Shiny metal gleams from every angle in the upstairs of Grant Waldemer’s garage. In this room, he works on his unusual but interesting hobby.
Waldemer, sophomore, first developed his passion when he saw a reproduction of a Schwinn Stingray. Now, he specializes in ‘60s and ‘70s Schwinn Stingrays. The bicycle was modeled after a ‘60s muscle car and a chopper. It has tall handle bars, banana seats and lots of chrome parts and many creative design features.
“I thought they were really neat, so I really wanted one,” Waldemer said. “I didn’t have that much money at the time, and they had been around when my dad was a kid, so he told me to look on Ebay to get an old one. I bought one on Ebay and then after I built that one, I just kind of kept building them because I thought it was really fun.”
The unique hobby started when Waldemer was in the 3rd grade. After he rebuilt one bicycle, he continued until he eventually remodeled about 40 bicycles. Not being able to store all 40, he trades and sells some of his bicycles.
“I still have about 20 in my collection that I keep that are all really nice,” Waldemer said. “In the upstairs of my garage, I have what I call my bike shop where I just store all my bikes.”
Waldemer is rewarded for his hard work when he sells and trades his bicycles, but he also won first place at a bike show in which many people beyond his experience and age entered.
Waldemer was taught a lot of what he knows about mechanics and bicycles by his dad, though when it came to actually building the bicycles, Waldemer did most of it individually.
“I helped him with his very first one, but ever since then, he’s done it all by himself,” Dan Waldemer, Grant’s father, said.
“A lot of it is just kind of trial and error, learning to figure out how things work,” Waldemer said.
Though the Stingray is his specialty, Waldemer also works on other bicycles.
“I also work on some ‘80s freestyle BMX bikes, and I’m starting to get into ‘60s and ‘70s, 10-speed road bikes,” Waldemer said.
Working on previous generation’s bicycles also gets attention from many who remember their childhood bicycles.
“It’s funny, the reaction he gets,” Dan said. “People get kind of nostalgic.
