stingrays, an inconvienant truth

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froggy99

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I'm a liar. Everytime I ride my stingray I fear someone will out me. Show me up for the fraud I am. U see my stingray is a repop. I'm sorry but back in 2007 it called to me from a side walk sale at walmart. I was weak. I couldn't resist it's candy apple green and chrome charms. "U could take me home" it said. I'll never tell" "you've always wanted me, u know it." So for the princely sum of $64.99 I bought this modern day siren and sold my soul. Now evertime someone says "hey nice stingray, U did a nice job restoring it" I cringe. I lie, a lie of ommition but a lie non the less. My responce "oh thanks." and then I pedal off the fraud commited again. Ok so is it wrong to love my stingray. Are the og stingrays of the late 60's and early 70's the only bikes worthy of love? What about the murky underworld of stingrays built of bike shop canti frames and lil chick parts? The Ladyboys of the bike world? What are ur thoughts?
 
I think you deserve 50 lashes.
Well not really. Do you have fun when riding it? Does it bring smiles to other peoples faces to see a grown man on one?
That is all that counts.
 
i prefer buying an imitation Stingray and enjoying the ride over purchasing an authentic Stingray. However, I am glad that there are people willing to buy an authentic Stingray and preserve it for us all to see and admire. I'm just not one of them.
 
I would ride your false god in a heart beat.am I less of a man because I ride my daughters 72 lil chick.i think not.now go henceforth and ride like the wind.i won't tell if you don't.
 
I'm a Sting-Ray snob. Repops are horrible. It's Chicago, not Chicom.

If this wasn't such a nice place, I'd tell you how I really feel.

furyus
 
I always say if they are not skilled enough in bicycles to know it is a repop when they say "Hey nice job restoring that stingray" then they would never know anyway so it's no harm no foul.

Now if you are trying to sell it as an original that is wrong and is taking advantage of people.
 
Thats not my goal or even the idea behind what i'm saying. I doubt i'll ever sell any of my bikes. I mite give em away (as I've done in the past) I was saying don't take the whole og stingray, made in wherever thing too seriously. I have just as much fun with that bike as any others that i have. U do have a point however as it seems anything with a nana seat or apes is advertised as a "stingray" . A couple weeks a go there was a cl ad for a "stingray" with some blurry pics. When I called and pressed the guy for some better pics it turned out to be a rattle can painted brats bike with a old generic nana seat. That was just wrong. I like all the nanas like my high jinx and the dragsters,rails even the first huffy bmx bikes. I just wanted to open a discussion about the bikes i love. Of course I mite be lying
 
I have originals and I bought a couple of the used Black Fri. Bikes . I love riding them too. My regret was at 5:00 Am on Black Fri. I didn't buy 4 or 5 of them for $69.00 because I had already bought misc. bikes and parts that past week and I was with my wife at my mother in laws house for the holiday and she (mother in law) would not understand why a grown man would want a child's bike let alone five of them. I was in that Waly World 2 or 3 time that week after Black Fri. and they maybe sold 3 of them. It was a beautiful site seeing 15 bikes and all of the colors, it took me back to 1970 at my local Schwinn shop looking at the rows of Krates that they had.
 
I had to laugh, I also own a bfk stingray, and the compliments it gets, all I know is its what got me started searching out old bikes and finding this place so I guess it cant be all bad. And at least my bfk is ridable compared to my real stingray.....the Moneypit ...
010-20.jpg

the rider
101_9589.jpg

Don't get me wrong the quality is night and day, but the fun factor hitting my siren on the bfk , an adult shouldn't have this much fun :lol:
 
Froggy99,

At $64.99, you got a deal as I paid $69 for my Blue BFK in December 2007.

Although some complain on message boards about the BFK's quality, I blended vintage parts and built the pictured 5 speed Stingray that I can ride regulary and not worry about damaging an expensive original. My friends and our kids also enjoy riding this bike although I usually warn people that the BFK banana seat, even with the Krate shock absorbing sissy bar, is a bit uncomfortable for anyone over the age of 12 and/or 105 lbs. However, the ear to ear grin that appears on their face after their turn on the bike makes it all seem worthwhile.

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This was the goal of the post. To share a love of stingrays. I'm so glad (for the most part) its been extremely positive. Thanks retrospeed for showing ur bike its great
 
Had to laugh, this post is great. Frankly you can work your butt off to make your bikes as original as poss and all you'll get from Joe Public is "Oh yeah, my niece just got a sweet cruiser from target for $150".

