Last Saturday the Brooks B72 I was riding on gave out on me. I twisted in the saddle and it ripped. I think it may have already had a small tear at the bottom edge.
It was an old saddle that I had taken off a Raleigh 3 speed I bought at a garage sale years ago. I really like the Brooks saddles so I ordered another B72 only this one in black to match the bike.

Had a little free time this afternoon and threw this together.
Bare metal 51 Schwinn Straight bar I bought a couple years ago at a swap.
Story on the wheels here.
Truss rods are off a crusty old girls Schwinn.
The cheapo plastic seat was a real light tan color. I painted it black with vinyl paint.
Sprocket off some mongoose BMX I must have come across at some point and time.

This is the tale of two wheels...

In 2007 I had 2 rims powder coated green. Not for any particular project but just because I liked the green. Once the wheels were built I stashed them in the attic.


Continue reading "A Tale Of Two Wheels"

Yesterday the Grand-sons and I trucked our bikes to the big city where we rode on the Arkansas River Path and in to the Historic Delano District for lunch. It was chilly and windy but we toughed it out and had a good time.

Video...

Amazing art made from a variety of recycled stuff. Of course the bike parts caught my attention. Check out more of this cool stuff here.

Eldest Grandson Ethan likes to ride my 26" wheeled bikes instead of his own 20". He can ride the bigger bikes but I don't know how safely he could stop or dis-mount in a hurry. I told him we'd look for a 24" frame and build it for him.

I put out the word I was looking for a 24" frame and a friend offered up one he found in his stash. Thanks Dave!

I've been told the bikes is a Roadmaster. Here's how we received it yesterday.



After cutting off the bent rusted in place fork.



Unbeknownst to me until I went to unload the above photos from the camera, the Grand-daughter had filmed us mocking up the bike.



Today we finished putting it together and he took it for a test ride. This fork is messed up so we'll have to get another. The bike will be painted eventually.

Today I went back to the car show taking the 2 Grand-Sons. Blake never met a car he didn't like. Ethan's favorite was a Lamborghini.


All car photos here.


Bike photos here.

Video I took of just some of the bikes...

Target never disappoints. I always find a bike shirt of some kind. Last night I spotted these.

Ladies night shirt.


Boys shirt.


They also use bicycles a lot in their advertising. I believe this is a new sign. Don't know that the girls are riding the proper bikes for the terrain though.

The other night I put the new wheels I built on the Monark Mutt. This morning I went for a 20 degree ride to test them out. They ride fine.



This afternoon my Dad and I went to the Starbird Devlin Rod & Custom show where our bike club has bikes on display. I don't have any bikes in the show as I was mostly too lazy I guess to get my bikes ready and entered. I've always enjoyed this show (formerly the Daryl Starbird Rod & Custom Show) and would go with my parents when I was a kid. Here is just a small sample of cars and motorcycles at the show. I'll have bike photos later.

This is a frame I purchased it at the first Midwest Bicycle Swap. I occasionally bring it down from the attic and build it up. Here is the first time and here another time to take to the Tour De Fat in Colorado.

On a whim the other night I once again got it down from the attic. It's pretty rough. I took the angle grinder and a flap disc to it then primered it. It was 50 degrees in the garage. Not good for painting.



Next night I painted it (again around 50 degrees) and started building it back up. The paint is a Rustoleum textured paint. Has a faux rusty/patina'd look to it I think.


More on it later.

I decided on a chainguard. Originally off this Hawthorne 3 speed.



Close up of the textured paint I used and the old Arnold & Schwinn Co seat post clamp.




All the photos of this bike here.

The fenders I first put on didn't match as I had overlooked the matching fender when in the attic the first time. Today I corrected that and then took it for a ride. If I decide to keep it together I may paint the fenders and add a chainguard.





Here is the paint I used. It has a rusty/patina'd look and feel to it. Went on really nice especially considering the cold temperature. Took 2 cans though to do frame and fork. Had I known I was going to use this paint I would have used a dark primer but when I primered it I didn't know what color I was going with and grey was the only primer I had on hand.

Rode over to my parents house to wish my Dad a happy 78th birthday.



This evening I started building wheels from a couple of rims I painted a few days ago. The rear wheel I'm lacing to a Bendix Automatic (2 speed kickback). I hadn't laced a wheel in a couple of years. After a little refresher course from the late Sheldon Brown it was a snap.



The hub came from a narrow aluminum rim which I put together many years ago and wasn't using.

This old Schwinn inner-tube may have been puncture resistant but it wasn't resistant to the effects of age. When it was no longer holding air I tried to save it but it was coming apart at the seams. This thing was really heavy/thick.

I went riding with the Grand-Kids for the first time since sometime before Blake's surgery.

This morning with the boys.



This afternoon with the girl.



Can you figure out what I did in-between rides?

The other morning when I arrived at work this bike was in the crew room. Due to some shuffling around, there are different people reporting to my location now and I assumed one of them had bicycle commuted. Turns out he didn't but had brought the bike on his vehicle and was planning on taking it to a local path to ride after work.

What a nice looking bike. Almost makes me want to go buy a road bike.

Today we trucked our bikes to the big city and went for a 22 mile ride mostly along the Arkansas River path. Midway (21st & Tyler) we stopped and fueled up on Buffalo wings, a Prosciutto sandwich and beer at Old Chicago.
The weather wasn't as nice as we'd hoped it would be. It was cloudy, chilly and breezy.
The river looks pretty pathetic and is being overgrown with trees and other vegetation. The dam that normally keeps the water level higher and looking decent through the downtown area of Wichita has been taken out and a new one being built.

Video I shot at yesterday's dinner and ride.

Today we attended our bike club's 5th annual New Year's Day Pot-Luck Dinner and Ride. As always it was a great time. A lot of good food and the weather was pretty good with the temperature in the upper 40s. 25 people rode. One of the food dishes Nova made and took was a pasta salad made from the bicycle pasta I received for Christmas.