I remember my first (VERY yellow) bike....in 1956

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Dave7

Legendary Member
Location
Cheshire
Born it 1947..........my first bike was a 2nd/3rd/4th hand sit up and beg.........I was about 9 years old.
As it was rusty my dad decided to paint it and as it must have been the only tin of paint he had.........my bike became VERY VERY bright yellow.
At that age it didn't bother me too much although, even to this day, I remember the looks/laughs/comments from people.
Any other "oldies" with first bike memories ???
 

Dirk

If 6 Was 9
Location
Watchet
I had my first proper bike built by Tommy Godwin, who my Dad used to ride with post war with one of the Birmingham clubs. I was 5 years old and it was 1959.
It was a blue one with caliper brakes. Nothing special - but it was mine!
It was only many years later that I realised the provenance of the builder.
Wish I still had it!
 

screenman

Legendary Member
Yep! The old fella bought it cheap and made it worse, 1/4 mile down the road it snapped in half.

That is a true story, I was 6 ish at the time.
 

snorri

Legendary Member
One of my memories is of youngsters cycling on their fathers bikes which were too big for them to get their legs astride the crossbar. To get over this they put one leg through the triangle below the 'bar and pedalled along with the bike leaning at a jaunty angle. Haven't seen that done for ages. It is a difficult enough trick to perform once you have learned to go a bike, but to learn that way......:smile:
My father being war disabled had to have a ladies model 'Hercules' bike with just one pedal and a fixed wheel which was eventually de modified and handed down to me. Many a time I was at the receiving end of name-calling for using a ladies bike, and regardless of how often I said it wasn't a ladies bike and had belonged to my father, the taunts continued.
 

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
A little red and white Universal from Cedar Cycles in Cambridge. Red frame with white detailing, white mudguards and a little white tool pouch saddle bag. It was a joint/birthday Christmas present when I was 5 at the end of 1973. We lived in a cul-de-sac with lots of quiet footpaths and little green bits for me to experience freedom and independence on. I took the stabilisers off after a couple of weeks and was away.

That little bike made quite an impression on me & I've still got the spanners from the toolkit.
 
OP
OP
Dave7

Dave7

Legendary Member
Location
Cheshire
One of my memories is of youngsters cycling on their fathers bikes which were too big for them to get their legs astride the crossbar. To get over this they put one leg through the triangle below the 'bar and pedalled along with the bike leaning at a jaunty angle. Haven't seen that done for ages. It is a difficult enough trick to perform once you have learned to go a bike, but to learn that way......:smile:
Yes.........I was that boy!!!
I also had a "hand-me-down" that was too big so my dad screwed big wooden blocks each side of the pedals so I could reach.
 

Chris S

Legendary Member
Location
Birmingham
Do tricycles count?
trike1.JPG
 
OP
OP
Dave7

Dave7

Legendary Member
Location
Cheshire
I had my first proper bike built by Tommy Godwin, who my Dad used to ride with post war with one of the Birmingham clubs. I was 5 years old and it was 1959.
WOWZER.
I have just 'googled' that name. That man cycled 75,000 miles in one year.......and that was in 1939. Blimey-his bike probebaly weighed 2 cwt. What a man.
I recommend everyone to google him.
 

snorri

Legendary Member
Yes.........I was that boy!!!
I also had a "hand-me-down" that was too big so my dad screwed big wooden blocks each side of the pedals so I could reach.
Haha, I had forgotten the wooden blocks, thanks for the memory:smile:
 

Hardrock93

Veteran
Location
Stirling
Haha, I had forgotten the wooden blocks, thanks for the memory:smile:
My dad fixed wooden blocks to my first bike, possibly a Hercules, which was far too big for me. It was a weird maroon colour, had rod brakes and a lethal vertical lever on the crossbar for the three speed hub gears. I learned to ride on it with him running alongside, holding onto the saddle and can still recall the joy and sense of achievement when I realised he'd let go and I was cycling solo!
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
I started off with a trike but one that had chain drive to 1 rear wheel (handed down from my cousin Graham to his sister Linda then to me and on through my 2 younger sisters then to the next door neighbours kids.............and then lost track of it) I actually learnt to ride a 2 wheel bike on it by lifting the non-driven rear wheel into the air and riding it like that (no stabilisers for me :biggrin:)
Now it seems to have come full circle with me back on an 'upwrong' trike due to my leg but I've changed a few bits on one of my bikes and managed to ride about half a mile on it but standing up when stopped (and getting my leg over @Fnaar ) is still a problem but I'm getting there. :hyper:
 

Dirk

If 6 Was 9
Location
Watchet
WOWZER.
I have just 'googled' that name. That man cycled 75,000 miles in one year.......and that was in 1939. Blimey-his bike probebaly weighed 2 cwt. What a man.
I recommend everyone to google him.
Different Tommy Godwin - I was surprised as well when I realised that there were two great cyclists with the same name.
The Tommy Godwin I was referring to was the Olympic cyclist who used to have a shop in Kings Heath, Birmingham.
 
Different Tommy Godwin - I was surprised as well when I realised that there were two great cyclists with the same name.
The Tommy Godwin I was referring to was the Olympic cyclist who used to have a shop in Kings Heath, Birmingham.
I remember the Olympic Tommy Godwin, used to go into his Birmingham shop occasionally.
I'm probably not old enough to properly qualify for this thread, but on behalf of my 90 year old dad I still have his bike from the 50's, a Sun Wasp I think it is. Reynolds 531, 3 speed derailleur, butterfly nuts on the hubs, 26" steel rims, double bottle cage on the straight handlebars, with original aluminium bottles and cork stoppers.
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
I had a small child's bike with balloon tyres and stabilizers, however as this was 1970/71 ish I was desperate for a Raleigh Chopper, my parents made the fatal mistake of telling me if I learnt to ride without stabilisers they would have a word with santa to see if it was possible, about half an hour later, minus the stabilizers, I was flying up and down the yard behind the house shouting mum, mum can I have a chopper now.
It was a blue one with white stripes and chopper stickers, it was still in my parents garage when I got married and moved out, but disappeared years ago.
 
Top Bottom