A Bicycle Built For....You!

     TUESDAY, JULY 14TH.

  A Bicycle Built For.......You!

   I've see a lot of bicycles in my day.
My first two wheeler, inherited from
my brother, was a 40's something
vintage Monarch with a built in push
button horn, large fenders, and a
battery powered headlight up front.
    It was the greatest looking bike
around and the slowest! It probably
weighted 30 pounds or so!
    I remember when my parents
finally allowed me to get a brand
new English bike with hand brakes,
three speeds, and an electric
generator that rolled against the rear
tire and powered a very trim headlight!
    Over the years I bought my son a
couple of bicycles when he got
involved in BMX racing. A couple
were, I thought, a bit expensive.
    Yesterday I met Rich Hayes. Rich
was a guest on my weekly television
show I do for Electric City TV in
Scranton. Later this month he'll do
another long ride to raise money for
the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.
    He brought his bike to the studio.
It didn't look, or weigh as much, as
my old Monarch. And it's got more
gears than most tractor trailers!
     Bikes, it seems, have come a
long way. And that, in effect, has
allowed modern riders to go a long
way!
      Rich, for instance, will be riding
over a hundred miles for the 6th
straight year! I think I did about 7
miles on my English beauty when
I was a kid. And then I had to call
somebody to come and bring me
back home!
      Rich's bike is built of carbon
fibber and probably weighs only
12 pounds! Again, a big difference
from my old rides.
     You probably won't find many
of those old Monarchs around
anymore. But you can still find
those old English 3-speeds on
ebay for a few hundred dollars.
     I asked Rich how much he's
got invested in his two wheeler.
"About $3000" he replied!
Egads!!!!! We paid less for our
last used car! Of course it only
has three speeds come to think of
it.
     Anyway, hope Rich has a
successful ride and that all your
NEWS is good!