European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 12, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Elaine Louie new York times the bicycle now ranks with the automobile a Basic Model in a Basic color just in t enough. Now a bicycle must have style. A Bike s reflection of its owner s personality is almost As important As its Comfort Speed and function. But the Price tag on top of the line models can be As much As $12,000. A Bike that stands out from the crowd can be had for far less of course a person can buy a Standard Bike and have it custom painted and can attach various Bolt on accessories. Ten years ago Susan and Jim Cunningham of san Marcos calif., started Cyc Lart a business that painted and reconditioned bicycles. In those Days they say cyclists would choose one or maybe two Basic colors. Quot now there a Wilder paint expression Quot mrs. Cunningham says. Quot people want to express their  customers order vibrant bikes that look As if Jackson Pollock might have done them. The Cunningham charge a minimum of $125 for a single color paint Job. Prices for Sharks random Geometric shapes Faux Bamboo and pin stripes can Cost several times $125. Cyclists tend to Divide into three Camps those who buy Vintage bikes and ride them slowly if at All those who buy Mountain or hybrid bikes and ride chiefly for recreation and those who buy racing bikes to do aerobic workouts or compete. A racing Bike can weigh As Little As 19 pounds while Mountain bikes weigh 25 to 29 pounds. There Are 2,500 to 3,000 serious collectors of Vintage bikes ranging from the High wheelers of the 1890s to the Chrome plated bikes of the late 50s, says James Hurd curator of the Schwinn bicycle company history Center in Chicago which has 50,000 objects in its collection. As for the other two classes of bikers Quot of the 10.7 million bikes sold last year in the United states 3.5 million were Mountain bikes and the rest were racing or Road bikes Quot says Bill Quinn the founder and editor of bicycle business journal a Trade Magazine published in fort Worth Tex. For collectors a Bike is often a reminder of Youthful Days Bobbing along on fat balloon tires and blowing the Bike s Horn. Some collectors ride the bikes others simply horde them. Quot the most sought after Bike is the Schwinn Black phantom because it s just deluxe Quot says Larry Bush of memory Lane classics in Perrysburg Ohio specialists in Vintage bikes. Quot it had a Spring Fork and if you hit a bump it was like a  a the 65-Pound phantom also came in red and Green with lights and lots of Chrome. Schwinn made 100,000 phantoms from 1949 to 1959, Selling them for $79 to $89. Memory Lane classics Sells restored phantoms for about $2,500. Quot they be been v 91 beyond the Basic 1 or % a \ i \ i \ the Schwinn Black phantom is among the most coveted of Vintage bikes. A company in er7nr�?T 0hio�?T Sels this Quot stored 19ssmodel Tot 92,500, a a j i a1 thl to Ini but Jha til line Bill my we m peddling Uphill in Low gear. Racing bikes weigh As Little As 19 pounds Mountain bikes 25 to a pounds today a bicycles reflect personality Pel an Derfl Stel also spa Hytt Crol Mol Bike Boom by Ira Dreyfuss associated press Early �?T80s a % m of have to get older but a 1�?o �?o�1 you Don t have to grow up. If xjl1 w you go about it right you can a m still use some of your toys without getting funny looks from other adults. The Bike for instance. The bicycle Institute of America says 90 million americans used bikes in 1989 a 53 percent of them adults and 47 percent children. That a a narrow Edge and it gets narrower when you consider that the Washington based Trade group counted anyone 16 or Over As an adult. The figures Are in the Bia s latest review of the Industry the 1990-91 bicycling reference Book. Since 1983, the association says 18 million More adults have taken up cycling. In 1989, it says 23 million were Riding on Page 14 average once a week up 13 million and 3.2 million were using a Bike to commute up 1.7 million. Adult recreational cycling has enjoyed a Boom since the Early 80s, largely because of improvements in bicycle technology that make bicycles More comfortable to ride Quot the Bia says. Quot in addition increased interest in health and fitness has spurred More people to begin spinning the  for instance it says lever Type shifts Are outmoded. New bikes have Pushbutton Quot Click Quot shifts that Ratchet you exactly into the gear you want. You no longer have to grind Back and Forth through the other gears until you finally get it right a or give up in frustration and resign yourself to pretending your Multi Speed