Those of us born at the tail end of the baby boom generation missed out on literally all the good stuff they, they being the earlier boomers, had to experience. Instead of the unbridled ebullience they had, us "Tweeners" were raised on a steady diet of assassinations, Vietnam, Watergate, Presidential resignations, gas shortages, federally mandated safety bumpers, a double dip recession, disco, the AMC Pacer and who knows what else. For the record, we had as much to do with the landslide of bullshit occurring in this country in the 1970's as they had to do with the Wonder Years they had growing up in the 50's and 60's. So, for you "early boomers" who think you're all that since you're a boomer, stick it in your ear. You just got born lucky.
An example of us being born too late were Schwinn Krates. New for 1968 and only made through 1973 - just as I was becoming of "real bike" age, the Krates were the embodiment of everything that used to be great. Just like the muscle cars they were patterned after which were for all intents and purposes had dissolved by 1973 as well. Was it a coincidence that Watergate began to percolate and the first gas crunch hit us in the fall of '73 too? Can't blame 1973 for having an inferiority complex. Anyway, Schwinn Krates were the hands down most awesome bike in the world and if you had one you were automatically a member of the cool kids club. Newsflash - I never got one.
So, what was a Schwinn Krate? Legend has it that in the early 1960's Schwinn's head stylist took notice that kids in Southern California were customizing their bikes to look like motor cycles and muscle cars. Knowing a good idea when he saw one, he took a 20 inch bike frame and put a banana seat and "ape hanger" handle cars on it and dubbed it "Sting-Ray". The fact that Chevrolet came out with the Corvette Sting-Ray in 1963 too no doubt doing wonders for marketing. There was an update in 1965 that included a two speed shifter but 1968 was the year that Schwinn took the Sting-Ray theme to the extreme when they came out with the Krates.
Krates featured front and rear suspension via articulating forks in front and a spring loaded sissy bar for a "floating saddle" out back. Braking was equally sophisticated with a drum style front brake and a mechanical disc in the rear. Remember we're talking 1968 here; this was pretty heady stuff. You could make an argument that Schwinn Krates were more sophisticated than many cars.
An example of us being born too late were Schwinn Krates. New for 1968 and only made through 1973 - just as I was becoming of "real bike" age, the Krates were the embodiment of everything that used to be great. Just like the muscle cars they were patterned after which were for all intents and purposes had dissolved by 1973 as well. Was it a coincidence that Watergate began to percolate and the first gas crunch hit us in the fall of '73 too? Can't blame 1973 for having an inferiority complex. Anyway, Schwinn Krates were the hands down most awesome bike in the world and if you had one you were automatically a member of the cool kids club. Newsflash - I never got one.
So, what was a Schwinn Krate? Legend has it that in the early 1960's Schwinn's head stylist took notice that kids in Southern California were customizing their bikes to look like motor cycles and muscle cars. Knowing a good idea when he saw one, he took a 20 inch bike frame and put a banana seat and "ape hanger" handle cars on it and dubbed it "Sting-Ray". The fact that Chevrolet came out with the Corvette Sting-Ray in 1963 too no doubt doing wonders for marketing. There was an update in 1965 that included a two speed shifter but 1968 was the year that Schwinn took the Sting-Ray theme to the extreme when they came out with the Krates.
Krates featured front and rear suspension via articulating forks in front and a spring loaded sissy bar for a "floating saddle" out back. Braking was equally sophisticated with a drum style front brake and a mechanical disc in the rear. Remember we're talking 1968 here; this was pretty heady stuff. You could make an argument that Schwinn Krates were more sophisticated than many cars.
Topping off the glorious mix of chrome, steel, rubber and flamboyant colors was a 5 speed shifter mounted oh so precariously on the top tube of the frame. I recall riding a friend's well worn Pea Picker on the up and down sidewalk slabs of Overlook Place staring down at that shifter that appeared poised to castrate me with little provocation. You'll notice on a rash of "new" Krates that came out in the '90's that this literal ball buster had been "shifted" elsewhere.
My choice, of course, would have been to have an "Apple Krate" but, again, by the time I got a bike Krates were no longer available brand new so I got a disparate knock off like this. At least it was red but it was kind of like getting a six cylinder Barracuda when I really wanted a Camaro Z/28. Mattered little though since I had bigger problems to worry about when I was a kid than crying in my Corn Flakes that I didn't get the bike I really wanted.
When I was a kid the trappings of wealth fascinated me since "being rich" and everything that came along with it seemed as obtainable as my walking on the moon. Ultimately, though, it mattered little in the big picture since there was no guarantee that "rich kids" would become "rich adults". Or appear to be rich. Success as much as failure never being permanent, I often wonder what kind of person I'd be today had I, and I say this purely as a metaphor, gotten an Apple Krate and everything that would imply when I was kid. Just like I wonder what I'd be like had I been born sooner and gotten to partake in the post war "Happy Days" the earlier boomers got to experience.
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