Busy Mommy
My husband and I have decided that my kids have WAAAAAYYYYY too many toys! Plus all their aunts and uncles and grandparetns will be buying them toys. We are buying each of them 2 really nice toys and the rest of the presents will be things that they need like shoes, PJs, Socks, Camisoles...etc. What are your kids getting?
My 2 1/2 year old is getting a "Kid Tough" digital Camera and a Train Set.
My 14 month old is getting a ride on jumping zebra and a V-Smile interactive game that hooks to the TV.
Gypsy...I guess it's a video game in a way...but it's got a comtrol board on it with colored shapes, it's for interactive learning...things like shapes, colors and sounds! I do not think she will become a video game junkie because of it!
Sophie's Mom...Just the normal V-SMile, I didn;t know there was a Bailiy Bear one, sounds cute! But I already bought it and I hate returning things!
Answer
My kids are both getting brand new bicycles!!! (They're 9 & 11)
My kids are both getting brand new bicycles!!! (They're 9 & 11)
vintage huffy bicycle?
Q. I'm posting this in several categories, trying to get an ans.........I'm pretty sure it was a huffy, but I could be wrong. It had a single shock on the back (very similar to the vintage yamaha yz's) this was in the mid-late 70's. Do you know what it was?
Answer
Odds are best that it IS a HUFFY.
1st Monoshock Bicycles were 20" Downhill Racers made by Gary Littlejohn in early 1970,,late 69 actually.
(Interesting to note that Pre-dates Yamaha's monoshock Motorcycles by a few years....Gary was a California /Movie Stuntman,,,& had a bike building biz)
They got real popular,real suddenly.
Then fizzled out for a while in favor of HardTailed bikes for flatter track racing.
Most of the Custom/"Boutique" Bikes were fairly scarce and the bulk of them were sorta regionally clustered in California.
BMX racing (bicycle motocross) had just began to get popular in early~to~mid '70's.
At that time,,,the Monoshock "came & went" so quickly they did not become any sorta Standard or Universal Style.
Takara from Japan made some in Mid 70's.
They sold them under their own name and under various "American" brands.
...........................
HUFFYS were probably the most common/popular of the Monoshock Bikes.
They started in '74~75 if I'm not mistaken---I'm no Bike Expert.
Big Name,Mass Marketing,Extensive National distribution network....and Low Priced compared to the "boutique" custom names.
Even so,,they were fairly scarce...
Huffy had a buncha nice 20" bikes in their line-up at the stores which were nearly 1/2 the price of a Monoshock
$20~30 Difference in List Price of $40~50 starting price range was a not only a Big Jump in comparative prices--
It was a Bunch of Money at that time!
( * That was the days of $.50/gal Gasoline
$7,500 New Lincolns & Corvettes
Minimum wage was about $1.65~1.85 or so )
A $80 Kid's bike was way more than a Week's take home pay for a LOT of parents in Mid '70's.
And it was more than most kid's could earn with a Summer Job.
It was a Retail Price Point at the bottom of the High-Dollar Custom Bike range.
Just at the edge of "Price-is-no-object" Crowd,,,most folks who could comfortably afford That Huffy could afford about Any bike available at the time.
$200~300++ Bicycles---which was "small motorcycle prices" back then.
Just my personal opinion,,,but I 'bleive that's why the Monoshock's weren't more Commonly seen.
They were kinda Expensive.
Anyway---
The most distinguishing Feature of a Huffy that nobody else had was a HUGE "HeadStock Gussest".
At the Front of the Frame where the forks attatch,,
They welded a a BIG Plate from TopTube/Backbone to Front DownTube and to Steering Head Tube.
It was about as wide as your hand,,4"~5".
No Bicycles had Headstock Gussets until BMX sport came along.
Then only gradually did Bike Makers begin adding that reinforcement,,,but were usually SMALL,well fitted plates.
The HUFFY's Shock Absorber attatched to a hole drilled in that huge gusset plate.
And they were Adjustable,,,it had several holes to mount the shock.
Also the Top Frame Tube was Arched to clear the Shock,,,which is what allowed the Adjustment of the shock by "raising" it to a Higher Hole in the mount plate for different suspension leverage.
