Yes

Once there were bikes it didn't take long before someone wanted to ride them after dark. And once that idea had been hatched it wouldn't have taken long before someone had tried strapping a lantern of some sort to the bike. It's such a natural need that I don't think it's possible to determine a single inventor.

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I'd agree. The cycle dynamo was probably a single invention but otherwise the lamps were natural developments from existing ones for other purposes. Some early cycles even had acetylene lamps (these generate the fuel gas internally by reacting calcium carbide with water).

The lamps in the picture with long stems below them might be oil-lamps but to me, look more like carriage lanterns using candles. As the candle, held inside the stem, burns down a spring pushes its rim up against an internal flange formed in the stem's top opening.

Depends on the type. Quill-type stems have an expander bolt pointing towards the fork which regulates height and alignment, then there's a pinch bolt which holds the handle bar in place.

Aheadset type stems have pinch bolts at the back which locks them to the steerer tube and faceplate bolts at the front which holds the handle bar in place. Then there's a top cap that's used to set headset bearing preload.

norco wolverine 2009!

Based on the date code for the letters in this serial number, it was made in February of 1975.

buy a new one

That'd be a Recumbent, or 'bent for short.

Looking at the spec it's at the lower end of the scale. It should do OK as an exercise/commuter bike, but you won't see many of them lined up for races.

Realistically, that can't happen. Most people really have to struggle to turn the cranks faster than about 120 RPM (revolutions-per-minute), which becomes at most something like 500 RPM at the wheel.

Unless there's something wrong with the bike to start with, the rest of the drivetrain can handle that RPM just fine. With plenty of margins.

The first muscle bike (or high-rise bicycle) sold in stores was the 1963 Huffy "Penguin". It featured a "Solo Polo" banana seat, "Wald" brand high rise handlebars, a cantilever frame, and 20 inch wheels. It was first sold in bike stores in California in Feb/March 1963.

The Schwinn Sting-Ray was the second commercially made muscle bike sold in the U.S.A. it was officially released in June 1963.

..........John Brain

The Schwinn Apple Crate, Lemon Peeler, and Orange Crate bicycle's were new in 1968.

But Invented? Who knows. The first one I saw was back in the 1960's

The kid across the street from me's dad was a machinist that build choppers on the weekends, and he built the coolest ever chopper bike out of a Schwinn Stingray for his son.

The "mountain bicycle" is hard to define as "invented" since it evolved from cyclo-cross and by riders taking modified beach cruisers and riding them downhill. A company originally comprised of Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly in 1979 was the first company to specialize in modifying cruisers for use as mountain bikes. They would use components for touring bicycles, some motorcycle parts like brake levers and handlebars and turn bicycles such as the Schwinn Excelsior (Fisher's first "mountain bike"). This company was called "MountainBikes". The first production mountain bike, and what most resembles what we know a mountain bike to be today, would be the Specialized Stumpjumper released in 1981. Specialized was a company that evolved from Fisher and Kelly's "MountainBikes" when they brought on famous frame builder Tom Ritchey to build a frameset specifically for the use of mountain biking. There's actually one of these original Stumpjumper bicycles on display at the Smithsonian.

fuji serial number work like this the S means subcontractor/or a plant manufacture the L means the month starting January as A, feb as B and so on the 1 stands for the year of the bike 81 2 would be 82 and so on the rest of the numbers are production total for that month

so your bike date is December 1981 total production in December of 3,413 to be honest with you that's not alot at all i have about 60 fuji bikes but mine are 23,000 built in one month so yours its cool save it

From what I can tell, it is next to impossible to trace the age of most bikes with the serial number. However, many of the components will have date codes on them. You just have to know where to look and what to look for. At the time of production, both the component manufacturer and the bicycle manufacturer will have had a certain amount of inventory that might correspond to a few days up to six months or even a year if they are very sloppy. So I would figure about six months after the age of the component to guestimate the age of the bike. Also, keep in mind that the new year's models could be introduced prior to the end of the calendar year.

The web site below has very useful info on the location and meaning of component codes. Although it is a Trek site, it is equally useful for Fuji owners. I was able to use this info to identify my Fuji Allegro as a 1985 model. It had a date stamp of Dec 1984 on the inside of the brake extension lever. I had to unscrew a bolt and take it off to see the code.

http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm

Well, 26" is tricky, 'cause there's a lot of different 26" rims - believe it or not. It's far safer to go by the ETRTO designation which gives bead seat diameter(=size) in millimeters instead.

If it's a fairly recent 26", then it's most likely to be ETRTO 559 mm, and any other 559 mm tire would at least be possible to mount.

1.75 vs 2.0 is the width, and shouldn't be a problem. Check link for recommendations.

You probably don't. Unless the model and manufacturer's name is painted or decalled on it, you will have a lot of trouble finding out this info for most mass-produced bikes. Even if you know the make and model, serial numbers are rarely decodable. Your best bet is to try to find your bike in an old catalog copied and posted on line. This is still difficult as so many mountain bikes have been produced by so many manufacturers and under many different names. Good luck.

Kinda-sorta.

The wheel size has to match the frame/fork size, and the frame size should match the body size and riding type of the rider.

Overall smaller wheels will be stronger and easier to bring up to speed than bigger wheels. But bigger wheels roll smoother and offer a higher available gearing - which rarely is important outside a race setting.

Well, 700C is a wheel size, also known as 622 mm or 28". But apart from that I can't figure out what the question is.

As long as there has been bikes, some people have been riding them off road. Mountainbiking started developing in the 1980s. Another off-road discipline, cyclocross, was established in the early 1900.

The Schwinn Mesa Google can find has a 65 mm travel fork. This, for real MTBs is short. Current standard is 80 mm and up. 65 mm is Hybrid territory.

Changing to a longer travel fork is so-so. It'll change the geometry and the steering response of the bike, make it more sluggish.

And it'll increase the load on the head tube-down tube junction, and the fork. Something may break.

At USD200 you won't be able to find a particularly better fork at full price, you'll have to buy used. And hope that you pick a good one.

You need to match steerer tube diameter(yours is a 1 1/8" straight), steerer tube length, type of brake mount and type of front axle(yours is a standard quick-release axle)

my one is about 28 pounds

I'm assuming the 21 refers to the number of gears. If that's the one it was $300 as new, so at most it'll be $100 today.

There's really no telling, as there's a wide span between different kinds of bicycles and different kinds of riding.

On the flat, with a cross-country MTB, maybe 25-30 MPH in a sprint.

With a Down-Hill MTB, maybe 50+ MPH.

The first commercially made banana seat bike sold in America was the Huffy "Penguin". A California bicycle distributor Pete Mole of "John T Bill & Co." contracted with Huffman manufacturing to build the bike which featured 20 inch wheels, a cantilever frame, a white "Persons 'Solo Polo' seat", and Wald brand high rise handlebars. The Penguin bicycles were delivered to the "John T. Bill Co." early in February 1963, and store sales began almost immediately. The official introduction to dealers was on Mar.3,1963 at the "John T.Bill" warehouse in Glendale California.

The Schwinn Sting-Ray was the second commercially sold banana seat (or "high rise) bicycle sold in America. It was first made in May 1963 - for the official June release of the bike by the Schwinn Corporation. The Schwinn Sting-Rays specifications were nearly identical to the earlier "Penguin" bikes.

John Brain