Introductions - Milwaukee pedalphile

Hi all,

My forum handle is Orange Leader.

I just signed up yesterday. A slight breach of etiquette, I posted a question already, before introducing myself. I apologize.

I've also made a few replies to others' questions/comments. Thanks to all that assisted me with my question.

I currently hail from Milwaukee, WI. I used to own be a bicycle messenger, I have loved biking since middleschool. Since I bought a house a few years back I've started to accumulate bicycles, either from garbage on curbs, or garage sales, or swap meets, or thrift shops. If it's cheap and suites my fancy, I'm storing it for a while till I find it a good home. I usually try to fix them up before I break them again.

I currently have a lot of bikes, my basement and half my garage, and all of my garage ceiling are full. I think I need to start a 49 step program or something. Hello I'm Orange Leader, and I'm a Pedalphile.

I'm by no means an expert on any kind of bike, but I'm accumulating more knowlege than your average biker. although after reading this forum for a day now, I don't even come close to some of the guys on here.

my stable currently includes (long list to follow, and in no particular order): specialized stumpjumper s-works hardtail '97, a Medici road, a Giant allegre which has the rear dropouts swapped for track drops and is fixed, a Schwinn Racer 2 spd kickback, a BSA 3 spd, A triumph 3 spd, a 68? raleigh 5 spd internal with an awesome brooks saddle, a Viscount 10 spd, a Columbia twosome that I have a skeleton mounted to the rear seat for Halloween (it actually pedals with me), A Schwinn Twinn, A Gary fischer Mtn unknown model, An older Cannondale Mtn unknown model but very small, A Bianchi BASS, a Fuji road that is fixed, An old Schwinn - krate style but not much is original, an austra daimler, and a really old track bike which i'm told used to belong to jack disney, but I need to get in touch with him to confirm it. Oh yeah and an older road bike with nice chromed lugs that says carrera on it but I'm not sure if that's a model or the brand name because it's only on one side, and there's no head badge or anything else. Oh and a trek 950 lugged steel singletrack, it was for a friend, but he never came to get it, and now I kind of like it. Oh and a piece of junk raleigh mountain bike that a neighbor threw out, And an unknown road bike that a neighbor unloaded on me, its heavy but has a nice home paint job. I don't think I've left anyone, I mean thing, out.

I know I need to cull the herd, because I have a kid now and eventually he'll need room for his bike(s) and we need to fit the car in the garage, and honestly, it's a tight squeeze now. As it is, we have to squeeze in, let the wife out and then pull into the garage because you can only open the doors on one side in order to get in.
and we just got the bike trailer for towing the lil tyke around, and that needs to be collapsed so there's still enough room for the car.

Most of the bikes only cost me a few bucks each, $15-$30, or were free from the garbage, except the bianchi and specialized, raysport, and the giant, but I used the bianchi and giant for work as a messenger, so they were a tax write off, and the giant only cost me $60 from a thrift shop so it wasn't a huge expenditure anyway.

I have put a lot of time into putzing with these beautiful machines. I enjoy it, but untill my kid leaves the house I probably won't have as much time as I used to. 18 years is a lot of dust, he's only 7 mos old now.

Well, that's me and bikes, currently I mostly ride the Giant to commute 13 mi each way to work and to soccer games. But I feel great doing it.

With all of these bikes I feel I have to qualify myself as a pedalphile.

Oh my. That's a lot of bikes. I think that, by law, you have to notify your new neighbors whenever you move.

I'm a Milwaukee person, too, but I've only got one bike at the moment, and I'm currently useless when it comes to fixing bikes. I'm trying to learn, though, and this seems to be a good place to start.

Anyway, welcome.

Orange three to orange leader, we have entered a cron drift.

I wouldn't go around telling people that you're a pedalphile. They might get the wrong impression.

Does that mean I should stop wearing the t-shirt?

Besides, if they don't know what it means, then they probably aren't any fun anyway.

Hold 'er steady Orange 3.

As it is, we have to squeeze in, let the wife out and then pull into the garage because you can only open the doors on one side in order to get in

Welcome Orange leader
Sounds like my garage, it's only 7 bikes but all the other stuff like tools, compressors, welders, etc I need to keep busy and everything 3 kids need to keep busy. I don't even try to park in it there during summer when the bikes, mowers etc aren't buried for winter. The drivers door is the only one accesable and don't even think of walking around it. Pretty new here myself but have been lurking around a year.

Yeah I'm thinking about building a 2 storey garage. Top floor for bike storage and repair. bottom floor for the car, yard tools, and 1 to 3 everyday bikes.
The side of my garage is half burried in the ground so it wouldn't need a very high staircase to reach the 2nd floor. I also think it would be cool to have one of those old haybail hoists (pulley system) for the second floor to use for bikes etc.

It's a dream, I don't know how'd I'd get around all the powerlines going from our alley to the neigobor's houses, they kind of criss cross right over our garage.

But a 2nd floor on the garage would help clear out the basement too.

kind of a feng shui thing, everything in it's place.

looking to get rid of any of those bikes???

I would like to get into cycling and am in need of a starter bike...just got married and i have no funds for this...if you have an extra bike you are willing to part with it would be put to good use and greatly appreciated...