Being a school teacher my year begins in August.
Last year's project was a Schwinn Voyageur touring bicycle, redone bit by bit over the school year in preparation for that 2,000 mile cross country trip I did this past summer. The bike in that case having originally been a gift 25 years ago but been hanging in the garage most of the time since.
Well, here's this year's project, at the start (and sorry for the fuzzy pics, my old cheap digital camera appears to be crapping out).
We bought this bike seventeen years ago for my then thirteen year-old stepson as a promised reward for completing a fifty mile loop on Lance Armstrong's big charity ride up in Austin.
To give you an idea of how small this bike is those are 26" wheels. Fits me though, I guess I must be short. Anyway, for the next few years him and his buddies proceeded to beat the crap out of it like it was a BMX bike. It came through unscathed though. Seventeen years ago this was considered a pretty hot set-up (other than the bags I mean).
He outgrew it, since then it was used on and off, mostly off, and then when it was used mostly for short commuting chores/errands by me. Lately I've been making a point of commuting on it 100 miles/week, likely to continue.
Tires: Cant stress enough how important they are around here where I have holed EVERYTHING, including the 26x2.0 Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour on the back in these pics. It is however IMHO the ultimate urban tire, $60 per and seemingly as heavy as a motorcycle tire out of the box. I just took delivery of a second one for the front, to replace that Serfas Drifter which flatted too often. Doesn't hurt eiter that the Schwalbes are also about the quietiest, easiest-rolling tire of this genre I've found. Tires $120.
Wheels: The original 36 spoke rims are still good, but the hubs have suffered from being ridden without regard to being lubed ever over 17 years. Quality rim brake 26" rims are getting hard to find. I'm gonna have a 36 spoke set built by Universal Cycles on Alex 124 rims and Deore hubs. Wheels $260.
Forks: I prefer a suspended fork here in the land of broken asphalt, crazily shifted sidewalks, frequent dirt and roadside debris. That first generation Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork, the hot set-up in its day, has held up like a champ, only needed rebuilding once. No lock-out but just a good simple sprung, air-damped fork. If it has less that 4" of travel that's still enough for my sedate riding style.
Fenders: Just put 'em on, attaching the rear fender to the rear rack. These are high-clearance mountain bike style, which offer limited coverage at best in the rain. But close-fitting fenders wouldn't work in mud. Fenders $60.
Headset: Ragged out, needs replacing. Chris King headsets rock. Headset $150.
Drivetrain: Ragged out, needs replacing. 11-36 8 speed cassette, 8 speed Schram chain, Nashbar sealed bottom bracket, Nashbar 44/32/22 175mm crankset, Nashbar sealed bearing platform pedals. Drivetrain total $200.
Rack: Those are the Ortleib front panniers I used on my bike trip. The large size rear panniers I used on that trip also fit, but the cheap no-name rear rack doesn't provide enough support to keep those from hitting the spokes jumping off of curbs when they are stuffed with assorted heavy groceries. Gonna have to go with a Tubus; w/ an 88lb capacity the king of rear racks. Rack $120.
So, about a $900 investment needed to bring this bike up to speed, $180 of which in the form of tires and fenders has already been put in. $700 plus in parts left to go.
Sure I coulda got a whole new bike for that but then that new bike wouldn't have a history either.
Gonna do it a piece at a time over the coming months. I'll keep folks posted.
Mike