Bicycles have come and gone at CSDR for the past 70 years. It all depends on who takes an interest in bicycling among students and staff. The campus is essentially flat and sprawling on 68 acres. It is perfect for riding a bicycle on campus with few vehicles around, keeping safety in mind.
During my student days in the 1970s, we didn’t have bicycles for PE. Now the PE Department offers bicycles for outdoor activities.
This is a banana bicycle that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Its design resembles a chopper motorcycle with ape hanger handlebars. The seat looks like a banana in shape, thereby a banana bike. Below is an old magazine advertisement. The tall tail of the seat is called a sissy bar. I remember riding my neighbor’s bicycle like the one below on a military base at Vandenberg AFB in 1969.
Frank Almeida is the best example among dorm staff, with a strong interest in bicycling. From the 1980s to the 2000s, he sponsored the bike club for dorm residents. Frank taught the kids how to change a tire and repair a bicycle. He led a caravan of bicyclists on campus and off campus. He stored the bikes in the quonent hut in the maintenance yard nearby.
In the first two decades of the school's history, about half of the 500 students at CSDR chose to stay on campus for weekend stays. Some students brought their bicycles from home for weekend fun at school. Karen Kleiman, ‘66, stayed at CSDR for 13 years. She looks back with fond memories of having a red Schwinn bicycle stored in the dorm. She and a friend rode to Riverside Plaza, a couple of miles from the campus.
Pat Davis, ‘63, and I are glad to have a vintage bicycle in good shape from 50 years ago.
Kevin Struxness, ‘76, MA
Editor and Curator
24 November 2025
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