Waaay back in 19(mumble) I nearly bought a Super Sport with paper route money. The bike was a touch big, so I went another way but never forgot the near miss with that first bike.

For a couple years I've been on the lookout for one locally, and this Spring one turned up.

So here, after a 29 year hesitation, is the bike I nearly bought back in the waning days of the Carter administration, only in a proper size, and configured to taste.

The careful observer will note the retro chainring (from a '62 Traveler), the 27" Sturmey Archer hubbed rear wheel, and that the fenders are not yet physically attached. I'm still debating on that one.

I'm not against fenders, but they don't seem to match very well. How about some chrome ones?

Yeah, those fenders don't work with the sunset orange or possibly opaque red SS. If you look around you can find a probably find some sort of donor schwinn to get chrome fenders from.

oh btw, good job out of you on the SA 3 speed.

Sweet! Is that an old headlight peaking out between the bars? More pics please!

Is that a 30-year old Bell helmet? I want one of those!

Yeah the fender's looked pretty decent in the florescent lights of Sid's Workshop but I don't think I'll ride it there much ... ick.

The headlight is an Ixon, not vintage. Got it together last night about sunset.
The Bell is only 25 years old - I bought it on closeout, I believe in 1983.

Am using the massive "S" lever to friction shift the AW. Took it for a 15-16 mile ride today. There is something very satisfying about reaching out, grabbing a fistful of lever, and sliding it into overdrive. The bike works quite well, and seems much quicker than I'd have expected, but the Paselas are a little better tire than my normal commuter treads. I have it geared fairly high on purpose: 52-72-92, as it occurred to me that it might be fun to troll with in the Spring (I've been riding more miles in the winter months than the summer months and am in better shape in March than September).

Speaking of which, QBP was closing out Spectro P5 w/ drum brake hubs last week, so I ordered one. The intended destination is a derelict 1975 (Panasonic built?) Traveler.