I Got Fixed

It's cold, snowy and generally crappy and I don't want to talk about it.

I do want to talk about the newest addition to our little family. Nope - sorry Mom, no new grandkids.... unless you wanted a grandkid with wheels and a seat. My little curbside treasure that I rescued a few weeks ago has blossomed into a fly new ride and I'm so excited! That is until I look outside at the four inches of slushy snow we got today but I digress.... It's not quite gallery-worthy yet but it's getting there.

The frame was in surprisingly decent shape for being a piece of trash. I stripped it down to the frame and drive-side bottom bracket cup (which is pretty much fused to the frame) with the help of Steve, Lee, and John from Ada.

Then I rebuilt the bottom bracket with a new spindle and bearings (original cups), took apart the headset to clean and repack those bearings too, and polished the handlebars to a shiny luster with some miracle rubbing compound they had at the bike shop. I also built my first set of wheels at Velocity - thanks to Paul and Sven for the help.

A few spare parts later.....

Fixed gear! Steve and I finished it up around 11 last night and headed out for a spin around the neighborhood. It will definitely take some practice but I can't wait for the snow to melt so I can ride 'er again. Only a few small details left - front brakes, new grips, and I'm going to repaint the gold pinstripes and lugs with some sparkly paint. It's been such a fun project! I guess it's kind of lame to waste a whole post on some junk bike I found on the curb. Perhaps the picture my seven year old niece drew for us this weekend sums it up.....
At least I'm sad with a sweet ride......