NGC - banana seat bike

[Denis]

In 1972 my parents gave me my first bicycle, an AMF Roadmaster Aero Bee Renegade. I rode the hell out of it.
When we moved back to Fayetteville, NC from Buffalo, the bike came with me. Me and a buddy rode our bikes to the local fire station where we registered the bikes and got a license number and a sticker in case they were stolen.
Fast forward to 1993. I was let go from my first post-college job and sold some things, including the Aero Bee, which I always regretted. A collector in Wilson, NC bought it.
A couple of weeks ago I thought it would be fun to find another, so I posted an ad on Facebook Market Place.
After a week and a couple of leads a guy in Garner, NC emailed me and said he had a green one just like the photo I posted.
So I went to look at it and it was EXACTLY like mine.
In fact, it WAS mine!
So, 27 years after I sold it I brought it back home, rebuilt the hub and polished it up. The seat was replaced but the rest is as it was when I sold it.

[oldbike54]

 That's really cool 

 Dusty

[cliffrod]

In 1972 my parents gave me my first bicycle, an AMF Roadmaster Aero Bee Renegade. I rode the hell out of it.
When we moved back to Fayetteville, NC from Buffalo, the bike came with me. Me and a buddy rode our bikes to the local fire station where we registered the bikes and got a license number and a sticker in case they were stolen.
Fast forward to 1993. I was let go from my first post-college job and sold some things, including the Aero Bee, which I always regretted. A collector in Wilson, NC bought it.
A couple of weeks ago I thought it would be fun to find another, so I posted an ad on Facebook Market Place.
After a week and a couple of leads a guy in Garner, NC emailed me and said he had a green one just like the photo I posted.
So I went to look at it and it was EXACTLY like mine.
In fact, it WAS mine!
So, 27 years after I sold it I brought it back home, rebuilt the hub and polished it up. The seat was replaced but the rest is as it was when I sold it.

Very, very cool.  Tell me about the original seat. Is there any chance it looked more like this dirty but otherwise pretty good shape original Troxel?








It's been hanging in the rafters forever, waiting for the right home.  If it will make your bike better, pay shipping and it's yours.  Let me know.

[bigbikerrick]

Small world! Thats a cool looking bike, love the chain guard. I had a Schwinn Apple Krate back in those days. Any one else own a Cherry picker, lemon peeler, or Orange crusher? I remember my "Krate"was $112. in 1970's dollars. I saved all my paper route money for a year to buy that bike, and would go look at it every week at the bike shop. Talk about anticipation!
Rick.

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1971-schwinn-5-speed-apple-krate-restored.142048/#lg=attachment894013&slide=0 

[Rinkydink]

I had the Schwinn Pea Picker bought with paper route proceeds. Wish I still had it.

[Tom]

Cool that you were able to get your bike back.     Get the spare seat.

[blu guzz]

yeah.  that 5 speed shifter was in the perfect spot too if you hit a bump wrong and didn't want to have kids.

[jwinwi]

Thank you for posting  Most of rode bicycles before motorcycles.

[Tusayan]

My start on two wheels was with a steering wheel...

[80CX100]

Thanks for sharing the photos and that heartwarming story.

Your bike is gorgeous, that chain guard alone is a piece of art.

I had something similar although not with the smooth curvy lines and design of your bike, but I thought I was pretty cool on it back in the day.

Mine was a Fastback100 made by Raleigh and probably purchased through our Eatons catalogue up here in Canada, but mine looked in very rough shape when I sold it 50 yrs ago, I don't think it ever looked as mint as your bike 

[OldMojo]

From what remains, that decal looks dangerously similar to the Dodge Scat Pack bee!







Would that be some sort of drum brake on the front hub?

[BRG-BIRD]

That’s totally awesome you got your bike back!!

[bobrebos]

I had a Sears three speed banana seat stingray type bike, way back when.  Like this one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sears-CHROME-SPYDER-3-speed-Muscle-bike-banana-seat-SLICK-original-1966/283138848278?hash=item41ec63f616:g:S2oAAOSwfOJbjYN6

Now I have this one.  lol 

[Ncdan]

From what remains, that decal looks dangerously similar to the Dodge Scat Pack bee!







Would that be some sort of drum brake on the front hub?

Thanks Mo for the Super Bee part. Here’s my picture of my 1969 Super Bee that I bought new in 69 with my tobacco money. I’m the skinny kid on the right.
On the bike side of  the conversation, before the Super Bee my transportation was a Schwinn Orange Crate. I just traded it in a few years ago for a Mountain Bike and I know exactly where it is:).

[bodine99]

MEGA!!!!!!

[Denis]

From what remains, that decal looks dangerously similar to the Dodge Scat Pack bee!

Oh yeah, in fact most collectors who picked up these bikes was because of the chain guard.

[Denis]

Very, very cool.  Tell me about the original seat. Is there any chance it looked more like this dirty but otherwise pretty good shape original Troxel?








It's been hanging in the rafters forever, waiting for the right home.  If it will make your bike better, pay shipping and it's yours.  Let me know.
[/quote]

My original seat was black with yellow stripes, but was torn up when I sold the bike. They guy I bought the bike back from had installed this NOS black/red striped seat a while back. I'd love to find a black/yellow striped seat again.

[kingoffleece]

banana bikes.  Now THOSE were the days!

