 |
|
|
 |
|
The 2004 Conference Bike
built by Eric Staller
Copyright ©2004 by the Staller Studio |
|
|
When Bob Swaim ventures into his garage to take an early
morning ride, his bicycle selection process may be a little more difficult than
that of the average person. Bob has nearly 200 bikes in his collection which
includes several tandems, as well as three, four, and five-passenger bikes, and
a 400-pound seven-passenger tricycle known as the “Conference Bike” that was
recently featured on the local PBS series Tempo.
His unusual collection started about eight years ago. After
suffering a heart attack, Bob found cardiac rehab especially boring. Exercise
was called for, and the lightbulb came on. “I thought, if you collect bikes and
ride different ones, you wouldn't get bored,” so he started buying bikes - in
stores, at flea markets, online, from people he knew, but he never sells any of
them. He once rode a BMW folding bike to New York City, and at last year’s
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, he rode a 42-inch high wheeler in a clown
costume. At 59, he's now more fit than ever.
Bob Swaim is a retired Souderton High School mathematics
teacher, and currently lives in Upper Bucks County, near Coopersburg. His
now-famous multi-passenger bikes have been featured at DeSales University, in
the Miss America Boardwalk Parade in Atlantic City, and the Football Hall of
Fame Parade in Canton, Ohio. Please join us on May 7, as Bob shares his unusual
passion and several bikes from his unique collection. |
