This modified 1953 Schwinn DX that was used in the 1985 film "Pee-wee’s Big Adventure," starring Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, appears at the Bicycle Museum of America in New Bremen, Ohio. (Steve Wartenberg via AP) In a former hotel here in rural, western Ohio is a museum offering more than two centuries of bicycle history, from early high-wheelers to candy-hued 1960s Sting Rays.
There’s a 1901 ice bike, a kitschy 1949 Donald Duck artifact, a military-issued bike with a machine gun mount, bikes that appeared in movies (Pee Wee Herman’s) or belonged to stars (Robin Williams), and lots of Schwinns. As a bonus, there’s a Boy Scout cap worn by the first man on the moon, who grew up nearby.
The exhibits fill three floors and, of course, rotate.
The Bicycle Museum of America traces the bike’s impact on culture, transportation and plain ol’ fun, showing how it became synonymous with convenience and ease (thus the phrase, “It’s like riding a bicycle.”)
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Take, for example, the Donald Duck bike made by the Shelby Cycle Company in 1949. The Disney character’s head is on the front of the frame, with flashing, battery-powered eyes. The horn quacks, and the bike is a vibrant blue and yellow.Hanging above Donald in the exhibit is the ice bike, with a sled runner instead of a front wheel, and a rear wheel with 30-plus spikes so riders could pedal across a frozen pond. Maybe.Nearby is one of the modified 1953 Schwinn DX bikes […]
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