How My First Bicycle Changed My Life

When I was twelve years old back in the 1950s my parents allowed me to apply for an afternoon paper route. I had a friend who was a little older than me that had a morning route and he was earning what I considered big money. I had helped him deliver his papers a few times and I felt like I could handle it. In those days most towns of any size had both a morning paper and an afternoon paper. My parents did not want me to have to get up before dawn and be on the streets in the dark but they said yes to an afternoon route.

Needless to say I was excited about being able to earn my own money. However, I needed a dependable bike to be able to handle the large bag required for carrying the papers. I was not a large boy and the only bike we had in our family was an adult bike that was too tall for me to handle with a load of papers. I needed a smaller bike and one that would be dependable over the long haul. My father suggested we go shopping for a suitable bicycle with the understanding that I would pay for it out of my new found income stream.

In the 1950s the Western Auto Company had a chain of retail stores that similar to a hardware store and auto parts store in one shop. They also carried a line of bicycles. My father arranged for me to purchase a red and silver bicycle that was just the right size for me on the installment plan. I am not sure but he may have known the manager or owner and he may have even paid for it up front. But for the next several months I dutifully rode my bike to the Western Auto Store to make my $5.00 monthly bike payment.

It was a great lesson for a twelve year old boy to learn. I learned how to make money and pay my debts. I did not know it at the time but that bicycle had a huge impact on my life. It gave me my first taste of independence. It also helped educate me by taking me to the library and the movies. It led to a lifelong love affair with bicycles that I still enjoy today. But most of all it led me to wife because her parents were among my customers on the paper route. So get on your bike and ride. You never know where it will take you.