HUFFY's Huge Headstock Gusset Plate is EASILY the most distinguishing feature.
Nobody else had anything even close to that "Design" or the sheer SIZE.
It must span near 1/4 the lenngth of the entire top tube.
If it's a TAKARA-type,,,
Their Top Tube was STRAIGHT,,,and the Shock Mount was just a narrow ,straight "strap" about 1" wide that went from Top Tube down to front Down Tube.
Takaras also had NO actual headstock gusseting.
The Top and Bottom frame tubes just Butted the headstock in traditional Bicycle style.
Beyond Huffy and Takara,,,almost everybody else attacthes their shock Directly to Top Tube via a small mount welded onto the tube.
And everything else Monoshock that I know of was "Custom" bikes/frames from the Boutique Builders.
Huffy owned old Royce Union Brands in Later Years,,but I'm not certain of their position in the 70's.
They sold Bikes also under Western Auto Brand in Mid 70's,,,but I do not know if there was a "Western Flyer Monoshock" model???
> Mid 70's Huffy was #1 Seller in USA,,and Made in USA.
>Mid/Late 80's,,,"Huffys" won some Olympic Medals.
>Late 90's they closed US Mfg'n and moved it all to China.
>Early 2000's Filed Bankruptcy ,,,got their stock delisted from NYSE
>2004~5,,US Govmnt bailed out Huffy's pension plan
**************************************************************
I'm no Huffy or Bicycle expert.
I happened to be at Yamaha when they introduced their BMX bicycle.
Before Long,,,kids were destroying the frames routinely.
And we were doing Repairs and mods which was "Identical" to HUFFY's set-up on the Frame/Headstock reinforcement.
Yamaha's Monoshock Motorcycles had just appeared recently,,,,,
& their BMX Bicycles "had issues" with frame failure,
so the Huffy Bike immediately caught my attention.
Being Both Monoshock,,AND with "Factory Reinforced" Frames that Yamaha had us Motorcycle guys doing on a "custom" basis.
Yamaha SHOULD HAVE been what HUFFY was.
Or, they shoulda sub-contracted w/ Littlejohn to use their frames & sold as Premium Race BMX under Yamaha name.
I dont think anybody fully realized at the time how Hard bicycles would be ridden.
That's all I know about 'em.
If it's got a Big Wide Reinforcement Plate on front of Frame--It's a HUFFY.
They appeared in '74~75,,not Certain??
And I have no idea how long they were continued,,,I'd guess 77~78??..not too long a time.
I say that only cause "original shock bike craze" 1st had a False Start back then,,it lasted a couple years then everybody wanted hardtails again.
Monoshocks didn't become really established till a few years after that.
That's kinda weird to me,,oh well:)
Or if it's just a narrow strip spanning the frame tubes to mount the shock to,,it's a TAKARA
VALUE??
I can't even guess.
If it's in "perfect,mint condition"(which would be a Miracle),,
then it's one of those things where Value depends on Buyer's Desires.
Maybe $200??,,Maybe more?,,Maybe not Half that?
Complete and in decent condition,,,I'd GUESS maybe up to a $100 area?
Avg condition(which would be pretty Rough by now)/Modified/Repainted,,,maybe $50~75?
Frankly,,I should NOT even speculate on Value,,,thats WAY outa my realm.
But I can tell you this,,,
If you happen to have a particularly Nice example,,,DO seek out somebody who Specializes in Old/Vintage/Interesting Bikes and get a "Professional Opinion" of it's value.
As a "Rider",,it'd be worth same as any other 20" bike.
As a Nostalgic Collectible,,,,it POSSIBLY could be worth quite a bit to a few certain buyers who WANT a nice example
IF it's in really decent shape,,I'd suggest not selling without getting a solid Valuation estimate from a Pro.
Sounds GOOFY,,but there ARE Bicycle Sharks & Scalpers out there,,looking for Older Bikes from unsuspecting Sellers at Garage Sales,Resale shops,,etc.
They have channels to re-sell Desirable bikes at a good profit.