Bike is just a one Speed with fancier doodads. Another improvement Quot Aero a a a the stars and stripes handlebars that jut Forward Abou front wheel. They let you rest yol forearms comfortably keeping Yaj in an aerodynamic Quot tuck Withow to ride in a constant Crouch so Al clutch the Standard dropped ban for that matter some bicycles j away with the need for a Road. Of bikes open the Woods the Hills and trails to bikers. Even in cities theyl some of the Jolt out of potholes. At have become very popular a All-4 users surged from 200,000 in thee figures to 11 million in 1989. Racing bikes have become sit using lightweight composite a i As Well As solid disk wheels win the More wind resistant wire so what s More you can Monitor performance by computer. Of Refl speedometer a now you canal your Miles travelled your Pace How fast your heart is beating. Tuesday Aoe sales for under $100 and traded for Een collectors a says Hurdic rhe hopal�n9 Cassidy made in ? it has a fringed rack and two fake at memory Lane classics it Sells move from the Vintage bikes Are Quot among them the Western flyer. Hia manufacturing from a 1950 Midtown bicycles in new York it Sells for her Schlemmer Sells a $595 version of a English Garden bicycle made by a leather seat tire pump and Bell Vearn to race like Greg Lemond the to won the 1989 tour de France and championship can buy bicycles similar ode for the final stage of the tour for e overcame a 53-second lag on the steel Kronos Trada made by Carniello r Schlemmer Sells that Model for 53 600, Midtown bicycles Sells a Woof the custom fitted Greg Lemond of Carbon fiber a Light Strong non polite. Riders use Carbon fiber bikes in races e s a lot of climbing because they re very Rich Carlson editor of winning bicycle rated published in Allentown a. Artisans say there is More to this Bike is. Brian Foley director of marketing at drive imports in Indian Harbor Beach distributes the Lemond Bike says Lemond geometry is about is that a uld sit Back on the seat a bit As opposed ii the Way Forward. Its a More relaxed Carbon fiber Bike is the Kestrel by Sells for $5,000 at Toga Bike shop in Toga also Sells a $4,000 lightweight Cycle made by Merlin metalwork Ortin Park Ridge n.j., Sells two popular g bikes. The anniversary designed by Kex a four time Winner of the tour de is for $1,500 to $3,500. The other i is by Serotta sports and Sells for $2,000 the Frame of Serotta s Bike becomes the pedals. Quot this makes the bicycle and More rigid a says a Serotta n. National riders there Are Mountain or All cycles and hybrid bikes. Both usually have is but aluminium and Carbon fiber Are the Mountain Bike usually has 21 d wide tires and is very durable. The has 21 speeds but narrower tires its a Een a lightweight racing Bike and a Bike. Brid is quicker Quot says Brian Hall of cycles where 35 percent of the bikes Mountain bikes and 35 percent Are hybrids. 50 $480made by trek bicycles and its is the top Selling hybrid Hall said Rock Hopper $450 is the no. 1 hybrid. Dying 9 be y a Bike 983 lace e he you certainly would not want to Grace bikes this gorgeous with anything less fashionable a so you might want to retire your Wool racing shorts. The Bia says they re Quot out Quot a replaced by stretch synthetics. Like Wool the new fabrics also keep you Cool by wicking sweat away from the body. But you no longer have to Settle for the uniform Black that made you look like your legs had gone into mourning. Brighter colors now let you look like you re fleeing an aerobics class. Finally if you done to have one Check out the helmets. New Teardrop shapes Are on the Market a and if you like to go fast they May help you go a hair faster because they re More aerodynamic. Even if you done to go fast a Standard helmet designed to the standards of the Snell memorial foundation or the american National standards Institute can keep your Skull from becoming part of the pavement in Case there san Accident. Remember Bike with your head not on it. A great togetherness kind of sport tandem cycling has become americans great fitness equalizer. Tandem sales take off Pine 12, 1990 by James m. Raia new York times one of the most perplexing problems for friends or couples who share an appreciation for cardiovascular fitness is the disparity Between their athletic abilities. Long distance runners for example tend to work out with friends who won t leave them in the dust or drag too far behind thus defeating the purpose of running together in the first place. Ditto for bicyclists. It s doubtful that the inventor of the tandem bicycle had such fitness sensitivities in mind. But it does