Micki's First

During a recent trip back to Nebraska Micki did some exploring in her Mom's shed and came across an old gem... her first bike, the Schwinn Bantam!!

Here it is being pulled back into the daylight:



This is the little 20" handcrafted yellow Chicago rocket that allowed Micki to feel the wind brush back her red pigtails and that grin that comes with the freedom of rolling on two wheels cross her face from freckled specked cheek to cheek.

Simulated image of little Micki riding her Schwinn Bantam (most likely sporting a skinned knee and hapless toad in her pocket):



The bike in all it's current glory:





One of the really cool features of this bike is that it is a convertible. Now, I don't mean old man driving a Chrysler Sebring type convertible, but convertible as in changing frames for a boy or a girl by simply removing the bolt on top tube.

The front connection:



... and the rear connection:



Coaster brake hub with ancient crusty zerk attached:



The bike has some really nice patina throughout and you can almost hear the sounds of children's laughter echoing from the rusty chips.

Quality from Chicago:



The head badge remains steadfast:



So, by now you may be asking yourself what the hell is a "Bantam" anyway?

At first I thought it might have been a rare collectors edition Schwinn with "Batman" spelled out incorrectly. I started to consider how we'd be spending the millions sure to be had within moments on E-Bay when I realized that "Bantam" actually was the true name Schwinn gave this bike.

But why?

Well, Google defines Bantam in the following ways:

bantam: diminutive, lilliputian, midget, petite, tiny, flyspeck, (very small) "diminutive in stature"



bantam: a small variety of poultry, especially chickens.



bantam: an assistant of Trevor Fitzroy who used his power as a chronal anchor to keep track of his master's time portals. He was sensitive to the bioenergy emissions of other superhumans, allowing him to locate the site where the energy was released.



Uhmmm.... it seems pretty obvious that at this point in Schwinn's evolution the marketing department hadn't yet been formally created or at least very well funded. Regardless, it's amazing to know that the bicycle that Micki first acquired her balance on still exists.

We'll have to think of something creative to do with it soon.