Best Begginers Experience Ever
04-18-05, 11:30 AM
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Best Begginers Experience Ever
Quite an experience has happened to me to get me into cycling.
After months of riding to class at PITT, much to my dissapointment I find my dad's old schwinn smashed into a wall by a car...unrideable again. A month or so later in an internship, I tell me boss about what happened to my bike and how I am stuck to just running now...he tells me theres a bike in his basement he doesn't ride anymore because of a shifter problem, and willing to get rid of it to a good home. He tells me that it needs a Shimano STI shifter and if i can find one, then i could have the bike for a decent price.
Well friday at 6 I decide to look for a shop with the part, and I find no shop but one shop. That the name of the shop cant even be read on the sign and is open at 6:23 (the shop was supposed to close at 6). I walk in and ask about this part and somehow he has the exact used 600 that i needed. He even just let me take it to make sure it worked before i paid a very resonable price of 20 dollars for it. I brought the part into work and my amazed boss told me to come over and take a look at the bike after work.
He lets me in and down to the basement, he walks me by a very nice Campy and a couple other very nice bikes to a 1993 Basso Gap, in excellent condition. I have never seen such a beautiful bike and he let me take it off his hands for a mear 175 dollars. That week I found a couple problems iwth the shifter I was given, and needed to be disassembled...man at the bike shop told me that was probably the stupidest thing I could have done, but offered for me to work on the bike in the back of his shop where he has 6 communal bike stands and tons of tools free for anyone to work with.
It had to be more than a dozen people who walked into work on their bikes and noticed and said man thats a nice bike...But I still had a bum shifter and wasnt rideable which was killing me. After the help of a very nice man with mustache handlebars helped and guided me of what I should do next and 4 hours of fixin the shifter, everything came together and works beautifully now.
Some just do great things to make an experience the best it possibly could, and Ive made a few friends and a loyal customer to an old bikeshop in pittsburgh you cant read the name off the sign. I try to ride everyday now putting in as many miles a week I can.
After months of riding to class at PITT, much to my dissapointment I find my dad's old schwinn smashed into a wall by a car...unrideable again. A month or so later in an internship, I tell me boss about what happened to my bike and how I am stuck to just running now...he tells me theres a bike in his basement he doesn't ride anymore because of a shifter problem, and willing to get rid of it to a good home. He tells me that it needs a Shimano STI shifter and if i can find one, then i could have the bike for a decent price.
Well friday at 6 I decide to look for a shop with the part, and I find no shop but one shop. That the name of the shop cant even be read on the sign and is open at 6:23 (the shop was supposed to close at 6). I walk in and ask about this part and somehow he has the exact used 600 that i needed. He even just let me take it to make sure it worked before i paid a very resonable price of 20 dollars for it. I brought the part into work and my amazed boss told me to come over and take a look at the bike after work.
He lets me in and down to the basement, he walks me by a very nice Campy and a couple other very nice bikes to a 1993 Basso Gap, in excellent condition. I have never seen such a beautiful bike and he let me take it off his hands for a mear 175 dollars. That week I found a couple problems iwth the shifter I was given, and needed to be disassembled...man at the bike shop told me that was probably the stupidest thing I could have done, but offered for me to work on the bike in the back of his shop where he has 6 communal bike stands and tons of tools free for anyone to work with.
It had to be more than a dozen people who walked into work on their bikes and noticed and said man thats a nice bike...But I still had a bum shifter and wasnt rideable which was killing me. After the help of a very nice man with mustache handlebars helped and guided me of what I should do next and 4 hours of fixin the shifter, everything came together and works beautifully now.
Some just do great things to make an experience the best it possibly could, and Ive made a few friends and a loyal customer to an old bikeshop in pittsburgh you cant read the name off the sign. I try to ride everyday now putting in as many miles a week I can.
04-18-05, 11:38 AM
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Nice story. Buy your boss something cycling related for Bosses day...whenever that is...sounds like a seriously decent boss to have.
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Last edited by Grasschopper; 04-18-05 at 11:59 AM.
04-18-05, 11:39 AM
#3
Allez!!! Allez!!!
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Glad to hear you have had such a great experience. Getting a really nice older bike helped to get me on my start as well, when I picked up a late '70's or early '80's Benotto steel frame from my local bike shop where I grew up, Velocipede Peddler in East Lansing, MI. That bike is still one of my favorites ever, and I still have it built up to this day. Hope you keep enjoying cycling as much as we all do.
04-18-05, 12:02 PM
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very nice!
Your boss sounds like a great guy.
Your boss sounds like a great guy.
04-18-05, 12:55 PM
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Basso steel? Seriously beautiful bike and great story - glad things ended up well. Enjoy the ride, take care of it, and don't sell it - this bike is a beautiful classic and is increasingly hard to find! I'd keep it just for the story... 
04-18-05, 12:59 PM
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Actually, my instructions are to sell it to another college student whenever I have the money to spend the money on my own bike
04-18-05, 01:09 PM
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If I were you? Assuming that this suggestion is not in opposition to the spirit of the intent, I would take the equivalent amount of money, go buy said student a nice bike and keep this one...sorry, just have a soft spot for some bikes 
04-18-05, 01:18 PM
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If I were you? Assuming that this suggestion is not in opposition to the spirit of the intent, I would take the equivalent amount of money, go buy said student a nice bike and keep this one...sorry, just have a soft spot for some bikes
04-18-05, 01:33 PM
#14
Raising the Abyss
yep --- we're all eager to see a picture or two. BUY A GOOD BIKE LOCK!!
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04-18-05, 04:55 PM
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Nice story...my best experience was walking out of the shop with my first new roadie in over 26 yrs.
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04-18-05, 07:22 PM
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That shop in Pgh is famous for just your type of story. Glad to hear you got a nice bike from a nice guy. I agee that you should return the favor to a needy student down the road. I dont envy you having to ride in Oakland everyday. Good luck to you and enjoy!
