Vacaciones, la Segunda

We just got back from another week at our seashore vacation spot. We did a fair amount of riding again and we had a great time.

I wrote before about how people ride there with no concept of any rules of the road. This time, I almost had an accident with another cyclist. I was riding on the right side of the road down a street that is signed as a bike route. I came to a red light, slowed down and signaled that I was turning right. I looked ahead of me and to the left and proceeded to turn right. Well, a guy on a road bike had snuck up on my right side and was trying to pass me on the right and go through a red light. I didn't hit him, but it was close.

We took a day trip to another nearby seaside town to visit friends. I saw lots of people on bikes. This town also put up loads of small signs on the road to remind cyclists to ride on the road, ride on the right, stop at red lights and stop signs and to use lights at night. We didn't spend enough time in that town to see whether the signs had a generally positive effect on riders' behaviors, but it couldn't hurt.

The Machines of Experience

I think about my bicycles quite often. Recently, a very basic and simple idea occurred to me. Bicycles are experience machines. The time (and sometimes money) I spend on building and maintaining different bikes allows me to have positive experiences that I value. It’s worth the effort – the payoff is unique and great.

Each bike in my fleet has been built with a specific purpose in mind. (The Schwinn Le Tour is an exception. I bought it brand new and I have only changed the tires and stem and added racks.) With each build, a new possibility is available to me.

I bought my first real bike (Schwinn le Tour) from a bike shop almost four years ago. Through it I found a type of exercise I enjoy, a more extensive knowledge of the geography of my area and a sense of confidence as I reached various cycling goals.

Last summer I built a mountain bike. It’s a fully rigid, steel frame of unknown manufacture (I’m pretty sure it’s a Giant, though I don’t know if it was branded as such or was manufactured by them for another company). That bike allowed me to begin exploring some great off-road terrain in my area. I loved mountain biking immediately and every time I get out on that bike I feel like I am treating myself.

My “townie” bikes have allowed me to complete errands without driving. I love being able to sneak in a little riding time whenever I can. It’s not exactly high adventure, but it’s good for me.

Late last summer I also finished a singlespeed road bike build. It was a revelation. I found that I could do a lot more with one gear than I thought I could. It was also one of the rare builds where almost everything worked exactly right for me right away. I did end up switching to slightly more narrow tires, but the moustache bars/riser stem/25” road frame combination was perfect immediately.

Even though most of my bikes are built from frames and parts found in the garbage or online for low prices, I still would be reluctant to ride them in the winter. I was having a great riding fall last year and I didn’t want to stop when the snow came. I built a winter beater out of an old Raleigh Grand Prix frame and I learned a lot about layering wool clothing.

Early this summer I finished my touring bike. It’s based on a very tall (24”) Ross mountain bike frame. I got the frame and fork from ebay a while ago for $6 plus shipping. After overcoming a stuck bottom bracket cup (thank you propane torch) I built it up with trekking bars, front and rear racks and an insanely low climbing gear (24 X 34). Two weeks ago, I took it on a sub 24-hour overnighter (s24o) to test it out. Touring was one of the things that I was interested in when I got into cycling as an adult. This bike will be my ride for more s24o adventures this summer and possibly a multi-night tour.

I finished a (sort of) cross bike build recently, too. I found a Raleigh 700c hybrid frame in a dumpster two years ago. It took me a while to decide what to do with this bike until I realized that it would make a great cross-type bike. It has a triple crankset and slightly larger than ‘cross –legal tires, but I don’t plan to race it. I went on a lovely mixed-surface exploration ride and this bike did all that I wanted it to do. It was fine off-road and fine on the pavement. None of my other bikes could have done as well.

My last personal project (for now) is a lightweight go-fast type of bike. I was given a Viscount Aerospace Pro last year by a neighbor. He had let it sit in his backyard for a while, so my first order of business was to make it ride-able. It wasn’t as bad as it could be; I only needed to replace the saddle, tires, chain and some cables. It rode pretty well and seemed light and fast. The frame size was in the lower end of my size range, so I thought it might make a good go-fast bike. I got down to work and did a 700c wheelset conversion, a bar and stem swap (I had some Cinellis on hand) and an installation of a racing saddle and aero levers. The initial test ride of this set up seems to confirm my expectations for speed and agility.

Pic from 2009. This is the initial basic build to determine some of the frameset's characteristics.

Thinking about all the things I can do with my bikes motivates me to do more building and refining of completed builds. I’m grateful to have found an active hobby about which I am passionate. Cycling adds so much to my life and is good for my mental and physical health. I am also encouraged to complete more donation bikes so that others might be able to have positive experiences, too.