my dad was not cheap... my dad was ahead of his time!

my first "new" bike was a Raleigh Sprite... five speed

it was the mid-seventies and kids were riding the Schwinn Varsity or the Schwinn Scrambler... not the upright/uptight British touring bike

oh man...
but this bike gave my Sturmey Archer 3 Speed "b bike status"
so I got to tear that thing up 
and use that bicycle for delivering the afternoon Washington Star

but really...
was my dad cheap?
or was he forward thinking?
this is the age of the single speed and One By Nine (or 1X10)

okay...
he was cheap
and this was no Andy Griffith moment
it was more of a Father Knows Best moment
only... father does not always know best