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Saturday, January 07, 2017

LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 1-7-16


First Bike


I’m sure everybody can remember their first bike. It was a magical time of your life, when you left the confines of gravity and sailed along with the wind. My first bike was a 24” balloon tire bike that my Day bought used for $20. He painted it maroon and put a basket on the handlebars. Since I was 10 years old and this was my first bike, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Of course, I was not allowed to leave our block but that was O.K. with me. The speed it generated thoroughly amazed me.

The traffic back in 1953 was nothing like it is now and I quickly gravitated to maneuvering the streets of our neighborhood with my mother’s permission and admonition that I “be careful”. Mothers always tell you that even though if you got hurt, you would be the one who suffered.

I had that bike for three years when my grandfather bought me a new one. This was the bike to die for – a Schwinn Phantom. This bike was the red model (they only made four colors –red, blue, green and black). It had a light mounted on the front fender, a huge saddle seat, a horn in the tank between the cross bars, two baskets hanging over the rear fender and a suspension system that moved up and down and allowed you to go faster. I rode that bike all over town. In those days, you could go anywhere, leave your bike outside and be assured that it would be there when you returned. I went to St. Francis, on the other side of town, but Mom let me my bike every Thursday. This was my “sub day”. I rode to Sid’s Subs over on Division Street and had a cold cut sub and an orange drink with the dollar Mom had given me.

One night, coming home from Pony League, I was racing my friend’s father down Truitt Street when I didn’t see the flat green painted pick-up truck parked by the curb. Luckily, I didn’t get hurt, but I can’t say the same for my front fender or the streamlined light on it. I sure didn’t want to tell my parents so I hid it in my grandfather’s garage until the weekend. I still had the old 24” bike and my friend rode that and I rode my Schwinn to Messick’s, a bicycle shop on Old Fruitland Road. I then rode both of us home, with him on the handlebars. Seven miles of hard pedaling was made even harder knowing that I would have to carry him back the same way to pick my bike up. I didn’t mention the bike all week and thought I had pulled it off. When I picked the bike up, the light was all wrong and it was mounted on a fender that was not as large as the original one. That has always been a mystery to me. Did my parents know? I can’t imagine my father not noticing the difference. But they never mentioned it and neither did I.

I wonder how many of us have done a similar thing in their youth and their parents just look the other way. I know later on in my youth, when I tore up a car, my Dad would only say one thing, “Are you O.K.?” He said they made cars every day and I was only depriving myself of the use of it. Why do we get smart only with age?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

George
Was your house on North Division Street?

George Chevallier said...

No, I grew up on the corner of Church and Truitt streets. I lived there until I moved out in 1968. I lived at 106 N. Saratoga St. for three years and then moved next door, where I live now and have for 41 years - 1033 E. Main St.

Anonymous said...

My first bike was a 20 inch Western Flyer.Does anyone remember the tassles that were attached to the rubber handle grips?I think that was in 1956 or 57.Every town had a Western Auto then.It seems to me that the one in SBY was on West Main Street,possibly where Hubert White's hardware store was later.

steve said...

I remember having to wait until at least March to go out with my first bike I got for Xmas. Too much cold and snow a way back when in north Jersey.

Anonymous said...

We didn't wear helmets either.

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Bethesda and back in the 50's, we rode our bikes everywhere- to Silver Springs, DC--no fear!! The only people who wore helmets were football players! What a different time, and guess what~~ I lived to tell about it:)

Anonymous said...

Those were the days; Salisbury was a wonderful place and time then. My first bike was a beautiful shiny green Schwinn girl's model I got when I was 9. I loved that bike and kept it til I was married. I used to ride my niece all over town in the front basket. Like you I had to start out on the front of the block we lived on and branch out from there. We could even ride to the Park and not worry about bad things happening to little girls. Things seemed so much safer and pleasant then.

Anonymous said...

Hey George , is that you?
Bears a striking reslemblance of a guy I know with the name of Mike.

Anonymous said...

I got a red cruiser when I was pregnant with my third daughter. I loved that thing and just retired it for a new one this past year. My family would laugh at it and call me pee wee herman and kept telling me to buy a new one because it was not like I didn't have the money to but I loved that thing because I compared it to my easiest pregnancy and birth which I cruised right through.

George Chevallier said...

Yes, the picture is of me. It was taken in Ocean City. My Dad took my bike down so I would have something to do. Being fair and red-headed, I couldn't stay on the beach all day. I also spent a lot of time in the arcades on the boardwalk.

Anonymous said...

Salisbury and Church and Truitt streets were a wonderful place to live until the liberal democrats ruined it. The same caliber of people that occupy that part of church street now is what has ruined the entire city of Salisbury. Not to mention the soft hearted democrat you all elected as your mayor.

Anonymous said...

Try riding a bike a holding a rifle like that now days, lol

Anonymous said...

No need for a rifle if you have a big basket.

Anonymous said...

You need a rifle if you ride down church street now.

Anonymous said...

It always puzzled me the way they designed Men's and Women's bicycles, I think they got it backwards.