I went out to the garage and took down my vintage 1994 (I think? 1993 or 1994) Roadmaster bicycle, bought new for the princely sum of $100 in that year. The tires were entirely devoid of air, so I filled them from the compressor, and then gave her a brief try on the street. It worked flawlessly. Got back to the garage, added a bit more pressure to the rear tire, then put on hat and shoes and took her for a brief spin up to Main street and back.
Cruise night was over already (dang) so there weren't many cars remaining. The entire ride ended up being about ten minutes long, which was more than long enough to prove to me how badly out of shape I am.
I last rode this bicycle in late July of 1997, when I moved from one building in the apartment complex to another. I moved from the "loud" building to the "quiet" one; and on moving day I rode this bicycle from one apartment to the other, right up the sidewalk and inside. Since then the bike has remained unridden, stored in various ways, until today.
I was worried that the tires would be bad, but they're fine. Creaked a bit as I added air to them. We'll see how much air is in them tomorrow. I'd like to start riding the thing again, 15-20 minutes a day at least, to de-ossify myself and be less of a limp dishrag. (Yeah, I know that's kind of contradictory.)
But tires and tubes don't cost a lot, and I know how to change them, so worst case I spend $20 or so on fixing the thing up. I may see about a bit of a bigger seat, as the one on the bike is a bit uncomfortable for my 50-year-old ass. Looks like I need an old man seat! This skinny little thing just makes my butt hurt.
So, turns out riding a bike is something you really don't forget how to do.