A Little More About This Project

OK... After reading my initial post I can imagine some of you scratching your head and wondering what this is all about, so here's a little background.

I had been running for several years as a means to stay fit, but as my knees started to wear out about 7 or 8 years ago, I decided to try cycling. I dusted off an old mountain bike that I bought in England many years earlier and took a 2 mile ride, then a 3 mile ride, then 5, then 8. Between the hills on the country roads around Owego, the wide knobby mountain bike tires and my limited endurance, I was pretty much limited to 10 mile loops from my house. After several weeks, that got a bit boring and I wanted to go farther.

With some help and encouragement from a couple friends at work (thanks Dave and Mary), I decided to try a road bike. I captured a Cannondale R300 at a going-out-of-business sale at a shop in Binghamton. Being my first road bike, I really didn't know how to make sure it was the right size, even after taking a ride around the block before buying it. It was just so cool and the price was great; I had to have it! (I didn't even know how to work the quick release to get the front wheel off so it would fit in my trunk).

All was great until I hit my first 50 mile ride and I came back with numb hands and a stiff neck. A quick Google search convinced me that my seat position and stem length were wrong. That, my friends, is what got me started down the path of tinkering with bicycles. I managed to get that bike tweaked up and did a century (that's a 100 mile ride, for those who might not know) with no major pains except for a bit of a sore butt.

Since I got more serious about cycling, I've come to realize that, contrary to what you might think, the more you pay for a bike, the more maintenance (otherwise known as TLC) the bike needs. I've learned a lot about maintaining and repairing bikes by doing my own. As I've gotten more comfortable with it, I've even done some seasonal maintenance and repairs on some friends bikes (I work for beer by the way; just in case anyone is interested).

As my retirement approached, it occurred to me that I could put some of that experience to work and try to help some people less fortunate to me. Thus, the Southern Tier Bike Project was born.

My last day of "official" work is Tuesday October 20, 2009. With some time on my hands and some reasonable level of skill (I won't proclaim to be an "expert" yet), I've decided to try to help some people out in two major areas. First, I'll take on bikes that are just taking up space in someones garage, attic or basement. Second, I'll fix those bikes up and try to get them into the hands of people who may not be fortunate enough to be able to afford to buy one. This seems like a win, win, win situation to me. People with excess bikes get rid of them, people with a need for a bike get that need satisfied, and I have something useful to do to keep myself busy (particularly through the cold NY winter months).

Having said all that, I have no idea where this "PROJECT" will lead in the future. I purposely chose the name Southern Tier Bike Project because it does not imply that the currently stated purpose will be the purpose forever. One of the reasons I have looked forward to retirement is to be free from a pre-determined plan and schedule. I have no idea where this project will lead. It will grow, change or maybe even die. Regardless of where it goes those of us who have been involved in it will be better in some way because of it.

So come along for the ride. If you can contribute in some way, that's GREAT. If you're just interested in what we're up to, come back often and check us out. I'm hoping to cover a wide range of topics in this blog; I hope there will be something here to make your life better in some little way.