live1poem

Hello all you bike junkies!

I hope everyone is dressed for your weather. I don't have enough time in the sport to have accumulated the requisite tires let alone togs.

I come to the sport thru the side door, I guess. I always loved biking. My first was a banana bike I home built when I was 8 or so. I started with a frame made in Poland! I swapped out tires for knobbies, hi-rise bars, banana seat...my first lesson in conversion was the rear stays were so narrow, and the wheel so wracked, it was a trial keeping that fat tire from rubbing. I never thought about trueing the wheel and I wondered how it could keep getting worse! I took that thing everywhere and anywhere, trails, cornfields, the local junkyard. I was born to xc!

Next was a Panasonic 10 speed. I rode to school, to work, to college, to work. It finally came to California with me and got stolen. sigh....

Many years passed, I married, became a dad, bought a new truck...bought a Diamondback and had absolutely no fun with it, so I sold it. I bought a used Gary Fisher, loved it. It was imediately stolen.

I was sooo mad, I ran to my neighbor and made an offer for his old Giant frame. It was like I was 8 again, starting from scratch, I stripped the paint and went in search of parts......

The Giant was really too big, the cranks groan and complain, the shifters are.... well, it was time to start again.

I got a line on a new magnesium frame, drawn, butted, and welded in Russia. (now I'm really back home!).
I bought it and went to work. I completed it and I love it. I ordered two more frames, one for my son and one for a friend.

I find it very satisfying to work on these projects. I have a fine work stand, and I'm comfortable with the trade work of wrenching, technical specification, fabrication, machine work, lubes, physics, ergonomics...

When I'm done with my son's bike, maybe we'll go riding the fine trails that I hear abound in this area.
Then I'll truely be back in my childhood.

I love the community of cyclists both local and here on the net. We have a wonderful opportunity to learn new things, get the best excercise, take advantage of hi tech, and profess our value for the blessing of this wonderful natural world.

I look forward to participating with you all in this.
Paul