Although juvenile sized "lightweight" multi-speed steel road bikes did appear in the US bike stores more frequently during the 1970s, I think those who were of the younger balloon tire riding age by then, were really riding the far more highly advertised Schwinn Stingrays or Raleigh Choppers... which already accounts for some silly-high prices on some of those.
The Juvie scale road bikes were very rarely seen where I grew up (Connecticut) except in bike shop showrooms. I suspect they were mainly just purchased by the very few road bike enthusiast Dads who wanted a look-alike, ride-along, son for a weekend afternoon spin around the neighborhood. Remember, in 1970, a dad with a 10 year old child would have spent his own childhood on fat tire bikes and his teen years riding during the 1950s when bikes with Stumey-Archer 3-speed gear hubs may have become increasingly common in the US, but true road bikes with drop bars were still extremely rare. I had seen a lot of Junior road bikes in 1970s catalogs, but don't recall seeing any on US roads (or sidewalks).
Today the big attraction among 10 to 20 year olds appears to be BMX-derived Freestyle bikes, so yet another generation in future will be buying and restoring those (if at all) ... and again, not nostalgic Road bikes - which seem to begin to appeal to more mature (or at least older) "kids" - ones past their teens... except for the developmentally retarded or brain damaged "Jackass" fans who still enjoy riding off of rooftops and breaking bones just to look Kool on video.
Aah, what a world...
Bob Hanson, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Jerry Moos wrote:
For some reason, baloon-tired crusiers stiil command about 10 times the collector interest in the US of vintage lightweights. Maybe it is nostalgia for one's childhood. The popularity of lightweights in the late 60's/ early 70 Bike Boom is stiil in the adolescence rather than the childhood of the most avid collectors now in their 50's. Maybe in another 10 years when the guys in their 50's (when disposable income tends to peak) remember lightweights from their childhood, these bikes will command more interest and higher prices. We shall see.
************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.