THE OLD:

- i've enjoyed riding my Specialized Crossroads, a $100 pawnshop special rescued from the harsh baking sun down here in Pineapple Junction, Fla. ... it was in bad cosmetic condition so i cleaned it up, threw on a new chain and added new tubes and 700x38 tires...

- i've used it over the last six months on 10-mile treks down the path for lunch breaks at a local smoked fish sandwich place, and have taken many rides with it along the Gulf at the nation's number one beach...

- here's what it looked like before last summer:



- oh yea, i also added fenders, rack and wire baskets...

THE NEW:

- but eventually i found the bike a bit 'slow,' so i put on 700x35s... then the seat got uncomfortable (an old all-gel butt-buster)... and while the 6spd drivetrain still worked, i found i didn't like the straight bars and grip shifters - somehow i kept inadvertently shifting while braking...

- so i went to a LBS which offers a wall of used parts and purchased a stem and road bars... with a little shopping and using an existing wheelset, i upgraded the bottom bracket, crankset, seat, and derailleurs... while putting on new brifters i added in-line brakes, which have proven to be very handy while dodging gopher tortoises, squirrels, and armadillos (not to mention clueless snowbirds)...

- the bike went from 41 lbs down to 25.5 lbs (rack/basket weighed 7.5lbs!)... total upgrade cost was $110 as i had an old front and rear 105 derailleur set, a pair of used brifters, and a spare set of tires...

here's what it looks like now:



- i'm very happy with the bike ... it's a totally different ride... i'll be using it to train for some cyclocross events next year... i just can't believe that someone as hamfisted as me was able to breathe some new life into an old steel frame...