Suddenly, he’s the most popular kid on the street – and no wonder. He owns the ‘newest, finest bike in town.
It is a good bike, well-made, of the best materials. Strong, speedy, safe. But something new rings bells with the gang.
The radio is located in the ‘gas tank’ and uses vacuum tubes (above). The high voltage bias supply for the tubes and associated battery pack are on the rear carrier.
It’s interesting to note that the transistor radio came onto the market around the same time as the Radiobike – 1955 – but was still an expensive item, costing in the region of $40 + tax. The Radiobike did not cost much more than that. Although valve radios would soon be obsolete, the bicycle was not affected by this new technology, and the Radiobike was manufactured for over three years.
1955 Huffy Radiobike
22″ Frame
26″ Wheels
(Now sold)
1992 HUFFY RADIOBIKE
An interesting footnote: in 1992, Huffy made another ‘Radiobike.’ This one did not have valves, and was a much simpler affair – a radio that you could attach to your bicycle.
RADIO-BIKE CLUB
16 Capper Bldg, Topeka, Ks
But the idea of a ‘radio bike’ was not new, even in 1955; it had been kicking around for some time in bicycle designers’ imaginations. In 1940, the ‘Radio-Bike Club’ was established as a magazine promotion to find a name for a concept ‘radio-bike.’
‘…Remember – Just send us a name for the bike. Then if you are a boy and your name is the best we receive from the boys, we will give you the bike absolutely free. Or, if you are a girl and your name is the best we receive from the girls, you get a girl’s model absolutely free. The girls don’t have to compete with the boys for first prize.
Be prompt – send us a name for this new bike today. Just write the name you suggest on a sheet of paper together with your own name and address, or send it on a one-cent postal card.’