Often,,they have a List of waiting buyers for certain bikes.
Ya just Never Know,,,
and in my Opinion those Huffys DO have several aspects both Technical And Nostalgic which are common to "Collectible " classed items.
Again,,I am NO AUTHORITY/EXPERT or even very knowledgable on the subject.
CHECK with a PRO on Value,,if you're interested to know.
I'd just hate to see you "raise your garage sale price" from $10 up to $20,,,and then find out you 'd MAYBE sold a $100~200 bike that some cult/fan following is searching for.
(Doing THAT sorta Thing,,,I am TOO experienced at,,lol)
Hope any of that helps,,
Good Luck
Odds are best that it IS a HUFFY.
1st Monoshock Bicycles were 20" Downhill Racers made by Gary Littlejohn in early 1970,,late 69 actually.
(Interesting to note that Pre-dates Yamaha's monoshock Motorcycles by a few years....Gary was a California /Movie Stuntman,,,& had a bike building biz)
They got real popular,real suddenly.
Then fizzled out for a while in favor of HardTailed bikes for flatter track racing.
Most of the Custom/"Boutique" Bikes were fairly scarce and the bulk of them were sorta regionally clustered in California.
BMX racing (bicycle motocross) had just began to get popular in early~to~mid '70's.
At that time,,,the Monoshock "came & went" so quickly they did not become any sorta Standard or Universal Style.
Takara from Japan made some in Mid 70's.
They sold them under their own name and under various "American" brands.
...........................
HUFFYS were probably the most common/popular of the Monoshock Bikes.
They started in '74~75 if I'm not mistaken---I'm no Bike Expert.
Big Name,Mass Marketing,Extensive National distribution network....and Low Priced compared to the "boutique" custom names.
Even so,,they were fairly scarce...
Huffy had a buncha nice 20" bikes in their line-up at the stores which were nearly 1/2 the price of a Monoshock
$20~30 Difference in List Price of $40~50 starting price range was a not only a Big Jump in comparative prices--
It was a Bunch of Money at that time!
( * That was the days of $.50/gal Gasoline
$7,500 New Lincolns & Corvettes
Minimum wage was about $1.65~1.85 or so )
A $80 Kid's bike was way more than a Week's take home pay for a LOT of parents in Mid '70's.
And it was more than most kid's could earn with a Summer Job.
It was a Retail Price Point at the bottom of the High-Dollar Custom Bike range.
Just at the edge of "Price-is-no-object" Crowd,,,most folks who could comfortably afford That Huffy could afford about Any bike available at the time.
$200~300++ Bicycles---which was "small motorcycle prices" back then.
Just my personal opinion,,,but I 'bleive that's why the Monoshock's weren't more Commonly seen.
They were kinda Expensive.
Anyway---
The most distinguishing Feature of a Huffy that nobody else had was a HUGE "HeadStock Gussest".
At the Front of the Frame where the forks attatch,,
They welded a a BIG Plate from TopTube/Backbone to Front DownTube and to Steering Head Tube.
It was about as wide as your hand,,4"~5".
No Bicycles had Headstock Gussets until BMX sport came along.
Then only gradually did Bike Makers begin adding that reinforcement,,,but were usually SMALL,well fitted plates.
The HUFFY's Shock Absorber attatched to a hole drilled in that huge gusset plate.
And they were Adjustable,,,it had several holes to mount the shock.
Also the Top Frame Tube was Arched to clear the Shock,,,which is what allowed the Adjustment of the shock by "raising" it to a Higher Hole in the mount plate for different suspension leverage.
HUFFY's Huge Headstock Gusset Plate is EASILY the most distinguishing feature.
Nobody else had anything even close to that "Design" or the sheer SIZE.
It must span near 1/4 the lenngth of the entire top tube.
If it's a TAKARA-type,,,
Their Top Tube was STRAIGHT,,,and the Shock Mount was just a narrow ,straight "strap" about 1" wide that went from Top Tube down to front Down Tube.
Takaras also had NO actual headstock gusseting.
The Top and Bottom frame tubes just Butted the headstock in traditional Bicycle style.
