What was it when YOU were 8 years old? For Mr. Modtomic it was the equipment surrounding the budding sport of BMX just up the street from my home being sold at Maplewood Bicycle. Could I somehow manage to procure one of these machines at a suggested retail price of $119.95 in 1978? No way. It only took 36 years, but I finally fulfilled that 8 year old's starry eyed dream.
Much like the Mongoose I featured back in 2012, this bike is amazingly mostly original. The seller
told me that only the seat had been replaced. Even the TIRES are original! That's kinda crazy. This
is what is known in the business as a "Survivor". Sadly the "Mag Scrambler" stickers didn't survive...
neither did the coaster brake. That is a bit of mechanical work I've never had the pleasure of messing
with before. I've taken hundreds of BMX and Mountain bikes apart and done repairs to, but I've
never messed with a coaster brake. I may just leave that for the next owner.
Wow, it's even got the original front and back reflectors. This Schwinn is sort of a proto-bmx bike in
my limited world view. As far as I'm concerned, the real BMX bikes didn't show up until the early
'80s. The bikes that were produced from then until about 1990 were the coolest, best looking and
most imaginatively designed BMX and Freestyle bikes ever. That was the golden age of BMX for
this guy...but there'll always be a soft spot in my lil heart for these early bikes, if only because I had
such a want for one before I even knew what they were for.
Hi Mr. Modtomic, My name is Nathan and I hope you can contact me regarding this bike. If it is still for sale I would like to inquire about purchasing it. The bike is actually my bike. My dad bought it for me in 1978 when I was a boy. It was stolen from our garage in the 1980's. Our house was 3 streets up from the Wentzville Flea Market. I have searched for years for one like it. This is my exact bike (except for the seat). Do you still have it for sale? I live in California now but my brother lives in Lake St. Louis and could come by to make the purchase. It broke my heart when it was stolen and to be able to get it back after all these years would mean the world to me. I was 8 when I had it and my son turns 8 this summer. Would love to hand it down to him. Please let me know. If you have already sold it maybe I could purchase it from the person who purchased it from you if you have their contact info by any chance. Crossing my fingers. Thanks, Nathan
ReplyDeleteHi Nathan.
DeleteSend me an e-mail at the address provided in the right sidebar.