I wanted to do a quick once over of the bike to see where I stood. When I bought it, I ran through all the paces I could given it had an inner tube that wouldn't hold air so I couldn't ride it. Most of my information was based on trust of Poster and a visual inspection of the components.
I was pretty sure the bike was a 36 year old new bike. The chain rings had almost no wear. The cogs had no wear at all...I don't think the right shifter was touched until I touched it....the rims were true (100%). The bike had all original components, even the Moto rubber bar wrap...
I did a once over on the rack with soap and degreaser. It was late - after the kids were down - so I had the front porch light on and the bucket out front. Spider shit, dust, and other garage funk patina mixings formed a fine layer over the entire bike. It is amazing how neurotic you can become when called to the task. Between the flat large handled brush, the toothbrush, the sponge, the grease rag, me and the Moto, we came to a very deep understanding.
Clean, but rusty, I was anxious to take a ride. The bike was rusty - not me; that last sentence didn't make that clear - I was going with context. Tires: I had bought innertubes at Revolution, along with a set of Schwalbe Marathons. But I had since decided the retro look with gum walls was where I wanted to take this project. So I couldn't install the tires. And the tires were shot. Crumbling...
I put the original failed rear tire back on and pumped it up. It held. I put the Specialized touring tire that was maybe 20 years old on the front along with a new innertube. Funky, but holding. Up the street. Down the street. Up the street. Down the street. Through the gears, up and down. Apart form having a geared bike (10 whole speeds), just like when I was a kid...up and down the street for no other reason than the sheer joy of it. I'm not the vehicle naming type, but I have to admit, there was a bit of puppy love developing. The bike is gold and brown and beautiful, after all...
It was getting late. I had to turn in. Not too exciting in terms of restoration activity, but got a maiden voyage in that confirmed the Moto was essentially new. I couldn't wait to ride it for real. Tomorrow? No. It wouldn't be very cool for Pi and I to get stranded on the way to school...Plus, The shifting wasn't flawless. The chain fell off the sprocket in the 5th gear, in fact.
Patience, young grasshopper.
I needed to tune the shifting up tomorrow for sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment