When we were kids.

This is cool.

Too true! LOL!

Well most of us anyway !

They didn't have "mountain bikes" back in the day so we'd strip off the fenders,chain guards and get it down to the minimum and hit the pipelines that were cut thru the woods.

Yup...

In our neighborhood it was cool to lay our bikes down. Kickstands? Furgetaboutit!

We had "Rat Packs" a bunch of us would cruise around on 20" schwin stingrays with slicks on the back, rolled and pleated banana seat, custom made 4' sissy bars, and ape hangers !

Then we got a little older and had pulley welded on the rear rim, rear fork widened for it, angle iron welded to the frame in order to mount a brigs and Stratton motor, centrifugal clutch pulley and belt and if ya had any allowance left a twist grip. Or like me jury rig a 3 speed bike shift lever to the throttle for s trigger throttle.

I wanted a stingray bike in the worst way but there were 6 kids and money was tight. I was lucky and greatful to have even gotten a bike at all never mind a stingray. I still want one.

There were 6 of us too. We were fortunate in that pop owned his own service station and we were treated very good at Christmas. But very regretfully, I was a greedy little shirt that learned later in life.

A friend of mine had a Schwinn Orange Krate...I was so jealous...Had to make the best out of what we had...

My first bike was a Columbia. That was way before banana seats, stingrays and ape hangers. It was an early 50s bike with a "tank" as I remember. Everything was Cool-Daddy-o. Rock Around The Clock was ripping the radio airwaves to shreds. Elvis who? It was a good time . . .

Guess you guys are old farts. I was living in the tail end of the "Motocross" style ones with plastic fake gas tanks and suspension. Weighed a ton,(for a kid) Then BMX bikes with the 5 spoke plastic rims and chromemoly frames that I broke doing stupid things.
Still pedalin' with a Norco Charger for downhill and mountain trails, an old Peugeot road bike "rescued" from someone's yard cleanup junk pile for all day distance that I put lightened race wheels, seat and shifters in the brake levers like the newer road bikes, and a Giant Roam for trail riding with the wife. Those original Stingrays are worth some money nowadays, and if you have not stopped in to your local bike shop lately it is worth it to see how "retro" is coming back.

I had a Raleigh 10 speed too. Great bike.