Your first real / treasured / remembered Bicycle.....

[Paulus]

This is me on the first bike I bought for myself back in 1971. I still have my bike. It is a Holdsworth Record.

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A proud owner. Great pic.

 

[Vantage]

Thanks - how come you binned off the Pug? Seems like a better bike than the OCR; although I appreciate that might not have seemed the case at the time given the push for aluminium and allure of STIs... tbh I loved mine when I didn't know any better.. seemed like an unforgiving little bone-shaker compared to the Team Carbon that replaced it however.

My dad had been riding it for a good year at least with a loose bottom bracket. As a result, the frames threads were royally forked. At the time I didn't know any better and deemed the frame to be knackered as I didn't have the funds to send it off for repairs. It sat around for years whilst I pondered what to do with it and it was finally left behind when the marriage broke down.
I cracked 50mph on that bike. No other bike even came close to that speed. Every bike I've had before and since just seemed slow and dead compared to the pug. Probably the nicest, liveliest handling bike I've ever had the pleasure of riding and wish to heck I'd kept it.
One came up for sale on this forum a couple years ago and if I'd had the money at the time I'd have grabbed it.
They don't make'em like they used to.

 

[wafter]

My dad had been riding it for a good year at least with a loose bottom bracket. As a result, the frames threads were royally forked. At the time I didn't know any better and deemed the frame to be knackered as I didn't have the funds to send it off for repairs. It sat around for years whilst I pondered what to do with it and it was finally left behind when the marriage broke down.
I cracked 50mph on that bike. No other bike even came close to that speed. Every bike I've had before and since just seemed slow and dead compared to the pug. Probably the nicest, liveliest handling bike I've ever had the pleasure of riding and wish to heck I'd kept it.
One came up for sale on this forum a couple years ago and if I'd had the money at the time I'd have grabbed it.
They don't make'em like they used to.

Man, that's a shame.. sounds like it was well worth saving if circumstances had allowed.

50mph is certainly an achievement - I got 42mph on the Giant down Headington hill with my little legs going like those of an amphetamine-fuelled hamster in its wheel.. think I've since slightly bettered it elsewhere on the CdF, but not by a lot.

Lot to be said for quality vintage steel - I hope you're keeping an eye on ebay etc given the prevailing trends in the used bike market

 

[palinurus]

Dunstable Downs?

Yes- sometimes would ride up there, sometimes still do (although I don't have a Tupperware box full of sandwiches and take all day over it like I did back then).

 

[Tomm Williams]

Mine was a 1970 Schwinn Orange Krate.

 

[taximan]

My first 'real bike' was a Sun Snipe, which I bought new back in 1962 for £16/9/11d. By today's standards it was very basic but on it I explored much of the North East of England over the next eight years or so. Sadly I crashed it and though I was unhurt, the bike was not and finished up in the big bike shed in the sky. When I retired in 2010 I returned to cycling and have owned a selection of more modern machines, but nothing has given me as much pleasure as my old Snipe.

 

[T4tomo]

first bike was something at least 3rd hand passed down from my sisters that only had one gear, yet i still managed to ride a mile to and from school on it aged 5.

that was upgraded to one of these, bought 2nd hand from somewhere for a Birthday!

I then inherited fairly vintage Raleigh 3 speed hub roaster style bike, that had been my uncles

I then saved my pennies and bought one of these

and my uncle then took his old bike back!

 

[Illaveago]

My first bike which I learnt to ride on was a secondhand girls bike , a Gresham Flyer. It was blue and white, single speed with rod brakes and had a carrier on the back which I used to sometimes ride on being a bit adventurous. I used to ride up and down a rough track so I couldn't get into much trouble .
I can remember my dad used to take me out for rides on Sunday afternoons to get me used to the roads. I must have done quite a few miles on it , one ride would have been to Colerne airfield for the 1964 Battle of Britain Air Day with my brother and friends, it would have been over 16 miles round trip .
I can't remember what happened to it ! I suppose my dad or mum must have sold to someone else as I transferred to my brother's old Humber .

 

[matticus]

This is me on the first bike I bought for myself back in 1971. I still have my bike. It is a Holdsworth Record.

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I do like a sensible bike with mudguards 👍

 

[Saracenlad]

My first bike was a Philips Vox-Populi. 531frame and a really good bike. That was when I was 13 years old. My uncle then gave me an Uppadine frame. Also 531, made in Balby near Doncaster. I bought, begged and borrowed all I needed to make a very special (for me) bike. Lovely memories on this thread.