Thursday, January 13, 2011

Has Anyone Seen One of These?


Has anyone seen one of these 1950's Humber bicycles? I've had lots of bikes since about that time but I've never seen anything like this before.

Over the next several weeks/months I'll be restoring this bike to as nearly new condition as possible. If you're interested, keep an eye on the Bike Art page of the Southern Tier Bike Project.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Some People Really Take Care of Their Stuff!

I've just completed restoring a 20 year old Lotus Excelle road bike. While I use the word "restore", there really wasn't much to do to this beauty. It has obviously been well cared for over the years and other than a few wear out items like handle bar tape and cables, the bike is as close to new as any I've seen.

Being in the business of restoring used bikes, it's refreshing to see one come by that has been treated with such obvious respect. My hat is off to all of you out there who take the time to keep your bikes cleaned and lubed like this one has been.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

I Didn't Miss My Rides for Long

Gotta love this New York weather. I managed to get in the last ride of 2010 and the first ride of 2011 on consecutive days. I told you when it got up to 40ish and the roads dried out (well mostly) I'd be out there.

With a little nudge from the Southern Tier Bike Club I joined a group of about a dozen riders on New Years Eve. We rode from Vestal to Owego for lunch and then returned. The round trip was about 28 miles.

Since my bike was already pretty dirty from the New Years Eve ride, I decided to head out again on New Years day for a solitary 25 miles. Now I won't feel so bad about being a college football couch potato for the rest of the day.

Every time I go out in weather like this I remind myself that it really isn't uncomfortable to ride if you dress appropriately. The effort expended gets you warmed up in a hurry. Hopefully I'll remember that the next time we get a warm spell like this. Try it.... you might like it.

Somehow, the bikes keep coming

It seems like every time I start to run low on bikes for the Project, more just show up. I had just posted that I needed bikes on the FreeCycle Yahoo group and I got a phone call from a neighbor who had 2 mountain bikes and a road bike to contribute. It's amazing how things work out sometimes. Now to get off my butt and update the Southern Tier Bike Project website with pics. But, that will have to wait till after a full day of New Years football.