Mu first Sting-Ray was a 1965, Flamboyant Lime, with a white seat, and
racing slick. Probably the best $49.95 my Grandma ever spent on me. No I’m not
talking cars, I was 11 at the time, I’m talking bicycles, Schwinn’s to be exact,
and the hottest bike any kid could have, the Sting-Ray! A 20” bike frame, with
no fenders, chrome wheels, high handle bars, apes if you prefer, and that
wonderful long and narrow seat. And a real racing slick! After markets and
imitators would call it a banana seat, but it was original to the Sting-Ray, and
I had one, how cool was that? I can remember riding it home all the way home
from Bud’s Cycle Center in downtown Scotch Plains, buying local, as both he and
Jay’s Cycle Center a few miles the other way competed for our business. I could
hardly wait to get out of the showroom to ride it, my sister got the girl’s
version in purple with the white whicker basket, but mine was the real thing! I
probably never pedaled as fast as I couldn’t wait to show all my friends I
wasn’t just bragging, now I really had one! And showing up at school the next
morning would have me all the envy of Shackamaxon Elementary, event the sixth
graders would have to respect me now. If only my parents would have let me
sleep in the garage that night, or bring it up into my room....
Now I must admit showing it off was cool, but riding it was even better.
With that slick out back, not just a tire with no tread, but a real racing
slick, you could do the best skid ever. No English racer or regular bike could
leave a footprint like the Sting-Ray did, and many a rear Schwinn approved slick
was replaced. Even better was when they did a chip and seal on my street, and
you could slide sideways forever on the tiny gravel. Hours of fun that my
parents and the neighbors never understood, oh for just one afternoon again to
be that kid. But as a stripped down bike, it left room for customizing, and
soon three speeds, white walled tires, and different seat covers appeared, I
even put a plush tiger striped seat on mine, ruined after the first washing, and
the guy at R&S wouldn’t give me my money back. But soon junior high
arrived, and suddenly small bikes were out, and I sold it to Mr. Gwas, my typing
teacher for $10. But the Sting-Ray had left a mark on me....
So I did the next best thing, I took off the fenders, and replaced the
handlebars on my old Typhoon, the one I used to deliver papers on, baskets not
needed, and added apes to it, even ditching the chain guard. A big guy’s
Sting-Ray, where you could ride a friend on the handlebars and another on the
bar between the seat and fork, sounds dangerous, but we never crashed, but
somehow the skids were never quite the same. Soon these appeared everywhere as
we got too old to ride bikes, but I never forgot my first Sting-Ray, and all the
fun I had with it. Maybe an afternoon with a newly chip and sealed road, with
time left over to pick the little gravel pieces out of my shins....
Soon it would be ten speed English racers, more speed but never the cool.
Shifting gears to aid in pedaling, but never the same rush. We had grown up,
yet we were still kids at heart. Soon it would be motorcycles, a twist of the
throttle giving us the rush our pedaling used to, and more power, which meant
more speed, which meant bigger skids. Which usually meant a panic stop,
hopefully not meaning an accident. It seems two wheels have always been in my
blood, with a natural progression to my Street Triple R today. Which in many
ways reminds me of my Sting-Ray. It too is light with no extra frills, built
with a purpose to go fast and handle well. To be seen and admired by those who
ride, like when pulling into Fun Bike a few weeks ago for a Kawasaki demo ride,
every head turned to look when I rode in. Like the Sting-Ray of my youth, they
knew what I had. But do we always know just what we have? Or do we succumb to
Madison Avenue and the need for better and bigger? New and improved! Feeding
our egos and emptying our wallets. Seems no matter the age, we never grow up or
out of wanting things, and there is always a newer, if not better way to go.
Over the years I have owned bikes that I promised to never part with, now I look
back and wondered why, seems the emotion was greater than the owning. The joy
of never parting being replaced by the new one I would never sell. But we also
hide away hurts in our hearts, ones we never let go....
Which brings resentment, leading to bitterness, and once that sin is
seasoned, it has gone throughout our whole body. We find ourselves jaundiced
and jealous of others, wanting to win the pain game, not caring for others.
Seems we are not alone, and Paul in his letter to Philippians addressed it,
causing them to think. He told them to rejoice, to be gentle,and bring
everything to God in prayer. Why do the easiest and correct actions seem so
hard in our lowest times? But it at these times God is still available, and
Jesus is standing by, not on you, to assist. He knows you are hurting, and
often so do your friends and family, so why don’t we turn to him? Can it be our
pride or finding solace in our pain? Jesus offers relief, and we can fill our
minds with thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and
praiseworthy, so that we can keep his peace in our thoughts. Only God can
transform the heart as well as the mind, in an ongoing process. We may have won
the war over sin in Christ Jesus, but everyday we are told we work out our
salvation. Not to be saved again, but to deal with problems and sin that have
come between us and God. And they will and do....
I was so grateful to my Grandma for the Sting-Ray I could never thank her
enough, so I tried to make her happy by things I did, so she would be proud of
me. We can never thank God enough for what he has done in Jesus, but we can
have the mind set to make him happy and to show how he has changed our lives.
With my new Sting-Ray it was all abut the bike making me cool, now I want to
reflect Jesus in my life and how he has made me cool. How he is the reason for
my joy, and the only thing I will never sell or replace. When we share in God’s
grace we go deeper in him, and our fellowship grows. Our weaknesses will
continue, but as they do his grace is made perfect. We can encourage others to
go deeper in Jesus, and to pray more and rejoice more, not just pray in hard
times. He likes to hear about our good times too!
The times of Sting-Rays and skidding is behind me. But riding isn’t and
knowing Jesus has brought me more joy in doing it. But it has also taught me
meekness, power under control, all that power is useless until it gets to the
ground. You don’t ever have to grow up to grow in Christ, he welcomes the
children, who are trusting. The ones who are skidding out of control, or riding
on the handlebars. Lots of prayers were offered on those rides, a thrill a
second. Sounds like the way I live in Jesus.....seems when rejoicing I have
little time for trouble. Or fears, or turmoil. So rejoice in the Lord always,
and again I say rejoice. In the Lord....on the street, sliding sideways,
giggling all the way never wanting the times to stop. You know, we just may be
onto something here...
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com