Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Bicycles are everywhere. Parents can transport up to three kids at a time. Two in the back in an attached carrier (they scare the hell out of me when I see them in traffic), and maybe even one child sitting in front of the adult in a gizmo attached to the handlebars. They can also hook a kid’s bike onto the back of the parents’ bike and go tandem.

When I was a kid we could carry an extra passenger on the cross bar (unless it was a “girls” bike), and one standing on the back axle holding onto the peddler’s shoulders, or one kid on the seat while another one peddled. If done right one bike could carry at least three kids just like today.

We had endless adventures on our bikes. We would often go on long trips. I had a very strict and worrisome father who wouldn’t allow me off the street with my bike until I was older. When I was 13, in 1966, me and two friends decided to ride our bikes to the then two-year-old Prudential Building four miles away in Boston. We started our journey in front of the old Venice Cafe on Holland St. and kept the building in our sights and just headed for it. I was never so scared of getting bagged by my dad. I thought he was following me. I jumped every time I heard a horn beep.

My bike came from Sears. It was a very nice bike for sure, with a light and a horn and pinstripes. But it wasn’t a … Schwinn Sting-Ray. Those beautiful bikes had a banana seat with a sissy bar and butterfly handle bars also known as “wing” or “ape hanger” bars, and they were really cool. When they came out in 1963 the price was a whopping $49.99 (a lot of dough back then).

The Sting-Ray hit the bike world by storm and sold like crazy! From the net: Sting-Ray, known as “the bike with the sports car look” has revolutionized cycling since it was introduced by Schwinn in 1963.

If you had one you were very lucky. Lots of kids started customizing their existing bikes by adding a banana seat and high rise handlebars to get that Sting-Ray look. Somerville kids who had a Sting-Ray were very fortunate. Those of us who didn’t did just fine with any bike, especially since some of our friends’ families back then couldn’t afford bikes at all. Our first bikes were hand me downs from my cousins and we were thrilled to get them.

A few of my Somerville friends were kind enough to share their stories about the infamous Sting-Ray bike.

“I had a paper route, so on trash days I would bring home bike parts I found in the trash and switch them out and make custom bikes.”

“I had a few that I built, with the help of my friends Nappy and Carl at Park Sales on Somerville Ave.”

“Most stolen bike in the history of Somerville. So you know I had one for a day or 2.”

“I still have mine with a steering wheel and sissy bar and drag brake.”

“Purple and silver metallic. My favorite bike!”

“I had a red one. Loved it. Coolest bike I ever owned. Rode it all over Somerville, Arlington & Cambridge & even a few trips to Billerica!”

“I won one at Parke Snows.”

“My BRAND NEW pink Huffy was stolen from my backyard circa 1977.”

“I still have my 85 Mongoose I bought new.”

“I had a lowly single speed Ross … I had to dress it up. We couldn’t afford a Sting-Ray.”

“I had one and the color was Groovy Green.”

“We built our own.”

“I had a brand new Schwinn that was stolen out of our back hallway on Summer St. I think it was 1965.”

“I had a purple metallic Sting-Ray with silver. It was smokin!”

“Loved my Chopper!”

“I’m still waiting for mine.”

Other bicycle companies produced copycat versions of the Sting-Ray that were also very desirable.

Last week an original 1969 Schwinn Campus Green, 5 speed Sting-Ray with a stick shift was selling for $1950 on eBay. In February of 2019 Schwinn reissued the Sting-Ray. Amazon offers a new one at a price of $349.00 and ones with more features are more expensive. We have endless fun memories of when we were kids cruising the streets of Somerville and beyond, when the world was our bike lane.