Toy Bikes

Gippledocks vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged to
aspire to such impractical nonsense?

I think you have a low opinion of some of todays youth .. My 12 year old
took one look at the 'Chopper' and dismissed it out of hand .. "Can't jump
that thing, or endo it .." My nine year old thought it 'cute, but girlie'
....

Aspirational bikes they are not ..

Would impractical nonsense also cover a Downhill specific mountain bike too
? Not all cycles are 'practical', and many these days are absolutely
specific to a purpose. Long live creativity and choice, I say.

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules !!!
"A [censored] is a [censored], no matter what mode of transport they're using."

Gippledocks said:

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged to
aspire to such impractical nonsense?

Oi! I had a Chopper and it never did me any harm.

"Gippledocks" <[email hidden]> wrote
in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

First the return of the Chopper. Then the LBS sprouts a Schwinn Stingray

in

Quoted message said:

its window. Now the cornflake packet offers some ghastly no-name Easy

Rider

Quoted message said:

styled 'bicycle', looking as if blessed with a frame hewn from a billet of
dwarf star metal and components cast from feline excreta.

Has the world gone quietly mad while I wasn't looking? Or is it that

those

Quoted message said:

born too late for the '70s are doomed to repeat them?

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged to
aspire to such impractical nonsense?

How else will they get kids to ditch their perfectly good MTB's and then
re-buy them when they realise what a load of junk the gimmicks are?

I blame the parents, neither my 11 year old or any of his peers think the
Chopper is in the least bit cool.

Gippledocks said:

First the return of the Chopper. Then the LBS sprouts a Schwinn Stingray in
its window. Now the cornflake packet offers some ghastly no-name Easy Rider
styled 'bicycle', looking as if blessed with a frame hewn from a billet of
dwarf star metal and components cast from feline excreta.

Has the world gone quietly mad while I wasn't looking? Or is it that those
born too late for the '70s are doomed to repeat them?

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged to
aspire to such impractical nonsense?

The Chopper may not be a good bike in performance terms but when I had
one in my youth it was a lot of fun. I also had a more practical
Raleigh Arena race bike but that didn't stop me enjoying going out on
the chopper. I have no idea how the updated version rides but the
original Chopper was stylish, robust and great for doing wheelies. The
bicycle industry could do with a few more eccentric designs in the
mainstream as modern designs can get a bit stale at times. Lets face
it nowadays if you peeled off the transfers you would find it
difficult to know what bike you have brand wise at least for rigid and
hardtails. There are only a few brands that have unique
features/design. All that comes to mind as I write this is GT's triple
triangle frame and nowadays thats just a special order from the same
taiwanese frame manufacturers that make the conventional type frames.

Zog The Undeniable vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

Gippledocks said:

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged to
aspire to such impractical nonsense?

Oi! I had a Chopper and it never did me any harm.

We still have one .. somewhere in the mass of nettles and other "it'll be
useful one day" stuff behind grandads shed .. 😉

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules !!!
"A [censored] is a [censored], no matter what mode of transport they're using."

"Paul - [censored]" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Gippledocks vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged to
aspire to such impractical nonsense?

I think you have a low opinion of some of todays youth .. My 12 year old
took one look at the 'Chopper' and dismissed it out of hand .. "Can't jump
that thing, or endo it .." My nine year old thought it 'cute, but girlie'
...

Aspirational bikes they are not ..

Would impractical nonsense also cover a Downhill specific mountain bike

too?

funny you should mention that; a downhill bike is exactly what said 11 yr
old wants, but am working on the cool factor of Rockshox to wean him off the
idea.
BMX seem to enjoy a perpetual place in the land of wanted bikes for some
reason as well.

Paul - censored said:

Gippledocks vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

I think you have a low opinion of some of todays youth .. My 12 year old
took one look at the 'Chopper' and dismissed it out of hand .. "Can't jump
that thing, or endo it .." My nine year old thought it 'cute, but girlie'

"You mean you can't jump it, or endo it?"

(from the guy who managed quite happily to bunnyhop any upwrong he's ridden
[1] apart from a brompton.. Had a young lad in the scouts who could
bunnyhop quite happily, as long as he had his cleats on. I tried to get him
to bounce without the cleats but he couldn't)

...d

[1] that includes the road bike, the MTB, a Dawes kingpin, my Norwegian
roadster and one or two others.
--
This is my signature

David Martin vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

Paul - censored said:

Gippledocks vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

I think you have a low opinion of some of todays youth .. My 12 year old
took one look at the 'Chopper' and dismissed it out of hand .. "Can't
jump that thing, or endo it .." My nine year old thought it 'cute, but
girlie'

"You mean you can't jump it, or endo it?"

err .. I can, my son can .. he just thinks it'd be a damn sight harder on a
chopper .. 😉

As we ride Trials (motorbikes) in local club competitions and are reasonably
good with any bike control.

