Riding the Tiger

Nowadays this phrase usually refers to investing in Chinese markets, but to me it's about a bicycle. I've had a lifelong love affair with America's greatest defunct bicycle maker, Schwinn of Chicago, and more recently the world's greatest defunct bicycle maker, Raleigh of England. I also have a Pashley. Here's my Tiger:




By the frame's serial number, I know my Tiger was born on St. Patrick's Day, 1966. I like to think the workers were not drunk. In any case, she's still rolling 41 years later. I bought her off a guy in upstate New York who was neighbors with the original owner. Tiger was originally a single speed, but she got a 3-speed Sturmey Archer wheel set in 1980. It was an appropriate choice, since all but a few of Schwinn's 3-speeds rolled on Sturmey gear (which was made by Raleigh). I replaced the handlebar myself. Here's the building in Chicago that formerly housed the Schwinn factory:





If you like mid-century trivia, the distinctive mid-60s elements of this bike are its clover-leaf chain wheel, unpainted chrome fenders, starburst graphics, and Space-Age swooshed chain guard. The famous "cat-eye" frame appeared from the 50s through the 80s and is still widely copied today. And by far the most distinctively 1966 part on this bike is the rare "tear drop" reflector:





Just five days after my bike was made, Schwinn stopped recording daily serial numbers, after which you can only date to the month. There's a minor exception for some 1980-1982 bikes that had a secondary serial number on the head badge, but that's another blog post for another day. My project this afternoon was to put a Brooks saddle on the Tiger. Brooks is the last made-in-England remnant of Raleigh, and their saddles remain wildly popular among hard core cyclists.





Doesn't that look nice? I love Brooks.





You might have noticed that the words "defunct" and "remnant" come up a lot when discussing the great bicycles of history. As with many things in our society, so-called "American" bicycle companies have devolved into strictly marketing organizations who just put their brand on the lowest bidding overseas frame welder (Update: I realized that statement sounds a little harsh, because this post is pertaining to cruiser and low-end mountain bikes; there are various exceptions in the high end of the market). Modern "Schwinns" have nothing to do with actual Schwinns, and likewise with Raleigh. The last Chicago Schwinn cruiser rolled off the line in 1982. With exception of a few high end models, Schwinn imported all its other bikes up until its demise in 2001. Luckily, if you know where to look, there are a few remnants of the great age of American bicycles surviving. For the only true continuously operating Schwinn remnant, check out Waterford cycles and their sub-line Gunnar. They were formerly the Schwinn custom shop which built the famous Schwinn Paramount line of cycles. Here's my Waterford-built Schwinn:





If you want an old school cruiser, the last American standing, so far as I can tell, is Worksman, a NYC company with a cool history. If you like English, hunt down the aforementioned Pashley. They only have one or two importers to the US, but they are nice bikes. There are also lots of high-end custom frame welders (and luggers) thriving in the US. Last time I checked, Trek and LeMond were still making some high end bikes in the US, but Trek has been trending toward imports, so I am lukewarm toward them. (Update: To be fair, both my road bike and one of my mountain bikes are imports. I just don't blog about them, because they're boring!)


Of course the other option is to buy an actual vintage bicycle. They're always on the market, and they all need good garage or indoor homes. They're made of steel, so outdoor parking will over time destroy them. It's very likely that your acquisition will still have the original grease in all of its bearings, which is bad. You'll need new grease in the bottom bracket, headset, and both wheel hubs. Don't attempt this yourself, unless you happen to be a skilled mechanic or engineer type. Sturmey rear hubs have an oil port on the hub shell, and you should drip a medium weight machine oil into it once a month or so when riding. If you want any more help getting sucked into the cult of vintage bikes, just ask.