Bike Restoration Project
Published April 19, 2008 @ 14:19 in Biking
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I'm going to start riding my bicycle again.
I made this decision a few weeks ago, and I've done a lot of soul searching as to whether I restore my old bike or buy a new one. My brain says I should buy a new one and my heart says I should fix up my existing bike that's been collecting dust and rust for about eight years. As usual with me, the heart wins and I'm going to bike this summer with ol' faithful.
A little about my bike...
I named him Cody, because when I bought him in 1990, that's what the folks at the now defunct Bloor Cycle called the model. It was $400, which seemed like an awful lot of dough to this teenager. My buddy Ed and I were into skateboarding, and periodically I'd throw a skateboard or surf sticker on the frame. From 1990 through 1999 I rode that bike like crazy. It got me to and from work, to and from high school and university, all over the city. I lived on my bike until I moved out of a basement apartment on Clendenan and into a high rise. That's when Cody went into storage.
As mentioned, Cody hasn't been ridden in about eight years. He's rusty, dusty and all but forgotten. I know I should buy a new bicycle but I feel like this is about more than gears and brakes. This is about the bike I loved, the bike I've owned for almost twenty years.
So yes, I'm going to restore him. I started today by buying a new front tire. Piece by piece, I'll get him back on the road. I'm thirsty for lemonade.
Here are shots of Cody taken last night after I got him out of storage.
Mike (Buffalo Boy)
April 19, 2008 / 15:09
Yikes!
Mike, take it from me, I ride as well, take some money and invest in a good high quality bike, here are some suggestions if you care to check them out:
http://bertsbikes.com/itemlist.cfm?pageId=109
The Gary Fisher line is a very good line, look mid to upper line like the utopia and you won't regret it.
There are few things that you get what you pay for and a bike is one of the things that you do get what you pay for in performance and components. Let me know what you do....