Quoted message said:

(from the guy who managed quite happily to bunnyhop any upwrong he's
ridden [1] apart from a brompton.. Had a young lad in the scouts who could
bunnyhop quite happily, as long as he had his cleats on. I tried to get
him to bounce without the cleats but he couldn't)

..d

[1] that includes the road bike, the MTB, a Dawes kingpin, my Norwegian
roadster and one or two others.

Technique is all, and I have bunny hopped a Brompton .. 😉

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules !!!
"A [censored] is a [censored], no matter what mode of transport they're using."

Paul - censored said:

We still have one .. somewhere in the mass of nettles and other "it'll be
useful one day" stuff behind grandads shed .. 😉

I'll have it!

Zog The Undeniable vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

Paul - censored said:

We still have one .. somewhere in the mass of nettles and other "it'll be
useful one day" stuff behind grandads shed .. 😉

I'll have it!

I'll have a look for it next weekend, which is the earliest we'll see them
again. It's one of the very first ones, with the long seat and adjustable
handlebars ... but how much of it's left is debatable .. 😉

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules !!!
"A [censored] is a [censored], no matter what mode of transport they're using."

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Oi! I had a Chopper and it never did me any harm.

But you are the last of the line eh? My eyes water at the very
though of that gear change...

They will be bringing back Willhans harnesses next

Richard Webb

Gippledocks said:

First the return of the Chopper. Then the LBS sprouts a Schwinn Stingray in
its window. Now the cornflake packet offers some ghastly no-name Easy Rider
styled 'bicycle', looking as if blessed with a frame hewn from a billet of
dwarf star metal and components cast from feline excreta.

Has the world gone quietly mad while I wasn't looking? Or is it that those
born too late for the '70s are doomed to repeat them?

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged to
aspire to such impractical nonsense?

The penny farthing (more like a 10p/5p) has come back as well

http://www.hawkcycles.co.uk/range/penny-farthing.html

Pete

RJ Webb said:

Quoted message said:

Oi! I had a Chopper and it never did me any harm.

But you are the last of the line eh? My eyes water at the very
though of that gear change...

No - there is a little Zoglette. Anyway, you'd knock your teeth out on
the ape hanger bars before your nads got anywhere near the T-shift.

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 22:06:29 +0100, "MartinM" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I blame the parents, neither my 11 year old or any of his peers think the
Chopper is in the least bit cool.

Just wait until they discover girls and chipshops to hang around
outside.

Paul - censored said:

Gippledocks vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged
to aspire to such impractical nonsense?

I think you have a low opinion of some of todays youth .. My 12 year
old took one look at the 'Chopper' and dismissed it out of hand ..
"Can't jump that thing, or endo it .." My nine year old thought it
'cute, but girlie' ...

I quite often see a fashion victim commuting on one of the new Choppers...

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
World Domination?
Just find a world that's into that kind of thing, then chain to the
floor and walk up and down on it in high heels. (Mr. Sunshine)

Dave Larrington vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

Paul - censored said:

Gippledocks vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged
to aspire to such impractical nonsense?

I think you have a low opinion of some of todays youth .. My 12 year
old took one look at the 'Chopper' and dismissed it out of hand ..
"Can't jump that thing, or endo it .." My nine year old thought it
'cute, but girlie' ...

I quite often see a fashion victim commuting on one of the new Choppers...

Hmmm .. probably works in advertising or hairdressing .. 🙂

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules !!!
"A [censored] is a [censored], no matter what mode of transport they're using."

Paul - censored said:

Gippledocks vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged to
aspire to such impractical nonsense?

I think you have a low opinion of some of todays youth .. My 12 year old
took one look at the 'Chopper' and dismissed it out of hand .. "Can't jump
that thing, or endo it .."

Well, I've not actually seen the modern one in teh flesh, but you can
certainly jump an original, and on landing there are any number of
endo-type moves possible (or even probable).

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Paul - censored said:

Quoted message said:

I quite often see a fashion victim commuting on one of the new Choppers...

Hmmm .. probably works in advertising or hairdressing .. 🙂

I'm sure there's a knob gag in there somewhere...

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Ian Smith vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

Paul - censored said:

Gippledocks vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

How will children learn to cycle and enjoy it if they're encouraged to
aspire to such impractical nonsense?

I think you have a low opinion of some of todays youth .. My 12 year old
took one look at the 'Chopper' and dismissed it out of hand .. "Can't
jump that thing, or endo it .."

Well, I've not actually seen the modern one in teh flesh, but you can
certainly jump an original, and on landing there are any number of
endo-type moves possible (or even probable).

I have a feeling my son meant 'under control', or even under some semblance
of control .. 🙂

The old one was a pretty good thing for learning to wheelie on .. with a
centre of balance that meant the front wheel didn't have to be up too far,
but also that it had a long way to go before it looped out too. I never had
the balls to try an 'endo' .. not with a caliper brake and steel (I think)
front 16" rim 🙂

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules !!!
"A [censored] is a [censored], no matter what mode of transport they're using."