the handles steady, too!
 
"Rollfast" 24" girls bike, my dad took it to the local welder and he moved the bar to the top and made it into a boys bike. Shredded many a pantleg on its unguarded chain.
 
Originally Posted by redbone3
Shredded many a pantleg on its unguarded chain.


Chain guards,kickstand,and all reflectors were the first things that came off all our new bikes
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I had a Raleigh Gran Sport, it had a Simplex derailleur with downtube plastic friction shifters. I rode that thing till the frame broke.
 
Mongoose Pro Class Eric Rupe Signature series. My grandmother bought it for me my parents were shocked when they found out it cost $700+ with extras! This was in 1984. What a beautiful BMX bike hand welded frame made in the USA
 
In 1981 or 2 I had a Fuji Sports 12. Rode that bike everywhere. Finally bent the frame.

In 1991 or so I got a Schwinn High Plains. My first mountain bike. Then a Cannondale M300 which got overhauled twice into a lighter and faster bike. Then a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR 29, then a few 907 fat bikes and now a Surly Krampus.
 
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