The likely biker (July 14 or 15, 1956; actual size approx. 9.5 x 7.7 in. (24.2 x 19.4 cm.)). This shot was taken during the weekend preceding my sixth birthday. Geoffrey and I ogle my birthday present, a Schwinn Spitfire single-speed, 20-inch bike with coaster brake, a snazzy, two-tone tomato-red and cream-white paint job, and equally snazzy whitewall tires. What did I care that the damned thing weighed 40 pounds, and was made of pot metal, I loved it! I was six, after all! I was really slow to shed the training wheels, however. It wasn't until I rode my neighbor Randy Garrett's 24-inch bike some two years later that I discovered first-hand the physics of gyroscopes (which, come to think of it, I know I had one of those in my toy chest). That ride led eventually to a significant upgrade for my ninth birthday, which is unfortunately not pictured anywhere: a 24-inch Schwinn Racer with triangular frame, Sturmey-Archer 3-speed rear hub with handlebar-mounted shifter, and really sweet candy-apple red paint. Thus began a love affair with two-wheeled transport, which has spanned six bicycles and four motorcycles (including the Schwinn Paramount road bike that I purchased in 1994, and ride to this day, on most days). In the vicinity of our heads the photo is marred by some nasty thumbprint damage to the glossy finish, which proved difficult to rectify.

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