An Amusement & Diversion for The Genteel Cyclist. Daily.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Ripping

Round about the time I was still melting GI Joes with a magnifying glass, BMX went through its first wave of national popularity, and even though there wasn't a BMX track within 500 miles, we all wanted a BMX bike. I was still on my Sears singlespeed, Bicentennial paintjob thankee very much, and my pal Jason had an older brother who suddenly got whiskers and pubes and was therefore beyond-BMX cool and looking to decomish his silver Schwinn Scrambler Comp with Ashtabula extra-long cranks, a Mag on the rear and a red anno Weinman on the front. I offered him 150 cash and he snorted at me. Half of what he wanted. So I begged another 150 off Dad, who kept a stash of cash in his sock drawer, and the Scrambler was mine all mine. It was a great bike. Every bit as good as a P.K. Ripper.

But looking back, I realize I was on the wrong side of history. Those P.K. Rippers are still being made by SE Bikes. And the Schwinn is owned by some Canadian dynacrap steel company, and the scrambler is something you order off the menu at Al's.

1 comment:

TOMMY GUN said...

Don't fool yer'self, Pinchie.
The modern P.K. Ripper has nothing in common with good ol' Perry Kramer and Scot Breithaupt. Now owned by Fuji, purveyors of other fine pop-culture detritus, including the Sheperd Fairey "Obey" fixie. Still have a '79 Mag Scrambler in the Cykel Garage. Good tymez...

-O.M. Flyhurl