Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

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I figured I’d do a story that could at least get our minds in a summer sort of mood. I’m going to talk about those great old days when our bikes were so important to us.

They were out the on the streets the day after the big recent snowstorms. They are out there in the rain, wind, whatever. They are bicyclists and they love to ride. The really smart ones are well illuminated and abide by the safety and traffic rules. There was even a contingent of cyclists taking the annual Christmas Illumination Tour.

Before the current influx of bike riders filled the streets of The Ville, every kid in the 60s and 70s had a bike. The lucky ones had new Huffys, Schwinns, or English Raleighs. My dad bought his three kids bikes from Sears and they were awesome.

Hand me downs were fine as long as we got to ride. And ride we did. Just like the cowboys had their trusty horses, every kid in Somerville had a bike. You either had a lock and chain or you would bring your bike inside for the night to protect it.

We would use clothespins to put playing cards in the spokes to make the sound of a motor. We would also put balloons in the spokes to create the sound of a motorcycle. The faster you peddled the louder it got, but it also made the balloons break faster. Cards and balloons in the spokes sounded wicked cool!

Thanks to my social media friends, I peddled upon a great story of bikes in the Ville from days past. “Before bikes infiltrated the present day Ville, do you remember when we would decorate our bikes and ride them to Somerville City Hall? They gave trophies for 1^st, 2nd and 3rd. They had other prizes too. The fire department was involved also!” My friend Michele’s little brother won for his tricycle and he and his bike got to ride on a fire truck up to City Hall. That’s was awfully cool for a little kid.

“The Recreation Department used to have Bike Day. Officer Bill Kelley and Recreation Department employee Bill MacDonald were the two people behind it. Both encouraged bike safety and bike registration. I believe it was often held at the concourse at City Hall.”

“We used to put the twist lights on the back (they came in red or green), we put spaghetti strings on the handle bars, and of course a horn in front. We used to drive around the old tower at the Somerville Ave. fire station, or as we called it, the fire barn”

“Bike safety courses were set up in playgrounds. Someone from the city would come to Prescott School yard and make a course out of white chalk. Then we took turns riding the course and got a score. The winners got ribbons.” A friend tells us, “I won 2nd place in 1958. Officer Kelly was in charge. I rode my bike from Woodstock playground to City Hall.”

When the Schwinn Sting Ray craze started in 1963, kids started customizing their bikes with wing handlebars and banana seats. We used to get our bike accessories at Goff’s Auto Store on Elm Street (I think it’s the eye Doctors now). That’s where we bought streamers, raccoon tails, horns, reflectors and lights. We also used to take parts from old bikes and customize our own creations. I once had a double fork extension that made my bike look like a really neat “chopper.” We didn’t have those “kid carriers” back then. If you wanted a ride you either sat on the cross bar or stood on the front or back axle. A small kid could fit into those huge paperboy baskets!

Somerville has a rich bike history that goes back far beyond helmets, spandex outfits, and bicycle lanes.