Welcome, jerks.


Yeah, I got the fever. Three or four years ago, a rabid, red-eyed zombie sank its rotten teeth into my arm and thus I was infected with a peculiar strain of irrational obsession. Since then I have breathed, eaten, and slept bikes and almost nothing else. Maybe a vaccine will be invented, or maybe it'll simply pass, but until then I'm a slave to my compulsion to buy, transport, take apart, degrease, scour, lube, polish, assemble, tune, tighten, align, wax, buff, and yes, ride, ride, ride these magical two-wheeled machines.

So, the idea is, on this page I'm going to post pictures and perhaps stories of bikes that I've refurbished and ridden or ones that are in the process or recently completed. Maybe it'll expand from there. We'll see, I guess.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Mustachioed Specialized Expo










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Trek 400 Elance Townie





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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Fuji S12-S LTD Single-Speed "Porteur"







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Evolution

I'm told that Darwin never used the term "evolution" in his Origin of the Species, but then he wasn't familiar with the modern bicycle.

Summer, '11:



Winter '11-'12:



Spring, '12:



Summer, '12:


I know at this point, some people are thinking, how much free time does this guy have on his hands? The answer: too much.
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Monday, September 3, 2012

Specialized Expedition

I travelled 170 miles to buy this '83 Specialized Expedition from an affable old gent who was duly proud of her but also willing to admit that he'd never do her justice himself. Apparently he'd purchased the frame, rear wheel and some parts  at a garage sale for just $10 (!!!) To anyone familiar with Expedition lore, this is of course the find you (wet?) dream of. By the time this beauty was passed on to me, it had been built up as a comfort-minded townie. Of course, I had plans of my own for it...


As it happened, I had a good friend who was on the hunt for an upgrade/replacement for his '84 Univega Gran Turismo, which had suffered a front-end collision. And as it happened, this one was just his size. Kismet.


My friend likes his drop bars, and fortunately the previous owner was nice enough to have included the original cockpit with the purchase, so on it went, with the modification of modern aero and cross brake levers.


The frame was stripped down and received a thorough cleaning and polishing.


I was able to convince my friend to make the change from skinny tires to fatties and I chose the folding version of Panaracer's Pasela Tourguards in 35mm width. I think they look and ride great and Anthony seems to agree. Also visible here are the "vintage" XTR cantilevers that were hell to set up.



I'd been saving an old Takagi XT triple crank that I'd stripped and polished and this seemed like the perfect occasion for it.



The rear wheel and bottom bracket got new cartridge bearings, on went fenders, rack, and leather saddle. Et voila!

For now Anthony just plans to use this beast for commuting--hence the medium-duty rear rack and plastic fenders--but don't despair: one day I'll convince him to take her for a loaded tour. 



At this point I've helped two of my good friends acquire and restore Specialized Expos, so I really hope that one day I'll have one of my own :)

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