Quote:
Originally Posted by pennsiveguy
One of the first purchases was a 12-speed bike (which were pretty new at that time in 1976), a Fuji S12-S, complete with gumwall tires, cloth handlebar tape, aluminum rims, Suntour derailleurs and a Belt racing saddle.
That bike was badass. Riding it, I felt like I'd grown wings. And buying and owning it was a fundamental awakening for me. Deliver value, and get value in exchange. Trade that value for something you want.
Do any kids work these days, ever? Has any kid in recent memory come home at 6 PM on a hot July evening, just in time for supper, dirty from head-to-toe with skinned-up knuckles and knees...and then gone back out so he could collect the $5 he was owed for mowing a lawn? Is there a single kid alive in the West who understands the idea of directly, personally producing and delivering concrete and tangible value as a means of having dignity and being independent? I pose these as questions, but I don't think I'm really ready for the answers.
Get off my lawn!
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Nice. The 10-speeds the folks bought us were Schwinns and they weighed a ton. They were also very tall, which took some getting used to. I never did because my bike got stolen fairly early in the spring after the Xmas we got them. That was the first time theft had ever been real to me because it had never happened to me or anyone I knew before. It shocked the hell out of me that someone could think it was ok to just steal something that belonged to someone else.
My folks couldn't afford another new bike for me, so they bought a used 10-speed Peugot from a co-worker of my Dad. That bike actually suited me better. It was a better size for me and was very lightweight. I rode that bike everywhere until I got my driver's license.