The model for the Bonanza bike is called, no less effectively, the "Sting-Ray". Schwinn launched the two-wheeled Manta in the early sixties after it became cool among Latinos to pimp bikes with motorcycle parts and cruise through the hood on them, leaning back casually.
In German-speaking countries, the mail-order company Neckermann got the trend rolling. For a few summers, anyone who wanted to look really cool at the swimming pool or on the playground had to have a Bonanza bike. The banana saddle, the "sissy bar" backrest, the antler handlebars and not forgetting the incredibly casual gear stick on the top tube - these were the features of a bike that was not very functional but totally hip. When a foxtail dangled from the sissy bar, the style Olympus was reached.
Incidentally, the Bonanzas were displaced by an alien: Steven Spielberg's blockbuster E.T. helped the BMX make its breakthrough. The Bonanza bike was out of fashion until its heyday was long enough ago for it to become hip to ride it to the local pub.

Factory-new classic cars

At the end of the nineties, Cologne vintage fan Christoph Dieckmann became acquainted with the childhood dream of the early eighties. Until then, he had been restoring old motorcycles and cars. But he was so fascinated by the Bonanza bike that he soon set off in search of original spare parts. When he found the manufacturer Kynast's warehouse, he bought it outright. From then on, Chrisoph "Crazy D" Dieckmann had Bonanza bikes, freshly built from brand-new components that were twenty years old at the time.
In 2018, Dieckmann celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Bonnanzarad. His spare parts were running out and he launched the Last Edition. This has since been sold. The last chance to win a first-hand original is a competition organized by Cölner Hofbräu Früh. A number is printed on the underside of the crown cork. The five winning codes make the owner of the bottle the ultimate Bonanzarad owner.
If you're not that lucky, but you really want to cruise through the neighborhood with the gear stick between your legs, you can hope that a Bonanza owner will offer to buy one of their treasures. Dieckmann's Ponderosa Bike Store remains the place to go when it comes to repairing the bikes or replacing certain parts. Even if the sale of Bonanza bikes is now being discontinued for the second time. They will not disappear, because, according to Dieckmann: "With a Bonanza bike under your butt, you stay young forever."