[Red07]

Great story Denis.  Thanks for sharing.  So cool to have the cherished things from our past.  I still have my old Mongoose Supergoose (1981) that I raced back in the 80's.  Also, still have the car I drove in high school.  1968 Mustang GT Fastback.  390 4 speed.


Randy

[Bulldog9]

That is very cool... I had a couple banana seat bikes back in the day. One of them was an Iverson that had two separate handlebars that you could reverse to angle up or back. I think it was called the charger or Daytona or something like that and it was a crazy Chrysler orange color. At least that's what I can remember from way back in 1973. One of my favorite bikes ever.

 I also had one of those candy apple metallic green Schwinns with the stick shift right in the center of the bar. Almost tore my junk off a couple times! unfortunately, when I bought my first 10-speed a Schwinn varsity sport I got rid of all my older bikes. I had that all the way up through college.

Still that's very cool you able to find that bike and it is in such great shape. Definitely a treasure.

[bigbikerrick]

I had the Schwinn Pea Picker bought with paper route proceeds. Wish I still had it.

Yeah Baby! I had totally forgotten about the "pea picker" awesome bike. Yes they had a drum brake in the front as well as full suspension, with shocks on the seat mounts!
What a walk down memory lane....
Rick.

[Moparnut72]

That is very cool... I had a couple banana seat bikes back in the day. One of them was an Iverson that had two separate handlebars that you could reverse to angle up or back. I think it was called the charger or Daytona or something like that and it was a crazy Chrysler orange color. At least that's what I can remember from way back in 1973. One of my favorite bikes ever.

 I also had one of those candy apple metallic green Schwinns with the stick shift right in the center of the bar. Almost tore my junk off a couple times! unfortunately, when I bought my first 10-speed a Schwinn varsity sport I got rid of all my older bikes. I had that all the way up through college.

Still that's very cool you able to find that bike and it is in such great shape. Definitely a treasure.

The orange you had was most likely "Go Mango", the color of the 2006 Charger Daytona I had. Super Bee came from the fact that it was a "hot rod version of the the Dodge "B" body. Sister to the Plymouth Roadrunner. The Plymouth name for that paint color was Vitamin C. Loved those days. I also had a Raleigh bike when I was a kid, a full size with 3 speed gears in the hub. I just found another a couple of months ago with original paint, decals and metal emblems and the expected patina.
kk

[Tusayan]

Mine was a Fastback100 made by Raleigh and probably purchased through our Eatons catalogue up here in Canada

Those were called a Raleigh ‘Chopper’ in some other markets and were as popular in Commonwealth counties where Raleigh had well established markets as Schwinn’s version was popular in the US.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raleigh_Chopper

[Seventy One]

Cool story!

I had a hand-me-down Aerobee Renegade as my first bike. It has a white banana seat on it and believe it's stock/original to the bike. 

[radguzzi]

There is some great nostalgia in those old bikes, Man we would ride until after dark.  We chopped and customized them, travelled farther than I would even think about it now.  Ahh, youth...!

Sue and I were recently in Fla for a Red Sox Spring Training game and found a muscle ar collection that was is just amazing... GM cars mostly, it is a private collection, not an example of all kinds of vehilves.

In one area were these bikes... seems that they are in many people's memories.

[larrys]

I'm jellis of you guys. All my bikes came from the town dump, mostly in pieces. Dad and me would put together bitsas as I outgrew them. Going to the local Western Auto to buy a tube or a tire was a big investment...
Larry

[tazio]

O.k I'll make this short and sweet. When I was a yute I had one of those bikes with the shifter in the middle. The BMX bikes were getting popular and I wanted one. My dad had a welder in the garage so I cut several inches out of the middle of the frame and welded it all back together (although the tubes clearly no longer lined up). Jump a ditch, she broke in half and I busted my ass. End of story.    (...and I can STILL hear my neighbors laughing)

[cliffrod]

O.k I'll make this short and sweet. When I was a yute I had one of those bikes with the shifter in the middle. The BMX bikes were getting popular and I wanted one. My dad had a welder in the garage so I cut several inches out of the middle of the frame and welded it all back together (although the tubes clearly no longer lined up). Jump a ditch, she broke in half and I busted my ass. End of story.    (...and I can STILL hear my neighbors laughing)

In the 4th(?) grade around 76-77, I helped my best friend make a chopper project.  We sawed the front fork tubes off of a junk 20" bike, then hammered them onto the forks of his 20" banana seat bike real hard. Looked pretty damn cool to a couple of 10 yr olds.  Didn't look very cool as it repeatedly collapsed as we rode it.  Thankfully one fail was right before he went up the ramp to jump, wearing his veteran father's Korea-era aviator's helmet.  It was a fun weekend at his house.  Eventually it was welded up by his dad or brother and was better, but never as good or easy to ride as his cousin's store-bought long front end chopper circa 1978.  That was our first lesson in rake & trail.

[Bulldog9]

Of course I had to find a picture of the bike, and Here it is..... I may just have to get it for my grandson.... I loved that bike.

[steven c]

In the late 60's my brother cashed in a saving bond and bought a Murray banana seat bike, orange with a checker flag seat. One day he went out riding with two of his buddies to ride down this big down hill road, he was in the lead and his fork snapped taken out him and the two kits behind, broken legs and arms and heads. my brother with the crack skull. So my father takes the broken part to where he worked and they found it was already crack and painted over. I forget the details being only around 8 at the time but Murray gave him a new bike! Years later I told my dad, you know today you would have gotten a load of money.  Sorry no photos but reading this reminded me of that.