Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Today bicycles are everywhere. They’re beside us, behind us, in front of us, and amongst us everywhere we go, even on the sidewalks. Bicycles have become a very serious, popular and scary mode of transportation. But when I was a kid in the 60’s and 70’s, bicycles were just plain fun. If anyone over 25 rode a bike back then they were probably called hippies.

Growing up in 60’s Somerville, a bicycle was a very prized possession. Every kid got one sooner or later. It was a rite of youth. From our first tricycle to when the training wheels came off, we were off and rolling.

My brother and sister and I had older cousins who gave us their old bikes and we were so happy to get them. But one Christmas my parents went all out and bought us three brand new bikes from Sears. They had a light and a horn built in. It was definitely one of my fondest gifts ever. I can still see those three new shiny bikes in the cellar near the furnace. We had to lock them down the cellar every night.

— Photo by Ron Bargoot

A friend shares this: “When Ace was in Ball Square circa 1965, my brother Gary and I got new twin Gold metallic Raleighs. We had them about two weeks before they were stolen on a shopping trip to Porter Sq.” You had to guard your bike with your life.

Years later, we would build crazy looking bikes out of junk parts just for fun. It took a while to get used to balancing the big metal basket full of newspapers when we started delivering The Record American, The Globe and The Herald Traveler.

We went everywhere on our bikes. My dad wouldn’t allow us to leave our street until we got older. We snuck off anyway. One day when I was 11 years old, four of us rode our bikes to the Prudential Building in Boston. I thought every honk and beep was my father who I thought was out looking for me. He never found out.

Along with Ace Bike Shop and Park Sales on Somerville Ave., Abe’s Bike Shop was on Mass Ave. in Cambridge. Along with Sears, Lechmere Sales, and Kmart, Bradlees sold bike stuff too. We would customize our bikes with mirrors, bells, sirens, raccoon tails, and hand grip streamers. My favorite accessory was a metal flag holder that attached to the front fork. It held 5 flags.

Remember putting baseball cards in the spokes to make a motor sound? The best motor sound came from putting a balloon in the spokes but it would always pop if you went too fast. Around 1964 Schwinn introduced the Sting Ray bike. If you had one of those you were really cool!

Our bikes were very important to us. There would always be at least five or six of us riding around the city looking for fun.

My most memorable bike stunt was done on a dare around 1968 at Grants five and ten store in Davis Square. I rode my bike in the front door which was on Elm St. I peddled all the way through the store, almost knocked over a few people, whizzed down the aisles, down several steps, and out the back door on Herbert Street. I didn’t get bagged.

At one time you could register your bike at the Somerville Police station and you’d get a small metal license. I’m not sure of the years that practice was incorporated, but I had one.

Here’s a memory from a friend of mine: “Not sure about the 70s and 80s, but in the 60s, we went to Jimmy Welch’s Garage (on Hudson Street behind the firehouse). Whatever parts you couldn’t get along the tracks, you could usually get from Jimmy. For stuff like new tubes and patch kits, we’d go down to Somerville Ave. to Park Sales or over to Roach’s Sporting Goods or Kresge’s. Seems like Mickey Finn used to sell bike tire tubes as well.”

Our bikes were from Sears, Schwinn, Raleigh, Columbia, and JC Higgins. And then came more fancy and expensive bikes like Fujis, and Motebecanes. The last bike I had was a nice Trek that was stolen out of my yard five years ago. I don’t mind. My bike riding days are over anyway. Too dangerous. Plus, I have two new titanium hips to get me around.