Cruisers' Night Out

David and I got the idea to take a bike ride today, but at the time it was 3:30pm and about 90+ degrees. So we waited until near sundown and headed to Marymoor Park to drop off cars and hit the Marymoor Trail. But it wasn't your standard set of bikes we took on that ride.

Nope...We took cruisers and a chopper!

Jack wouldn't get out of the trailer for the above photo; he was chomping at the bit most of the afternoon to go for a ride, and he wasn't giving up his seat! Sherry is pictured here with her 1970 Schwinn Hollywood, a bicycle companion of 38 years that I refurbished about three years ago (blog post HERE). This was her first bike; not like her first bike, but the actual bike that she got for her 7th birthday. It was sort of big for her then, but now it's a good size for her. It's still a great riding bike, and tonight's ride surprised her because it was so easy. For the record, vintage Schwinns rule.

David is shown with his 2004 Schwinn Stingray 20" Chopper, designed by Orange County Choppers and only made for a couple of years. In 2005 I bought a 16" version of this bike; he started riding it the next spring and was off the training wheels in a matter of two weeks! A few months later I had the opportunity to buy a clearance-priced 20" version for $80; when I got up to the counter, it turned about to be super-extra-clearance-priced at $60 instead. Big win. My goal then was to stash it until David was big enough to ride it. He's finally large enough to ride it safely, so out on the road it goes. David still rides the 16" chopper (aka "The Little Chopper" at our house), but he's clearly too big for it now. And since they don't make either bike anymore, I've had to warn him several times that I may not be able to locate rear tires if he skids them into oblivion. Skidding is fun until someone loses an irreplaceable tire!

My bike is a bargain-basement cruiser that I rebuilt with better parts in 2006. Those parts include flamed grips, flamed saddle, BMX cranks & pedals, and an angled seat post. The chain ring is a red anodized BMX ring with 40 teeth, which ends up being perfect gearing for hauling Jack's bike trailer around. I wanted something with character, so when I ordered the handlebars I got the highest set I could find. They draw a lot of attention and are quite comfortable.


When I was putting all the stuff away tonight, I counted three ridable bikes for me, four ridable bikes for Sherry, and three or four ridable bikes for David. Guess what the garage looks like??