Back in My Day, I Biked 25 Miles to School, Both Ways, Up Hill, in the Snow, in July

[krazygl00]

Back in my day, we ALL had cycling shoes. They were called sneakers. They featured Dual-Sided Pedal Entry technology, unless you upgraded to what were called Toe Clips. Toe Clips were a performance upgrade that cut off circulation to the toes and were engaged by the user reaching down – while moving – and cinching a leather strap, making emergency disengagement nearly impossible.

Back in my day, if you lived in a small-ish town there was one bike shop. It carried Schwinns. It also carried an odd assortment of Italian racing bikes with unpronounceable names, razor-thin tires and metric-sized everything. These were apparently stocked for transplanted Europeans and were completely out of your price range. You didn’t even go into that part of the shop. You’re getting the Schwinn, dude.

Back in my day, you learned to patch tubes because by God a new one cost your entire weekly allowance. Patch kit contents, in order, full manifest: 1. Glue. If you wanted patches you cut squares from an old tube beyond repair and carried a small square of sandpaper.

Back in my day, my first “road bike” (a Schwinn Traveler ca. 1983) came with a kickstand. I considered it a right of passage when I removed it, meaning I was the only one of my friends who had to find a place to lean his bike. It also necessitated one of the coolest upgrades of the day, a Flickstand.

[dasgeh]

Back in my day, I rode to work through the Polar Vortex for three months straight. They didn’t plow the trails and we had to ride through the Intersection of Doom – we didn’t yet have that fancy Spout Run Trail.

[lordofthemark]

back in my day this was a cycle track

http://www.anchorlight.com/ocean-parkway-bike-path/

[83b]

I remember staffing the Raleigh to DC Aids Rides for a few years starting in 1997. The old Bikes USA chain (which was based near Dulles but had stores all over the Southeast) was a big sponsor. Me and a few of the other part-time mechanics in the Raleigh shop were on spring break from NC State or local high schools. And our local manager bet that a few teenagers in panel vans filled to the brim with bike parts and leaky tents chasing a two-thousand person peloton couldn’t get into too much trouble.

He was, quite to everyone’s astonishment, right. The people were uniformly a treat to be around. Much fun was had and many memories were made, but one story in particular bears telling. We’d fixed many bikes of questionable provenance over the week, with a number of people becoming familiar faces at the pit-stops. The bike of one of our frequent clients finally gave out about twenty miles outside of the city. The chain had snapped, sheared off her derailleur, mangled her dropout, which sent everything, rider included, skidding down the road. Her rear wheel and derailleur were ruined, we didn’t have replacements. The look on her face when we broke the news was already heartbreaking, but when she told us how she was riding for the brother she lost that year we knew we had to try something with what he had on hand.

We didn’t have much left. Just a few ruined department store bikes that had been castoff and replaced by their riders along the way. So we scavenged a wheel of the wrong size–a 26″ single speed from a beach cruiser with a rear coaster brake, since her rear caliper didn’t align with the new smaller rim. Then we bolted on a busted derailleur with the limit screws ratcheted down for chain tension. But she still had three speeds from her front chainrings! So we all agreed that she could conceivably limp to the finish. The penniless highschoolers though were very clear that if questioned, they would deny any knowledge of the kludged together frankenbike. I mean, the bloody coaster brake was secured with a pipe clamp and duct tape.

She found us after the closing ceremony on the mall—while we were breaking down bikes and boxing them up for people flying out—in tears at having been able to finish. We got huge hugs and then she walked off, leaving the bike leaning against the Dept. of Agriculture. I’d be lying if I said I don’t still keep an eye out for some kid riding that old beater around the Hill.

[jnva]

Back in my day, there was only one bike shop and the only bike you could buy was a schwinn. I had a scrambler, and I rode that until early 80s and then bought a world sport. No bike lanes so I rode in traffic to my first job when I was 16. The only thing that hasn’t changed us that car drivers hated us then and they hate us now!

[oldbikechick]

Back in my day, my parents made the local paper for taking the family on vacation by bike (it was a very small town). Everyone pretty much thought they were crazy. We wore no helmets and we rode on the shoulder of the road for 150 miles over 3 days. I was 10 and I had a blast. Not sure how much fun it was for my parents though since we never did another bike vacation after that As a parent myself now I can appreciate the level of planning that must have gone into it, especially in the days before internet.

