Your Christmas bike story.

[Mo1959]

First proper bike was a green 3 speed Rudge. Not sure if it was new or not, but must have been too big as dad fitted wooden blocks to the pedals until I grew a bit!

 

[presta]

I don't think any of my bikes were xmas presents:

1. Kiddie trike (you know the sort of thing, steel seat, pedals on pressed steel front wheel)
2. Trike. Spoked wheels, chain drive, but still had solid tyres.
3. First two wheeler. 20" wheels, pneumatic tyres, rod brakes.
4. First with with cable brakes. 24" wheels, flat bars.
5. ~1968 Racer, 27" wheels. First bike with gears (5sp).
6. ~1972 Carlton Continental, first new bike.
7. ~1981 Raleigh Record, 12spd, first bike I bought myself.
8. 2001 Dawes Horizon. My current bike, and the only one that's been all over the country.

 

[Slick]

First proper bike was a green 3 speed Rudge. Not sure if it was new or not, but must have been too big as dad fitted wooden blocks to the pedals until I grew a bit!

Ah, the old wooden blocks on the pedal trick, I'd actually forgotten about that until you mentioned it.

 

[Slick]

I don't think any of my bikes were xmas presents:

1. Kiddie trike (you know the sort of thing, steel seat, pedals on pressed steel front wheel)
2. Trike. Spoked wheels, chain drive, but still had solid tyres.
3. First two wheeler. 20" wheels, pneumatic tyres, rod brakes.
4. First with with cable brakes. 24" wheels, flat bars.
5. ~1968 Racer, 27" wheels. First bike with gears (5sp).
6. ~1972 Carlton Continental, first new bike.
7. ~1981 Raleigh Record, 12spd, first bike I bought myself.
8. 2001 Dawes Horizon. My current bike, and the only one that's been all over the country.

The Raleigh Record was the o w I coveted the most, black and gold if I remember. Tell me she ran as good as she looked?

 

[Slick]

EH ?

Apologies, that was the west coast twang in full effect.

His testicles came in to contact with the gear stick that was synonymous with that particular model at that part time with such a force, his coupon turned the same colour as the sun.

 

[Vantage]

I was lucky in that my dad worked every minute he was sent driving hgv's all over Ireland. Hardly ever saw him. Not lucky that I never saw him, it wasn't till my late 30's that we started really talking to each other but him working allowed him to fork out for new bikes at Christmas. Neither my sister, brother or I ever had a 2nd hand bike although the other two never took to cycling like muggins here. I got way more bikes than they did
The first was some plasticy black trike thing when I was 3 or 4. I took to 2 wheels on a blue Raleigh Budgie. Then it was a Raleigh Burner. We moved to England and that had to be left behind due to lack of space in the Towavan. The same Christmas a few months later I got a Raleigh Mustang. That got nicked 2 weeks later. Then it was a Raleigh Flyer which shortly after got killed by a driving instructor. My fault.
Some time passed and I bought a 2nd hand Raleigh something or other road bike with my pocket money which lasted a week or so before I trashed it in temper.
Then I started reading mountain bike magazines and lusted after a GT Tequesta Oooooh it was gorgeous! Showed my dad and promised to do well in school if I got it for my birthday. I tried. I really did. Didn't do well though. I never did. Too bloody stupid.
I guess it was lack of money, but the Tequesta never turned up. Instead, dad opened up the caravet door to a Claud Butler mtb. No idea what model. Dad saw the disappointment on my face and said if I didn't like it he'd take it back. He was always blunt but taught me to appreciate what I had, no matter what it was. Lots of crashes and stuff later, the bike disappeared from the back garden one day after I'd left it out to dry having washed it.
Later found out it was next doors teenage lowlife brat and his mates that nicked it. Dad went out after them with a crow bar but nothing ever happened. We couldn't prove it.
The first bike I bought myself brand new was again, a Raleigh. An M-Trax Ti-1000 from mums catalogue which got me to work at 16 and helped hone my MTB non skills.
Lots of bikes since then. Lots more stolen. The Dawes Vantage was the first to survive longer than a year. Hoping the latest will last till I pop my clogs.
I'll never forget that Mustang though. My first ever grown up bike and first foray into mountain biking.

 

[presta]

The Raleigh Record was the o w I coveted the most, black and gold if I remember. Tell me she ran as good as she looked?

Not really, it was a bugger for breaking spokes. I don't know why, I've never had a spoke break on any other bike, but that one started within a month or so from new, and never stopped. I had spokes replaced, wheels rebuilt, and new wheels, but it never made any difference, so in the end I stopped bothering to replace them unless the wheel was so out of true it rubbed on the chainstays. The satin black paint isn't waterproof either, so it just rusted. The Carlton which lived in the garage next to it stayed rust free even though it was 10 years older.

 

[Electric_Andy]

My Dad knew I wanted a MTB for christmas, so it wasn't really a surprise. He wanted to check with me that he was buying the correct one - he said it was an Emelle Dakota in "Ferrari Red". Well, 2 weeks before Christmas, he brought it home and it was luminous Orange. I didn't care, I was so excited and pestered my poor mum daily by asking could I ride it. Eventually she caved in and said I could, but not outdoors. So I spent quite a few days riding it up and down the hall with only an inch or two clearance either side, I even got up enough speed to make skidmarks on the lino (from the tyres, not from my bum)

 

[cyberknight]

Never had a bike for x mas,we couldnt afford a car so it was the bus or walk .
i had hand me downs, the only new bike i had was for my birthday and my mum died a few months later of terminal cancer.

 

[further]

Apologies, that was the west coast twang in full effect.

His testicles came in to contact with the gear stick that was synonymous with that particular model at that part time with such a force, his coupon turned the same colour as the sun.

Thanks it really didn't make any sense to me.

 

[Gunk]

I remember getting a Raleigh Hustler for Christmas, weighed a ton and had a three speed hub gears, but it had dropped handlebars so I was thrilled!

It was the start of a long obsession of everything with two wheels

 

[Slick]

Thanks it really didn't make any sense to me.

Yeah, sorry. It was just my attempt at a bit of humour. 👍

 

[Slick]

Never had a bike for x mas,we couldnt afford a car so it was the bus or walk .
i had hand me downs, the only new bike i had was for my birthday and my mum died a few months later of terminal cancer.

That's terrible.

 

[Rusty Nails]

When my son was ten I bought him a Peugeot mtb for Christmas. I went to collect the bike from the shop a couple of days before Christmas and hid it in the shed. On the morning of Christmas Eve I was having breakfast and noticed the shed door was open. I went down the shed and some b'stard had broken into the shed and stolen the bike. I reckon the thieving sod had followed me from the store and came back later to steal it. No chance of getting another in time so we had to tell my disappointed son, and I managed to get him a replacement a week later.

The police recorded the crime, advised me to get stronger locks and that was that.

 

[Slick]

When my son was ten I bought him a Peugeot mtb for Christmas. I went to collect the bike from the shop a couple of days before Christmas and hid it in the shed. On the morning of Christmas Eve I was having breakfast and noticed the shed door was open. I went down the shed and some b'stard had broken into the shed and stolen the bike. I reckon the thieving sod had followed me from the store and came back later to steal it. No chance of getting another in time so we had to tell my disappointed son, and I managed to get him a replacement a week later.

The police recorded the crime, advised me to get stronger locks and that was that.

Bastards