An Unstable Mind

My Schwinn Continental

So there I am, pumping air into the tire of my new continental, which by the way, appears to be a 74, not a 73, and is in Chestnut not sunrise. The tires looked good and fairly new, just somewhat flat.  So I'm pumping away, headed to 80 lbs (its a 75-90lb tire) and POW!!!  Of course I was on the phone talking and was completely unprepared for it.  Apparently the tube was original, but the tire was not.  Eh, after changing my shorts, I was fine.  It seems a trip to the bike shop is due soon, I am out of tires, and tubes.

Rummage Sailing

Rummage sales are of great interest to my daughters. They are very thrifty at times. In our travels we ran across an old Cleveland welding cruiser. It was a woman's frame, but having two girls and two boys, finding womens frames are not a let down for me. My daughters enjoy the idea of a stable of cool bikes. Unfortunately, this means more projects, and less time and resources for a build of my own. The boys of course are younger, and not quite ready for a full sized frame yet. Finding mens frames would be nice for myself, and of course for them as the selection grows with their interest.

Bicycle of the Gods.

 I have always admired the old Raleigh cruisers and lightweights.  English bikes in general arguably were the best bikes made in the first half of cycling history.  Raleigh's biggest competitor into the 40's (I believe, I'm no historian) was Hercules.  Of course time and economics mean change, and Raleigh was bought out by their tubing supplier, followed by Hercules.  There were other bike manufacturers and suppliers absorbed as well, but this is just to serve as a summary to explain in part why I love the Hercules bicycles.  

Finding old bikes is always exciting in the thrill of wondering what it is.  Usually obscured by dirt, high grass, rust, fading, repaint, or abuse, most old bikes are unknown other than the subtle clues given from design, and components.  My heart always beats faster when it spots the curve of a cruiser frame, lugged joints, fat fenders, the rivets on a brooks saddle.  No such luck yet in getting an intact brooks saddle yet, but seeing even the remains of one lends to something good that it sits on.