Bicycles, their design, components, and use as transportation. Competitive cycling belongs in Sports.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
On a 1970s ten-speed, what did squeezing the handlebar levers do?
Caliper brakes squeezed pads against the wheel rims, unlike the pedal-back coaster brakes on cruisers.
What type of seat became a signature feature of the classic Schwinn Sting-Ray?
The long saddle let riders shift their position, with a rear support bar holding up the back of the seat.
Schwinn introduced the Sting-Ray bicycle in which decade?
Schwinn adapted a look that California children had created by adding long seats and tall handlebars to their bikes.
The classic Schwinn Sting-Ray's long seat and tall handlebars resemble which motorcycle style?
Five-speed Sting-Ray Krate models took custom styling further with a gearshift lever mounted on the top tube.
What style of handlebars gave the classic Schwinn Sting-Ray its distinctive look?
The tall bars let riders sit upright instead of leaning forward over the dropped handlebars of a racing bicycle.
What makes a 1970s ten-speed bicycle a "ten-speed"?
Two front chainrings times five rear cogs give ten ratios, shifted with levers on the down tube.
What mechanism moves a ten-speed chain between gears?
Front and rear derailleurs push the chain sideways onto different sprockets when the rider shifts.
Which brand built the Varsity, a best-selling American ten-speed?
Chicago-built Varsity models filled bike shops during the 1970s bike boom as adults took up cycling.
What does indexed shifting add to a bicycle's gear shifter?
In rear gears, each click aligns the derailleur with a sprocket, so riders need not find the gear position by feel.
What usually connects a bicycle's mechanical gear shifter to its derailleur?
The shifter pulls or releases an inner cable that slides inside a fixed outer housing.