09 August 2010

Freedom!!!

To a boomer kid, the essence of freedom was simple- your bike. It could propel you away from the drudgery of chores, the morass of homework, the utter despair of your younger siblings.


You learned many valuable life lessons on your bike, such as never running over catch basin grills that are longer and wider than your tires, and that adults want you to get the #&@^# out of their way (a lesson today's kids seem to have not learned. Put them on the Wayback Machine and we'll show them drivers that make soccer moms seem courteous!)


There were lots of ways to customize your bike. Baskets and bells were mainly for girls, and a boy who had streamers running from the handlebars was sure to pedal his way to a group beating.