On my way back from the big box store to get fertilizer I pass through a neighborhood looking for garage sales. Strikeouts there but then I come across a bike and a "Free Bike". Well... (sorry for the crappy cell pic)



A pink mixte. Open Road. Yay. Then I look a tad closer. 4130 frame:



Shimano 6-speed friction, aluminum bars, aluminum rims. The saddle and grips both say Schwinn approved so I don't think they're original. Lee Chi aluminum calipers, brake levers are aluminum. Sakae crank and rings. Hmmm. Pick it up and it's honestly much lighter than I thought!

It needs tires, cables, brake pads, maybe not even housings, they don't look too bad. A new saddle (IHMO) and the grips are very clunky.

Paint is actually in very awesome condition. I could have this frame looking like new. All the decals are on the surface so I suppose I could remove them and stealth it out a tad.

Wheels are just about true, need a touch up...hubs feel real good even for no-name.

I suppose I'll see if my 14yo daughter wants this to ride to school on instead of her gas pipe Takara. Rear rack and a basket and it would make a good school bike for her.

If not I suppose I'll clean it up, replace the few things, and flop it out on local CL. Pink mixte in this town should be popular.

My first free side-of-the-road bike and it's a mixte! Haha!

How'd I do?

Hmmm...the obvious answer is sell her...as a 4130 mixte should fetch close to a couple of hundred. If you want to be charitable, you could post to CL and say something like best sob story gets it,.

Freakin' awesome!!!

Nice catch! That'd be an easy money maker for me.

^ Definitely!

You'll need to get her the rack to hold a couple Fahgettaboutit U-locks.

I can't believe you're considering selling it...it's just your color!



-Collin-

Some would say it's kind of predatorial, but I'd use it to meet females. Lots and lots of females.

Married and close to 50....I'm 'fraid it would take more than a pink bike

The scenario: A loving husband/partner bought his wife/partner a quality bike to enjoy and explore their environment together and have their love grow even deeper. She thanked him very much and carefully placed it in the garage and never looked at it again.

Or is that just me. I bought my wife a nice bike in 1988 and she still hasn't ridden it. I haven't put it out with a "for free' sign on it yet.

I do hope your daughter likes it as it is a really nice bike and it was a great find.

Until the big "D" when she got rid of everything that reminded her of him.

Keep your eyes open...next week she'll probably dump his Colnago.

Oh my God!!! Never saw that one coming.

Best and most honest answer ever.

I've donated bikes to my kids' school for their yearly auction, I've donated bikes to the City of Boston for their drive to put more bikes in the hands of kids, and I've donated bikes to those who just had a need. You have plenty of opportunities to find a willing and grateful rider.

Neal

thriftybill would have already turned this into 10 more bikes. what's taking so long?

Just kidding around, mate. That's a nice bike, and a gift like that would definitely make a marriage stronger. The couple that cycles together stays together. But I'd still keep an eye on the curb in front of that house...you never know.

Got my wife a used Murray mtn bike from a garage sale last year, she has put about 2 miles on it, total. The thing is almost as smooth a ride as I have ever been on. probably put about 40 bucks in tubes and brake pads and such, but worth it I think.

Hahahahaha.......hahaha...ha. Very funny

When will we ever learn? I totally agree, that could have been some new bar wrap and a spare tube or two. As you say, it must be worth it though.

awesome find - yeah its pink - but i'd ride that w a smile

edit: after i put drops on of course

Well, the 14yo is in love, looks like a semi-KHatfull rehab for this one. The 6yo daughter also said WOW so this one might be hanging around.

Lets see, what could I do to it:

Replace icky saddle.
Replace steel seatpost with aluminum.

(those two would probably drop a pound or two )

Basket.
Bell.
And...finding some dual pivot brakes might be nice. But there's that whole nutted mount thing

I got really lucky and was given a nice condition Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2. It's going to get a good cleanup and will be given to my son. Hopefully he'll appreciate it. Heck, get that kid to help with whatever it needs. Dad & kid time is always good.

I'm pretty sure leaving the decals on will maximize your stealth factor.

Very cool find!

looks nice.. i'd fix it up and ride it, sell it, or give to a friend/neighbor/relative with a daughter who needs a bike

Aside from that saddle, looks great. If I were to find that in my size, I really do not think I could get rid of it.

i've sold alot of bikes this year and man i must say, a bunch of the mixte's and girls bikes i've sold have gone to really attractive chicks, they're cute and they like biking what better combination is that. Unfortunately when i drop the line "do you bike a lot?" or "what are you using the bike for?", they usually say, "i go out biking with my bf and for short trips". Then i lead out with a "sigh" and go back to the bike sale state of mind. i've met about 3-4 of them through bike selling, but they seem to always have a bf.

one of these days i'll come across a single one.....one of these days