My First Bike – The Schwinn Stingray

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… And I’m not talking about my first motorcycle, which you can find from a blog a couple years back: Joe Welder’s 1st Motorcycle. Today, I want to share my first bicycle with you guys. After all, that’s what got me into motorcycles in the first place. My 1st bicycle was a Schwinn Stingray that I got when I was in the 4th grade! Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of my exact bike, but it looked a little something like this:

I customized it with a metal flake silver and candy apple blue paint job. That thing was awesome! I had the crank, head stock and seat posts re-chromed at Pomona Valley Chrome Platters. We took the seat to Tijuana Mexico and had it custom upholstered with a white and blue tuck and roll with silver beading – I put big ape hanger bars on it and a big fat slick tire on the back.

Schwinn Bicycles was founded by Ignaz Schwinn, a German-born mechanical engineer in Chicago, IL, 1895. Upon hearing the news that a new trend of bicycles were sprouting up in California that had “chopper” characteristics including the “ape hanger” handlebars and low-rider “banana seat”, Schwinn’s designer Al Fritz designed the Stingray. Launched in June 1963 sales started off sluggish but within two years, sales sky-rocketed and the Stingray remains an icon to this day.

If you wanted to weld your own custom bike frame or bend up some ape hanger handle-bars from scratch, you’d probably want to use oxy-acetylene (AKA Gas) welding. This allows more versatility and strength when brazing the frame together.

These days, not much has changed; You can still catch me riding dirty on my (bicycle) replica of a 1974 Bultaco 250 Pursang MX machine. Here is what the Bultaco Pursang motocross bike looks like — the blue and white model was a Jim Pomeroy factory bike that was hot on the early Motocross scene in SoCal:

1974 Bultaco 250 Pursang MX

Here is a photo of my Bultaco Pursang replica bicycle (serial #185) made by Felt & Vintage Iron – I customized it with my #16 AMA District 37 250 Expert number plates that I earned racing local dirt tracks back in the day:

1974 Bultaco 250 Pursang Replica Bicycle by Felt & Vintage Iron

Vintage Iron is a Southern California company specializing in the restoration of vintage motocross machines. A few weeks ago I was cruising on this bad-boy with my wife in Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles, and it landed me two free beers from the locals. It was at this point in my life that I realized how awesome it is to have some cool rolling stock that doesn’t take up to much room, is easy to maintain, and gets people talking.  This opens the door to meet more people and learn about what they are doing in metal fabrication.

What was your first bike? Follow Arc-Zone’s Facebook Page and share some photos with us. Until then, good welding!

 

Photo 1 credit:

https://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/ratrodbikes/64%2520Sting-Ray/DSC_0018-1.jpg

Photo 2 credit:

https://www.siegecraftnw.com/MKH-Pursang69-M9.jpg

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