Keith Pariani - "Ride On" - Avid antique bike collector rides across the US on a "High-Wheeled" bike

In 1984, Keith Pariani and eight fellow enthusiasts left San
Francisco on antique "high-wheeled" Columbia bicycles, following
the path across the USA taken 100 years earlier by pioneer Thomas
Stephens. They rode these awkward contraptions which have no
brakes and only one gear across the entire country, through sun
and rain, over the Rockies and vast stretches of emptiness,
finishing 61 days later in Boston. The classic bike Keith rode,
along with his extraordinary collection of antique bikes, is
currently on display in the "Ride On" exhibit at the Lightner
Museum in St. Augustine, FL, housed in the former Hotel Alcazar,
built in 1888, when these bikes were all the rage. ollected over
a lifetime, Keith’s bikes represent the intersection of
engineering and art from the "Gilded Age." But, they also
represent the culmination of his Swan Dive, the first time this
shy yet passionate enthusiast and successful entrepreneur
received the recognition he deserves for honoring a lifelong
obsession. Keith reminds us all that we can chase our dreams and
let our "freak flags fly," no matter how eclectic, alongside our
our day jobs



Learn More about "Ride On" at the Lightner Museum




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