"Ronald Reagan in his actor-youth days advertised Schwinn ten-speeds (or we re they still eight-speeds back then?)."
It\u2019s a minor point but it was actually, thee speeds. Ronald Reagan and his first wife, Jane Wyman were astride a pair of Schwinn Continentals in a \u201cCelebrity\u201d advertising piece that Schwinn produced ar ound 1946. Sturmey Archer quadrant shifters are visible on the toptubes of both bikes.
Alan Weeks
Lake Placid, NY