I still don’t think that Yehuda was in the blue car. I think Joe would know.
I am waiting for Thistle to hear the blue car story and start putting pieces of the proverbial puzzle together, and finding out she knows who hit Fred.
…and Yes, a Fred visit.
Of course Yehuda was not in the blue car. His driver’s license expired five years ago! He is not a car driving guy. He was a committed bike commuter long before Fred’s death.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Yehuda is feeling guilty, but not because he was in the car. I think maybe he had a run in with the blue car previous to Fred’s “accident” and feels that somehow he caused it.
kevin–
tell us your age!! i’m thinking under 35… if you were around then, you’d have seen the birth of ragbrai, and thousands of cyclists wearing over-the-calf striped socks, short gym shorts, and t-shirts of all styles.
and BIG hair and mustaches. like disco on two-wheels. VERY groovy.
oh, and lots of pot smoking bike riders.
Kevin: The bike boom was so big in my area that a local college kid opened up a shop, in a garage, selling Gitanes that summer. No one had ever heard of them before, but he ended up financing a big part of his medical degree from those sales! He’s our top dog heart surgeon now and still a cycling advocate!
Yehuda is missing Fred. It’s the same feeling people have when they think of someone special and all the good times they had but at the same time know that they’re gone. In Fred’s case, a life unfinished which makes Yehuda sad.
I think it’s really funny that Yehuda seems depressed. He looks exactly the same whether he’s depressed or ecstatic. Is it the angle of his head? The size of the text?
=v= Actually if the Great American Bike Boom was about 30 years ago, Thistle is trying to slim down to fit into flapper outfits and Rick can’t draw a Model A very well.
To answer your question, I’m 46 years old. I’ve still got my Schwinn bike from when I was 16, but now I’m riding a Schwinn electric bicycle.
36 year ago I was 10 years old. I didn’t know I was living during a bike boom. I just liked riding my bike. It is interesting to learn this sort of history.
If you were 10, you were just a little too young to have noticed the boom. I was a teenager, and was just on the young edge of where the boom was happening. My older brothers were more aware of it, and since I looked up to them, I got caught up in it.
Kifer mentioned the Schwinn Sting Ray – I was one of those kids that had to have one, and it’s the first bike I remember really loving. It was red, with a red sparkly banana seat. It felt fast to me. (Ken said it really wasn’t very.) For historical context, I was born in 1966.
“kept the shop’s [...] spirit”
More “Fred” strips coming up?
Yehuda always seems a little too depressed when Fred’s name pops up…
You get the feeling Thistle and Fred are about to meet?
I’m tellin’ ya’ – Yehuda always gets depressed when Fred turns up, ‘cos it’s a real Banquo’s ghost moment for him. All that guilt to deal with . . .
I always thought that Yehuda reminded me of someone. And now I know!!
http://www.raylamontagne.com/images/gitg_albumcover.jpg
I still don’t think that Yehuda was in the blue car. I think Joe would know.
I am waiting for Thistle to hear the blue car story and start putting pieces of the proverbial puzzle together, and finding out she knows who hit Fred.
…and Yes, a Fred visit.
I do agree with Don: if someone can solve the blue car’s mistery, that’s Thistle.
Of course Yehuda was not in the blue car. His driver’s license expired five years ago! He is not a car driving guy. He was a committed bike commuter long before Fred’s death.
I would like to know blue car details only on the last day of the strip, about twenty years from now.
Somehow seeing them share a couple beers feels really right.
@George,
Yes, that would be sweet… a dying man’s last wish was to let Kickstand know that it was him (or her)
This is Joe’s time! Love his character lately…
Glad to get some of the back story. Fill in some gaps i’ve guessed at.
I agree w/ aditthegrat, Joe has been much more likable lately, he is sometimes a bit of an ass (just like real people….). Keep up the good work, Rick.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Yehuda is feeling guilty, but not because he was in the car. I think maybe he had a run in with the blue car previous to Fred’s “accident” and feels that somehow he caused it.
“Great American Bike Boom”??
36 years ago would put that in 1972. I am unaware of any “Bike Boom” in 1972.
What’s he talking about?
I don’t think Yehuda was in the blue car either. Too much of a twist.
I know it won’t work, but I am hoping the person that was in the blue car was either the school principal or the councilman.
That would be an interesting twist..
i wonder what yehuda did for a living before buying the shop…
@Kevin
http://kenkifer.com/bikepages/lifestyle/70s.htm
1973, nearly 16 million bikes sold vs. a max of 7 million sold in 1970.
kevin–
tell us your age!! i’m thinking under 35… if you were around then, you’d have seen the birth of ragbrai, and thousands of cyclists wearing over-the-calf striped socks, short gym shorts, and t-shirts of all styles.
and BIG hair and mustaches. like disco on two-wheels. VERY groovy.
oh, and lots of pot smoking bike riders.
Kevin: The bike boom was so big in my area that a local college kid opened up a shop, in a garage, selling Gitanes that summer. No one had ever heard of them before, but he ended up financing a big part of his medical degree from those sales! He’s our top dog heart surgeon now and still a cycling advocate!
Not much more helpful then Kim West’s answer, but you know it is official if it shows up on Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bike_boom
Yehuda is missing Fred. It’s the same feeling people have when they think of someone special and all the good times they had but at the same time know that they’re gone. In Fred’s case, a life unfinished which makes Yehuda sad.
The Arabs turned off the oil spigot 35 years ago today.
I think it’s really funny that Yehuda seems depressed. He looks exactly the same whether he’s depressed or ecstatic. Is it the angle of his head? The size of the text?
Dudes, Thistle is thristy, too!
36 years ago is about right. I bought a Peugeot that year.
If Thistle is pulling wrenches for them, they better come across with the ale,eh?
=v= Actually if the Great American Bike Boom was about 30 years ago, Thistle is trying to slim down to fit into flapper outfits and Rick can’t draw a Model A very well.
Hi Kim,
To answer your question, I’m 46 years old. I’ve still got my Schwinn bike from when I was 16, but now I’m riding a Schwinn electric bicycle.
36 year ago I was 10 years old. I didn’t know I was living during a bike boom. I just liked riding my bike. It is interesting to learn this sort of history.
@Kevin
If you were 10, you were just a little too young to have noticed the boom. I was a teenager, and was just on the young edge of where the boom was happening. My older brothers were more aware of it, and since I looked up to them, I got caught up in it.
Kotts
Kifer mentioned the Schwinn Sting Ray – I was one of those kids that had to have one, and it’s the first bike I remember really loving. It was red, with a red sparkly banana seat. It felt fast to me. (Ken said it really wasn’t very.) For historical context, I was born in 1966.