Bonanzarad
Bonanzarad is a common name in Germany for a type of bicycle . Starting from the American west coast, these bicycles intended for children became popular in the USA from the 1960s and also in Europe from the 1970s. Bonanza was originally a brand name but was carried over to bicycles of a similar type. Manufacturer names such as “high riser” and “polo wheel” did not gain acceptance in Germany, but in Austria , where the term Bonanzarad is practically unknown. There, this type of bicycle was consistently called “High Riser”. Technical defects accompanied numerous bonanza bikes and production came to an end when the BMX wave came up with more robust bikes.
Characteristic
The Bonanzarad is particularly noticeable because of its long, so-called “banana saddle” with backrest, the imitation of a suspension on the front fork and the long, two-part deer antler handlebar. In contrast, there are the relatively small 20 ″ wheels. The gearshift lever of the 3-speed hub gear is similar to that of a car and is mounted in the middle of the two thin top tubes. At first glance, the bonanza wheel is reminiscent of a chopper that was a little too short .
Bonanza wheels were very often optically "embellished". Elements such as Mercedes stars , foxtails , pennants , special lamps, mirrors, a multitude of reflectors ( cat's eyes ), beer coasters stuck into the spokes or playing cards (especially the ace ) were particularly popular .
history
The automobile and motorcycle tuning culture in the USA in the late 1950s and 1960s also had an impact on children and young people, who began to change their bikes through additions and modifications. Al Fritz (1924–2013), an engineer at the Schwinn bicycle manufacturer , traveled from Chicago to California in 1962 to find out about the trend. The Schwinn Sting-Ray appeared in the following year and was able to sell 40,000 times within one year. In 1964, the Fair Lady was released, a version for girls that was also very popular. Typical of Schwinn's bicycles was the curved frame, which was very similar to that of the beach cruiser and thus clearly differed from the European imitations. Another feature was the difference in diameter between the larger rear wheel and the small front wheel, which turned out to be very large on some models. In 1968 the Krate came on the market, which had a gearshift modeled on an automobile and of which around 1 million units had been sold by 1970. In 1974 the Krate was banned by the Consumer Products Safety Commission because of its gear lever , which heralded the end of the model. Today Schwinn is again producing bicycles under the name "Stingray". The current models in the lowrider style are more reminiscent of motorcycles with their flat and elongated design.
The traditional English manufacturer Raleigh took up the trend, copied the Stingray and sold the Rodeo on the US market from 1966 and the Chopper designed by Tom Karen from 1968 . Both models were not very popular. When the Raleigh Chopper was launched in the UK in 1970, it was a huge hit and saved the company from ongoing financial difficulties. In direct comparison with the US model, the frame design of the chopper was rather simple, but looked very dynamic - as with the original, the diameters of the front and rear wheels of the chopper were different. In 1973 a revised version appeared, in which the rear wheel was moved to prevent it from tipping over - the Tomahawk variant was created for smaller children . Production continued until 1980 when the BMX trend started. While Raleigh presents the idea of the chopper as an in-house development, the British design office Ogle and its stylist Tom Karen claim to be responsible for the development. In the United Kingdom the term “Chopper” is synonymous with the German “Bonanzarad”, analogous to the existing Bonanzarad associations in Germany, there is the “Raleigh Chopper Owners Club”. In 2004, a version of Raleigh that was improved in terms of safety was relaunched, the gear lever on the frame was dispensed with, in its place there is a plaque with a printed shift gate reminding of the former feature.
In Germany, Kynast made its own copy of the Stingray in Quakenbrück , which was sold by mail order company Neckermann under the Bonanza brand from 1968 - numerous other manufacturers imitated it and produced their own variants. The uniform diameter of the front and rear wheel is typical for most Bonanzar wheels from German production. The frames can neither keep up with the sweeping elegance of the “Stingray”, nor with the dynamism of the “Chopper”. Instead, a geometry was used that was very reminiscent of conventional bicycle models. What is remarkable and characteristic of the German manufacturers, however, is the elaborate construction of the front fork with the functionless coil springs and the double mount for the two separate fork tubes. This motorcycle-like detail is not found in either the US model or the English offshoot.
Pop Culture
- In the 2007 music video FEAR, Ian Brown (ex-Stone Roses) drives backwards on a pimped chopper the whole time.
- The stingray "Fair Lady" is mentioned in a Seinfeld episode and turns out to be Elaine's childhood dream.
- There is a song by the Fischmob group called “Bonanzarad”.
- The music group Carlos Mogutseu also released a song called "Bonanzarad".
- The rapper Dendemann defines his musical alter ego, satirizing the 1970s and 1980s, among other things by means of a bonanza wheel, with which he drives on stage at concerts.
Web links
- Bonanza wheels: Porn connection and fox tail on einestages.spiegel.de
- Link to the only Bonanzarad World Cup 1997 on www.bonanzarad.de
- Return of the Bonanzarad (Spiegel Online article from July 22, 2008)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ian Brown - FEAR (Official Video) . Last accessed November 15, 2019.