Fifty Plus (50+) - The Cycling Community is Awesome!

What a week I'm having!

As most of you know, I bought a 1980's Univega for a beater bike, and had it converted to a singlespeed by my LBS (not being mechanical myself).

Since buying the bike, here's what's happened to me:

Someone on this very forum, who may wish to remain anonymous so I'll respect that, mailed me a roll of bar tape, free.

I bought a rack for the back of the bike, but tried to return it because (not being mechanical myself) I couldn't figure out how to mount the thing (quit laughing). The LBS wrench said "Keep the rack; I'll mount if for you FREE." (He did, and refused any payment, but he was willing to accept a six pack of Samual Adams!)

I found an ad on Craigslist for a set of FREE tires (the guy was upgrading). Turns out they wouldn't have fit the Univega anyway (I have 27" wheels), so he says, "What else do you need?" After all was said and done, he GAVE me a slim 15/16 wrench to use to change pedals, a brand new (or little used) seat post, and a wireless SUPERGO bike computer. He even put in a new battery. A bit of google research tells me the computer ain't all that high quality, but -- it was FREE. (If I can only figure out how to mount it -- not being mechanical myself.)

And then, you may remember I asked about racks to store my growing bike collection in my apartment. Today I found an ad on Craiglist for a Performance rack that leans against the wall (nothing permanent), which the guy sold me for $40. See the pic below for both the rack and the rack, in a corner of my dining room. As you can see, there's also room for my floor pump. My daughter's bike will just have to go somewhere else, and the fourth bike is being literally disassembled and put into a box in the outside storage.

Sorry for being long-winded. I'm just so excited to be part of this cycling community, with so many people who give so freely their parts, their expertise, and enthusiasm.

Gary; Some folk believe that you recieve what you give. I suspect that you are recieving this good because you give so much good yourself. Bob

And you posted another picture successfully.

This is truly your day!

I agree with Bob.

Plus and OT, while I'm on here DG, I visited your photography web site and I wanted to tell you that you do extraordinary work. Your imagery is very compelling -- not to mention the technical excellence as well.

Ride on!

Aint we all great? Yeah, we are! :p

Enthusiam begets enthusiasm. Thanks, Gary, for your BF contributions - they're both entertaining and inspiring.

Gary,
There's a quality of openness and kindness about you that just calls forth the responses you get from people.........IOW, you deserve to get as good as you give. Please link me to your photography site that Oldcrank mentions above.

Gary,
There's a quality of openness and kindness about you that just calls forth the responses you get from people.........IOW, you deserve to get as good as you give. Please link me to your photography site that Oldcrank mentions above.

Aw, shucks, you guys! Now I'm all flushed.... :o

If you want to see my pitchurs, go here. (http://www.pbase.com/digitalgee/profile) But I must warn you -- there are some pretty strange looking things on my site!

Gary,

You seem to come up with a lot of good posts. Thanks for your input.

I agree with you this Forum is awsome.

Scott

DeeGee - Your dining room is beginning to remind me of a thread on the road forum recently. Members posted photos of their bike collections. Mostly these were serious bikers each having at least 3+ bikes and most of these were maintained in either the living room or dining room. Also most of these people were unmarried. I think there is a correlation between being single and feeling that the best place to store and work on bikes is the living, or dining room! Perhaps it's one more "guy" thing.

DeeGee - I think there is a correlation between being single and feeling that the best place to store and work on bikes is the living, or dining room! Perhaps it's one more "guy" thing.

Well, another day, another chapter. Another guy on Craigslist giving away some parts today. I scooped up (for FREE) two saddles, one with and one without a seatpost, three MTB wheels, three brand new tires, one tube, one frame (nothing exciting, I think it's WallyWorld), two sets of pedals, one set of straps, and a few odds and ends.

My living room had started looking like a living room when I got the rack installed in the dining room. Now it's starting to look like a garage all over again. Parts and tires everywhere!

My living room had started looking like a living room when I got the rack installed in the dining room. Now it's starting to look like a garage all over again. Parts and tires everywhere!

You lucky S%d. I would love to look at my bikes in the living room in prefernce to the TV. Instead I have to wrap up warm- put the extra fleece over the top- Must remember the glasses as well, Oh and the glass for the wine as that is stored in the garage too, possibly take the radio with me, and venture out into the cold. Then the next thing to do is clear the space to work on the bikes as "MY" space has the wifes boots from her walk in it, and the dogs towel from the latest walk and then sweep the floor from all the mud dragged in from the garden.( Or fallen off the bike from Last week) Then I can finally sort the bike out. By this time the Glass and possibly the bottle are empty, so I daren't work on the bike as my fingers have just fallen off with the frostbite. I just look at it and decide the jobs that have to be done on it, when the temperature gets a bit warmer.

How much easier to be allowed to do the work in the kitchen.

Thanks for the link to the picture gallery!! Still trying to figure out how you got some of the shots-like the driver in training.

For some reason I could best relate to "Stoned". That's the perfect image of how I think I look and feel after doing some of these 100 mile rides......