New girl, green as the grass

[ZoneFive]

Hi! I've been lurking around the site for a few weeks, waiting until I actually took my first ride before I posted. I'm Ann-Marie, haven't really ridden a bike since I was 11, have about 100 lbs. to lose, and am the proud new owner of a 1964 Schwinn Hollywood -- which is only a year or two younger than I am. Single speed, coaster brake (is this a good place to admit that I've never ridden anything with gearing or hand brakes?). It's just gotten a tune-up and new tires and tubes at my LBS, and today was our maiden voyage of 1.5 miles.



I've wanted to get back on a bike for a while, and rather than keep on being dazzled and confused by all the shiny bikes and options in magazines and online, I found the Hollywood at a thrift store and got some work done on it. I know this won't be forever, or even for very long, but I wanted to start someplace simple. I've lost about 25 lbs. since the beginning of the year with only walking as my exercise, and when nice weather finally showed up I gave in to the siren song of two wheels. Now I need to start making sense of bike lingo and see if I can grok gears a little before I upgrade.

Hope to participate, learn things and be inspired by everyone here!

[rebeccaC]

NICE bike Ann-Marie!!!! i luv vintage single speed step through frames.....and those are also very hipster-ish where i live

don't do much to it (the bendix hub won't allow a change to a different sized sprocket) just ENJOY riding and getting even healthier!!!!!!!!!..if you find you're having a problem just ask as there are some very knowledgable women here. It's a learning journey, enjoy being on it...

....and welcome to TE

[Lelani Carver]

My first bike was a blue Hollywood, hope you have a great time on that one!

[OakLeaf]

Fun bike! Welcome to TE.

[Crankin]

Welcome to TE.
I would kill to have a bike like yours. Classic.

[ZoneFive]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone -- I'm glad to be here!

Muirenn, yes there are handgrips, but they're probably almost as old as the bike. They feel fairly hard but not brittle. Not sure what they're supposed to feel like -- how soft or squooshy should they be?

[ZoneFive]

Wow -- thank you, this is wonderful! What a lot of great links to investigate!

I realized I'm wrong about Holly's age -- she's a 1962 vintage, not '64. I found the serial number and did a little checking around. There an awful lot of serial number databases online, imagine that. Now I have to figure out what size the frame is.

A Brooks saddle, you say? . . . has anyone told you you're a professional bad influence? I thought I'd use the old saddle for a couple of weeks to get used to riding daily before I changed it out. The Brooks look very elegant -- I think one is going on my wish list.

[rebeccaC]

If it’s in reasonable shape keep that original blue/white seat if you decide to change to a different seat. People like original parts!! For a Brooks you'll need to change your seatpost to a 13/16 with a 7/8 top…..and again, if you change keep the original. Talk to your LBS about seatpost options if you do decide to go with a different saddle. Perhaps think about saving the money for your next bike instead of spending what a Brooks will cost for the Hollywood.....well unless you really want to bling it out

[ZoneFive]

What I said about putting the Brooks on my wishlist was more a reminder to myself not to go all nuts and buy the expensive toys -- all the bling -- before I've ridden ten miles yet. I do keep a bike wishlist at Amazon and while I'm aiming for the sensible/essential stuff first, there are a few high-end fripperies that are on there just so I can think about them a while.

I'm going past my LBS today so I think I'll drop by and check out their handgrips. And I have to ask -- what does your custom inscription read?

rebeccaC, thank you for the reminder about keeping the original equipment. The tires were shot and I doubt they were original so I didn't keep those, but the saddle and post will definitely be put aside when/if I replace them.

[rebeccaC]

muiren...i agree on a comfortable saddle, but a Brooks on a Hollywood is bling to the frugal me ….and like I wrote I’d suggest spending that money towards a better overall bike when Ann-Marie is ready for one….but then that’s just me, others can spend their money any way they want.

I know older Schwinn’s and changing parts problems. When I first moved to California I joined a group of women that would get old bikes, I liked older Schwinn’s, we'd completely go through them, single speed them if not already, spray paint them bright yellow, put red lettered decals that said ‘this is a free bike…ride and then leave for someone else’ on them and set them out in different areas of the city. I still see some of them every now and then.

[ZoneFive]

You're right, I shouldn't have used the word bling. I have a lot to learn, and thank you for all the help.

[ZoneFive]

Didn't take it that way, honest. All is well.

[ny biker]

Welcome to TE! Enjoy your bike, ride it, have fun -- that's the whole point. As you get stronger, you may find that something about it is uncomfortable, in which case we can help you figure out how to address it.

[ZoneFive]

I remember riding my little blue Sting-Ray bike -- back when dinosaurs roamed the earth -- alongside my friend Mary Chris while she rode her Raleigh "English racer" (what we called any bike with pretensions to roadishness back then). That was the first place I saw a Brooks saddle and I can remember how impressed I was with it. It looked so elegant, and seemed so far above my glittery silver banana seat in terms of what a "real" bike was supposed to be. There's still an element of that awe associated with a Brooks saddle. Some of the more current saddles are positively scary -- not that they aren't technologically advanced and absolutely perfect for the right applications, but that I can't imagine my large posterior perched on one of them for a moment.

[ZoneFive]

Aha! I was just looking at these Cardiff grips! I'm guessing the shape of the grips is purely personal preference?