[KLizotte]

@krazygl00 85332 wrote:

Back in my day, my first “road bike” (a Schwinn Traveler ca. 1983) came with a kickstand. I considered it a right of passage when I removed it, meaning I was the only one of my friends who had to find a place to lean his bike. It also necessitated one of the coolest upgrades of the day, a Flickstand.

Never heard of a flickstand before. After reading the article, I must admit it sounds pretty darn handy!

[Fast Friendly Guy]

@rcannon100 85329 wrote:

I can also remember the first time I did the Arlington Loop. I thought I had done the most amazing cycling achievement!

Don’t forget when W&OD crossed Carlyn Springs at grade*, before they routed it under the bridge. The only way to avoid crossing Carlyn Springs back then was to take 4MRT on the other side of the stream, passing by picnic areas and the Frisbee golf course, rejoining W&OD at Bluemont cutoff or the Bonnaire tennis courts.

*though officially blocked now by an ineffective barrier, there’s still a use/desire trial through the weeds (and it makes a great short cut to Carlyn Spgs, up N. Kensington to Bluemont and Ballston)

[Dirt]

@rcannon100 85329 wrote:

Okay, I know DIRT will likely win this competition….

I forgot to reproduce, so I’ll have no grandchildren. I’ve had enough concussions and wouldn’t remember what to tell them anyways.

I do, however, love your contest. I love reading your stories, as well as those of others. Thank you all for sharing them. Keep ’em coming!!

[Steve O]

Back in my day, you had to cross at a light at River Road on the CCT, because there was no bridge.

Back in my day, you had to risk your life crossing the entrance ramp from National Airport onto the N-bound GWP, because there were no bridges.

Back in my day, there was no valet bike parking at RFK stadium. You just locked your bike to a pole somewhere. (Oh, and back in my day, they played baseball at RFK stadium, too.)

Back in my day, the chain link fence on the tunnel under Wisconsin in Bethesda was permanently locked. You had to ride up to Wisconsin and cross at the light. (This may also be our crappy future when the Purple Line gets built.)

Back in my day you could ride UP the cemetery! (I used to do this every day)
AND you could enter and exit at the Henry Gate. I may be misremembering, but they may not have even checked IDs–just ride on through.

Way, way back in my day, a 10-speed bike was the most speeds there were, and I had a Peugeot (one of those fancy French ones, krazy), and chamois had not been invented yet.

Back in my day, Breaking Away played in my local theater and the next week I started riding a bike. Still riding.

[GB]

When back in my day was the same day as back your day – I blissfully rode my schwinn on the sidewalk to; school, friends homes, the pool and the park. The sidewalks were well paved so I didn’t have to worry about the cycling infrastructure, and where it wasn’t I had a great opportunity to refine my off-road skills (pretty sure my Schwinn was one of those versatile cross bikes I hear so much about). Ah to be 7 again.

A quick look at google maps reveals a 0.5 km radius I was free to wander. At the time I thought I ran the town.

[Steve]

Back in my day, it was called the Loveland Bike Trail, not the Little Miami Scenic Trail. It will always be the Loveland Bike Trail to me.

[Birdstrike]

Back in my day, if anyone tried to bike up the east side of the Anacostia River between the Douglas bridge and Benning Road…they were never seen again.

[consularrider]

@jnva 85341 wrote:

Back in my day, there was only one bike shop and the only bike you could buy was a schwinn. I had a scrambler, and I rode that until early 80s and then bought a world sport. No bike lanes so I rode in traffic to my first job when I was 16. The only thing that hasn’t changed us that car drivers hated us then and they hate us now!

Back in my day the local “bike” shop was Western Auto, or Sears if you were high class. We could only dream about owning a Schwinn Varsity.

“Back in my day, Breaking Away played in my local theater and the next week I started riding a bike. Still riding.”

Back in my day, Breaking Away was filming at the old stadium and I was stupidly playing soccer on Woodlawn Field next door instead of getting in a crowd scene. I was riding around on my old Romana 10 speed with a spring rear rack and kickstand that some Velominati told me I had to take off to be a “serious” cyclist.

[dasgeh]

@Dirt 85366 wrote:

I forgot to reproduce, so I’ll have no grandchildren.

You can borrow mine (assuming that my offspring reproduce). I wanna hear stories!

[Author]

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