Good for you for coming clean to your peers :mrgreen: but if the general populous is getting stoked on your ride just enjoy it.
 
wanda022_zps9b913593.jpg
This bike is NOT a stingray. (although the slick and the grips are) When I ride it people say "Nice stingray" go figure
 
A bicycle is a tool, a machine. It uses gears (one of the simple machines) and their ratios to better our lives. It doesn't matter where or when it was made. If you enjoy your bike and use it then it has served its purpose. The only way a bicycle can be disparaged is if it sits unused. Therefore your bicycle is from now on a samurai, and will die with dignity. It will die in battle and not hiding in the basement. Nothing else matters.
 
ozzmonaut said:
A bicycle is a tool, a machine. It uses gears (one of the simple machines) and their ratios to better our lives. It doesn't matter where or when it was made. If you enjoy your bike and use it then it has served its purpose. The only way a bicycle can be disparaged is if it sits unused. Therefore your bicycle is from now on a samurai, and will die with dignity. It will die in battle and not hiding in the basement. Nothing else matters.
Click to expand...
Well said
 
ozzmonaut said:
A bicycle is a tool, a machine. It uses gears (one of the simple machines) and their ratios to better our lives. It doesn't matter where or when it was made. If you enjoy your bike and use it then it has served its purpose. The only way a bicycle can be disparaged is if it sits unused. Therefore your bicycle is from now on a samurai, and will die with dignity. It will die in battle and not hiding in the basement. Nothing else matters.
Click to expand...

Actually, a Sting-Ray is a toy, not a tool, and I'll grant that one can just putt around on a reproduction and have a good time. If one honestly represents a reproduction for what it is, then riding one certainly does not reflect badly upon the rider. Knock yourself out if it makes you happy.

To me, though, only the real thing will do. Part of the joy these bikes bring for me is the authenticity of the parts, creatively assembled into a bike I want to ride. The only acceptable reproduction when it comes to Sting-Rays is me, a 51 year-old man trying to reproduce a childhood that has disappeared along with his country's manufacturing base.

To refer to a Chicom repop Sting-Ray as a "samurai" is a little melodramatic (as well as insulting to our Japanese friends). The irony of your personification is that rather than conjuring up a warrior's spirit, I find the repops instead to be soul-less scrap metal.

I'd rather walk.

furyus
 
furyus said:
ozzmonaut said:
A bicycle is a tool, a machine. It uses gears (one of the simple machines) and their ratios to better our lives. It doesn't matter where or when it was made. If you enjoy your bike and use it then it has served its purpose. The only way a bicycle can be disparaged is if it sits unused. Therefore your bicycle is from now on a samurai, and will die with dignity. It will die in battle and not hiding in the basement. Nothing else matters.
Click to expand...

Actually, a Sting-Ray is a toy, not a tool, and I'll grant that one can just putt around on a reproduction and have a good time. If one honestly represents a reproduction for what it is, then riding one certainly does not reflect badly upon the rider. Knock yourself out if it makes you happy.

To me, though, only the real thing will do. Part of the joy these bikes bring for me is the authenticity of the parts, creatively assembled into a bike I want to ride. The only acceptable reproduction when it comes to Sting-Rays is me, a 51 year-old man trying to reproduce a childhood that has disappeared along with his country's manufacturing base.

To refer to a Chicom repop Sting-Ray as a "samurai" is a little melodramatic (as well as insulting to our Japanese friends). The irony of your personification is that rather than conjuring up a warrior's spirit, I find the repops instead to be soul-less scrap metal.

I'd rather walk.

furyus
Click to expand...

I ment the quote itself is good, i only have real stingrays- but i just build and AMF that i like much better
 
furyus.. dude... positive ok,lite ok. I think what was said was quite poetic and the imagery of the bike being used with dignity instead of languishing unused and forgotten touching. It certainly could never be misconstrued as some type of racial slur as you portrayed. Moreover I found the "scrap metal" comment a bit offensive as I don't think what retrospeed achieved with his homage to the Krate to be scrap. Its a beautiful bike and totally in the vibe of rat rod/hot rod. Hot rodders have made tribute/clone cars for decades and enjoying them. It places the 454 chevelle or 409 impala within reach of the common man with some skill and vision. The stingray has risen to cult status within our community with the prices rising to unattainable levels for the younger or less well healed enthusiast. The solution, to buy less expensive products and/or to build the bikes of our dreams. To desparige these people and their efforts I feel is a little insensitive. I think u should be honored that these people are chasing the same dream you have attained.
 

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