My mountain bike is twenty-eight years old this year--I bought it in November 1992 for $389. It is a 21-inch Giant Iguana, a little on the tall side for me, but that is what they had in stock at South Bay Bicycles in Torrance, CA (on Sepulveda Blvd), near where I grew up. It was the first--and last--bicycle I bought for myself.
My parents had bought me bikes before--a new bike was an exciting birthday or Christmas present. I had been riding my brown curved-handlebar ten-speed the three-and-a-half miles to high school every day, often followed by another mile-and-a-half ride to the beach after school, when my parents bought me my first mountain bike. It was a light blue low-end mountain bike with slightly curved handlebars. All the "real" mountain bikes had straight handlebars, but it was better than a ten-speed for dirt riding.