Beyond Huffy and Takara,,,almost everybody else attacthes their shock Directly to Top Tube via a small mount welded onto the tube.
And everything else Monoshock that I know of was "Custom" bikes/frames from the Boutique Builders.
Huffy owned old Royce Union Brands in Later Years,,but I'm not certain of their position in the 70's.
They sold Bikes also under Western Auto Brand in Mid 70's,,,but I do not know if there was a "Western Flyer Monoshock" model???
> Mid 70's Huffy was #1 Seller in USA,,and Made in USA.
>Mid/Late 80's,,,"Huffys" won some Olympic Medals.
>Late 90's they closed US Mfg'n and moved it all to China.
>Early 2000's Filed Bankruptcy ,,,got their stock delisted from NYSE
>2004~5,,US Govmnt bailed out Huffy's pension plan
**************************************************************
I'm no Huffy or Bicycle expert.
I happened to be at Yamaha when they introduced their BMX bicycle.
Before Long,,,kids were destroying the frames routinely.
And we were doing Repairs and mods which was "Identical" to HUFFY's set-up on the Frame/Headstock reinforcement.
Yamaha's Monoshock Motorcycles had just appeared recently,,,,,
& their BMX Bicycles "had issues" with frame failure,
so the Huffy Bike immediately caught my attention.
Being Both Monoshock,,AND with "Factory Reinforced" Frames that Yamaha had us Motorcycle guys doing on a "custom" basis.
Yamaha SHOULD HAVE been what HUFFY was.
Or, they shoulda sub-contracted w/ Littlejohn to use their frames & sold as Premium Race BMX under Yamaha name.
I dont think anybody fully realized at the time how Hard bicycles would be ridden.
That's all I know about 'em.
If it's got a Big Wide Reinforcement Plate on front of Frame--It's a HUFFY.
They appeared in '74~75,,not Certain??
And I have no idea how long they were continued,,,I'd guess 77~78??..not too long a time.
I say that only cause "original shock bike craze" 1st had a False Start back then,,it lasted a couple years then everybody wanted hardtails again.
Monoshocks didn't become really established till a few years after that.
That's kinda weird to me,,oh well:)
Or if it's just a narrow strip spanning the frame tubes to mount the shock to,,it's a TAKARA
VALUE??
I can't even guess.
If it's in "perfect,mint condition"(which would be a Miracle),,
then it's one of those things where Value depends on Buyer's Desires.
Maybe $200??,,Maybe more?,,Maybe not Half that?
Complete and in decent condition,,,I'd GUESS maybe up to a $100 area?
Avg condition(which would be pretty Rough by now)/Modified/Repainted,,,maybe $50~75?
Frankly,,I should NOT even speculate on Value,,,thats WAY outa my realm.
But I can tell you this,,,
If you happen to have a particularly Nice example,,,DO seek out somebody who Specializes in Old/Vintage/Interesting Bikes and get a "Professional Opinion" of it's value.
As a "Rider",,it'd be worth same as any other 20" bike.
As a Nostalgic Collectible,,,,it POSSIBLY could be worth quite a bit to a few certain buyers who WANT a nice example
IF it's in really decent shape,,I'd suggest not selling without getting a solid Valuation estimate from a Pro.
Sounds GOOFY,,but there ARE Bicycle Sharks & Scalpers out there,,looking for Older Bikes from unsuspecting Sellers at Garage Sales,Resale shops,,etc.
They have channels to re-sell Desirable bikes at a good profit.
Often,,they have a List of waiting buyers for certain bikes.
Ya just Never Know,,,
and in my Opinion those Huffys DO have several aspects both Technical And Nostalgic which are common to "Collectible " classed items.
Again,,I am NO AUTHORITY/EXPERT or even very knowledgable on the subject.
CHECK with a PRO on Value,,if you're interested to know.
I'd just hate to see you "raise your garage sale price" from $10 up to $20,,,and then find out you 'd MAYBE sold a $100~200 bike that some cult/fan following is searching for.
(Doing THAT sorta Thing,,,I am TOO experienced at,,lol)
Hope any of that helps,,
Good Luck
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