What better way to ride in the New Year than with a bike from Ben H.  His Murray “The Dude” to this day is one the most popular bikes in the gallery, and his Aerowind is. Well. An Aerowind!  Here is his latest addition, a latest 80s, early 90s Huffy Stalker.

I remember this bike as a kid. It was the swan song of the proper DDSTS (Department/Discount Store Ten Speed).  Soon after this baby rolled out onto the rack of your local Wal(K)-Mart, drop bars would all but disappear from the department/discount store toy section for 15+ years.  I’m not sure how we survived the onslaught of the DDSTS’s arch enemy the DDSMTB (Department/Discount Store Mountain Bike)—the most trying time in $99 ($89.99 in Missouri) department/discount store cycling history—but the important thing is that we did.  Today, low grade drop bar road bikes are slowly making their way back into our DDS lives (in the Chicagoland area anyway) and things are looking up for drops.

Hope everyone had/has a somewhat happy and somewhat safe New Year, and here’s to another 360something days of old ten speeds riding out of the basements/garages and into our hearts!

Sitting in the trash, wheels strewn next to it, and hoping for someone to save it from the cruel jaws of the garbage truck. While it is no ‘Dude’, a little grease and some wheel truing has created a, well, ugly bike that works.

My office was moved to another building on campus and I can no longer bring a bike inside. This will be my ‘slow go get across campus quicker than walking’ bike. I hope that its level of crappiness will keep any would be thieves away.

Thanks Ben

Related posts:

1. Ben’s Huffy Aerowind
2. Ben’s Murray “The Dude” 10-Speed
3. Marc B’s Huffy Stalker
4. Ben’s Fuji Espree 12
5. STOLEN: Justin’s Huffy 626