I got into vintage on accident. To be precise, it was nearly forced upon me.

I'm 21 and living on my own going to college. This year in order to save money on gas I decided to ride to school, and rather than buying me a new bike (which is what I wanted) my dad said I was taking his old bike because it was free. So I took it not really wanting it.

Now that I have his 1985 Palo Alto frame and various parts all assembled by my uncle back in '86, I love the thing. Its such an unusual bike that I'm almost guaranteed to never see another one like it in my area. This is a bike I've literally known my entire life, the things older than I am. I can remember being 5 and riding in a seat mounted on a rack over the rear tire, and now I'm taller than he is (its so strange to think I use to be able to sit in a seat over the rear tire). While this bike may not be the most valuable or pretties bike, with its tiny paint knicks and small amounts of surface rust, it has extreme sentimental value to me. This is something I'm definitely going to keep and take care of the rest of my life.