no to matter. What a important is that the bicycle built for two like other forms of cycling is experiencing a rapid increase in popularity in the United states. The tandem in fact has become the great fitness equalizer. Quot about five years ago there was a tremendous increase in the number of women who became involved in single cycling and the tandem is a natural progression from there Quot said Steve Lesse the sales manager for Santana cycles of Claremont calif., the world s largest tandem manufacturing company. A there Are a lot of couples boyfriends and girlfriends husbands and wives who Are out there Riding bikes and they be found that there can be a great difference Between athletic abilities. Tandems Are an Ideal leveling device. It s a great togetherness Type of  Santana cycles which builds and distributes 10 sport racing and All terrain tandem models throughout the world is among at least a half dozen companies whose tandem sales have increased. Santana whose bicycles Range in Price from $1,295 to $3,775, wont disclose How Many tandems it Sells. But after corporate changes in 1988, the company enjoyed a 300 percent increase in tandem sales during the last year. Other manufacturers including Schwinn Cannondale Ritchey u.s.a., Fisher Mountain bikes and Burley design cooperative Are having difficulty keeping up with the demand for tandems. History provides Only sketchy details but the bicycle built for two is believed to be More than 100 years old. The idea is simple two people can travel to the same place at the same time utilizing Only one Bike but the strength of two sets of legs. According to Jack Goertz who operates a National Dealership from his Home in Birmingham Ala., and is creditor of the tandem newsletter double talk tandem prototypes Date to the 1860s, perhaps earlier. But the bicycle built for two first gained wide National attention in 1897. Legend has it that Bobby Walthour sr., a Champion cyclist of the Era suggested to his underage Girlfriend that they leave Birmingham on their tandem pedal across state boundaries and find a Parson in Georgia who would marry them. The duo travelled to several Sites on a Moonlit night before they found a Parson who would conduct their vows. Later they returned to Atlanta. Word of the marriage spread quickly and was scooped up by a reporter. With an accompanying verse a picture of the couple on their tandem with cupid sitting on the handlebars was printed in the local newspaper. A Short while later a songwriter added music and lyrics to the newspaper account and the tune became a Ballad known As Quot a bicycle built for  the chorus of the song ends it won t be a stylish marriage i can t afford a Carriage but you la look Sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two. Much of the Romance of tandem cycling has remained although some forms of the sport Are taken More seriously than others. Each year at the world cycling championships for example the tandem match sprint Competition is among the most coveted titles. During the race two Amateur menus teams ride five 33-meter laps on a banked Cement track with the final 200 meters an All out sprint. The rear rider Stoker must remain in constant communication with the front rider Captain while the duo reaches speeds of nearly 50 Mph. To succeed the pair must think and react As one. Recreational Tan Deming is less competitive but the same principles apply. The front rider steers controls braking and must communicate Well. The rear rider usually the smaller of the two riders for aerodynamic efficiency must have Good vision and communication skills. This compatibility is also a Good reason Why tandems have become particularly popular with older partners. In fact approximately half of the members of the tandem club of America a National group that promotes tandem use Are age 50 and older. Tandem events for every level of rider Are on the increase the largest of these being the three Day Northwest tandem rally in Bend ore., held each May. Quot i think sales have taken off because tandems have finally reached that critical mass Quot said Goertz who has been Selling tandems since 1980. Quot tandems Are no longer a total rarity in a not saying you re going to find one on every Street Corner. But now almost everyone who bicycles at least knows someone who has a tandem. Its kind of feeding on  for More information on tandem bicycling Contact the tandem club of America co Mai and Jean Smith 11010 Jamison Road East Aurora . 14052, or Jack Goertz editor of the clubs newsletter 2220 Vanessa drive Birmingham Ala. 35242. The stars and stripes a a a Page 15