After all this gallivanting on top of the future, a return to the present. Riding the kids to school, riding the self to work(s), etc. These things are not best accomplished on borrowed plastic.
So, to work it is the clown bike on the sneaky dirt. Whoa! hey! there are so many enforcers over there at the moment. I popped out quietly to see the white truck with the emblem parked sideways and I stopped quietly in the trees to see and not be seen. One of the advantages in wearing "normal" clothing on the sneaky commute is the ability to blend in with the Pinks and Normals when needed. I parked the bike discreetly and left my helmet with it and walked out for a look looking just like your average hiker...a little waiting was in order. A few minutes pause in the trees and it was green means GO! the rest of the way. Anyhow, that bike is a P-I-G pig. I will be removing the B73, as it is a wallowing hog of it's own for any kind of hard climbing. That front spring is not doing me any favors trying to levitate up that one quick access. Trying to perch on the rivet and spin is incompatible with full suspension saddles? Yes, and surprise! The stock Surly front hub continually loosens itself. I can feel the balloon dive sideways under breaking (which- the breaking and diving- is what causes the loosening, I am sure). The fat NeckRomancer is...narrow in it's appeal. I am glad I have it for the camping, but I don't love it for the rest. There, I said it.
On the way back up and over, I almost came across a enforcer again?! Fortunately, I am an experienced ________er, and I approach entrances, intersections, and exits with open eyes. I see you before you see me, is what I'm hoping. Seeing him 1st, I promptly turned around and retreated a bit for more waiting. Waiting will pay off, and again it became clear for some coasting. I do enjoy some sneaking. If the payoff is sweet singletrack? I relish some sneaking. It keeps out the riffraff. You know who you are.
Taking the kids to school- well, J is my own and there are 2 others from our street who ride with us regularly and some more who come and go- I have been hopping on the kids' green bike. That how we refer to the incredibly understated Schwinn Cimmaron: bi-laminate construction, bi-ovalized tubing, made in Japan, with Wald baskets and the ruined-yet-proud B66. I love that bike. It is so unassuming and ready to get busy. It has motivated me to mimic it's readiness with the build of this Last Chance sourced StumpJumper. Last Chance Mercantile is the junk shop at the dump, so it is aptly named. Every now and again there is a treasure among the trash, and I'm the sort who will search. I feel it's better I have it than ("someone who actually needs it"- anon. riffraff) a villain who won't appreciate it.
A spare camping bike for my brother? A loaner for dirtbags from out of town? The Equalizer? It will make a fine beater for school shuttling and trips to the local SavMart, where cases of Hamm's can be had on the cheap. Anything further calls for some man sized wheels.
Eh. It's a work in progress. I like to tinker. Waiting on some eggplant Neubaum's cotton tape, which will really tie it together. The BB clicks ominously, the cassette is a wee slippy, and the sweet XTR cantis (c. 1996 oh yeah) will NOT lay down a fat skid. The rear wheel has a hop in it that is undeniable, but "better than it was". This (the ridiculous hop) was fun to attempt to fix, since it was so bad. The whole bike cost $18, what's to lose? Maybe the color scheme had something to do with the cheapness (perhaps was the reason someone saw it as trash) but it appeals to the iconoclast in me. The lines of the bike are so roots that it appeals to the idolater in me. Back in the late 80s, when 1st I began to ride the mountain bikes a StumpJumper was second only to an MB1 on the want list. It's only taken me 25 years.
So, to work it is the clown bike on the sneaky dirt. Whoa! hey! there are so many enforcers over there at the moment. I popped out quietly to see the white truck with the emblem parked sideways and I stopped quietly in the trees to see and not be seen. One of the advantages in wearing "normal" clothing on the sneaky commute is the ability to blend in with the Pinks and Normals when needed. I parked the bike discreetly and left my helmet with it and walked out for a look looking just like your average hiker...a little waiting was in order. A few minutes pause in the trees and it was green means GO! the rest of the way. Anyhow, that bike is a P-I-G pig. I will be removing the B73, as it is a wallowing hog of it's own for any kind of hard climbing. That front spring is not doing me any favors trying to levitate up that one quick access. Trying to perch on the rivet and spin is incompatible with full suspension saddles? Yes, and surprise! The stock Surly front hub continually loosens itself. I can feel the balloon dive sideways under breaking (which- the breaking and diving- is what causes the loosening, I am sure). The fat NeckRomancer is...narrow in it's appeal. I am glad I have it for the camping, but I don't love it for the rest. There, I said it.
On the way back up and over, I almost came across a enforcer again?! Fortunately, I am an experienced ________er, and I approach entrances, intersections, and exits with open eyes. I see you before you see me, is what I'm hoping. Seeing him 1st, I promptly turned around and retreated a bit for more waiting. Waiting will pay off, and again it became clear for some coasting. I do enjoy some sneaking. If the payoff is sweet singletrack? I relish some sneaking. It keeps out the riffraff. You know who you are.
Taking the kids to school- well, J is my own and there are 2 others from our street who ride with us regularly and some more who come and go- I have been hopping on the kids' green bike. That how we refer to the incredibly understated Schwinn Cimmaron: bi-laminate construction, bi-ovalized tubing, made in Japan, with Wald baskets and the ruined-yet-proud B66. I love that bike. It is so unassuming and ready to get busy. It has motivated me to mimic it's readiness with the build of this Last Chance sourced StumpJumper. Last Chance Mercantile is the junk shop at the dump, so it is aptly named. Every now and again there is a treasure among the trash, and I'm the sort who will search. I feel it's better I have it than ("someone who actually needs it"- anon. riffraff) a villain who won't appreciate it.
A spare camping bike for my brother? A loaner for dirtbags from out of town? The Equalizer? It will make a fine beater for school shuttling and trips to the local SavMart, where cases of Hamm's can be had on the cheap. Anything further calls for some man sized wheels.
Eh. It's a work in progress. I like to tinker. Waiting on some eggplant Neubaum's cotton tape, which will really tie it together. The BB clicks ominously, the cassette is a wee slippy, and the sweet XTR cantis (c. 1996 oh yeah) will NOT lay down a fat skid. The rear wheel has a hop in it that is undeniable, but "better than it was". This (the ridiculous hop) was fun to attempt to fix, since it was so bad. The whole bike cost $18, what's to lose? Maybe the color scheme had something to do with the cheapness (perhaps was the reason someone saw it as trash) but it appeals to the iconoclast in me. The lines of the bike are so roots that it appeals to the idolater in me. Back in the late 80s, when 1st I began to ride the mountain bikes a StumpJumper was second only to an MB1 on the want list. It's only taken me 25 years.
1 comment:
That dental floss and plastic bike must have done a number on you to denounce the wonderfulness of the fattie... snap out of it for Christ sake! On the other hand, bravo on the 80's stumpie... I think I still have some of those horrible color coded canti brake set up tool/crutch things Shimano was pushing back in the early 90's to help you lay down some wicked skids (not in your shorts type, yo!)
Post a Comment