Weekend Finds - Parts and A GT Timberline

It was the weekend for bike searches. My son and I planned out each and every promising yard sale in West Knoxville and headed out for six locations.

After being less than fruitful at every one we headed home. But that one pink sign on the way forced us to stop. At our first "non scheduled" stop we found handle bar ends. I talked the teenage girl down to 50 cents.

Entering our neighborhood we decided to stop at another. We spotted two bikes: a Murray and a late-80s (I assume) GT Timberline. Having just purchased another GT Timberline it was easy spotting the unusual seat stay attachments:

 

When I inquired about the price the owner said "Man, are you sure? It's gonna need a LOT of work." When I jokingly said "well then, how about 5 bucks?" he said sure!

So, after about ten yard sales, we spent $5.50 and headed home with a whole bunch of nice stuff.

I originally thought I would be parting out this bike but the signature GT seat stays and out of the box thinking with their brakes have me thinking I might change my mind. I really like the unique details in the GT's design. Even the rad 80s Duran Duran album cover graphics are growing on me.

After a little research, it turns out that the bike was new in 1989 which is a little puzzling to me. As a graphic designer I remember a short lived graphic movement with the styling to these logos (Memphis Style) being earlier by a few years - more like mid 80s.

After riding it a few times, I realized that I had found a diamond in the rough... at least for me. It just rides sooooo well. This old GT is going to live its second life as a hybrid in my stable.

I Love Coffee, I Love Tea...

Needed a bell, came home with a cup of coffee (that was also a bell). I saw this neat bike bell shaped like a coffee cup in a bike shop in Virginia and just had to have it! It is so unlike me to impulse buy, especially something so "fashionable" but hey, I needed a bell.

Be Careful What You Wish For

My son has always been a gadget guy. But surprisingly in a world of electronic do-dads, his favorites are old-school items with lots of function squeezed into small packages. He loves backpacks with pockets, boxes with compartments, but his favorites are tools that do many things. A Swiss Army knife is the ultimate.

Recently we found a rear bike rack in the back of our bedroom closet (a Christmas present to me that never made it under the tree). "Please, please please! I want it for my bike!" His favorite outdoor toy was now a gadget when it included a rack.

After riding around the back yard a few afternoons with all his toys bungied on, I suggested we use the carrier for what it was designed... carrying stuff. We headed out to the local pizza joint. A half hour later we headed home with two larges strapped to his rack. The added weight made the bike feel very different, a concept he never thought about. Needless to say, a little more grumbling was heard toward the end of the trip.

A few weeks later the topic of getting pizza again via bicycle-delivery-boy came up again.

"Daddy, I think you need a rack for your bike too!"

Don't be Mean to a Bike Rider in LA

I frequent many bike news sites. They mostly tell of a new product or racer that has done something wonderful. But this article caught my eye for many reasons. It praises the Los Angeles city council for passing a "Bike Anti-harassment Ordinance."

According to the paperwork...

A person shall not do or attempt to do any of the following:
A. Physically assault or attempt to physically assault a Bicyclist because of, in whole or in part, the Bicyclist's status as a Bicyclist.

B. Threaten to physically injure a Bicyclist because of, in whole or in part, the Bicyclist's status as a Bicyclist.

C. Intentionally injure, attempt to injure, or threaten to physically injure by words, either vehicle, or other object, a Bicyclist because of, in whole or in part, the Bicyclist's status as a Bicyclist.

D. Intentionally distract or attempt to distract a Bicyclist because of, in whole or in part, the Bicyclist's status as a Bicyclist.

E. Intentionally force or attempt to force a Bicyclist off a street for purposes unrelated to public safety.

It states that the punishment for the violator:
shall be liable for treble the actual damages with regard to each and every such violation, or $1,000, whichever is greater, and shall be liable for reasonable attorneys' fees and costs of litigation. In addition, a jury or a court may award punitive damages

While the council members and LA bike enthusiasts are busy patting each other on their backs, I am sitting here in middle-America wondering what happened before they passed this? Wasn't it already illegal to intentionally injure anyone, bike rider or not in LA? I am guessing it was and this an attempt for legislators to say "look how much we love you bike riders" really meaning "keep voting for us."

And with the success of this one, I suppose they will also be coming out with the very same law for EVERY other form of transportation or even interest group that can pull a voting lever. Imagine the tons of paper or worse, hours of pay that will be wasted kissing up to skateboarders, pedestrians, food vendors, newspaper sales people, dog walkers... the list can go on and on. I guess things are so perfect in SoCal that they need to make up stuff to fix.

First Post... A Little History

I will admit it, I am having my midlife crisis. Some guys buy a Corvette. Some trade their "old" wives in for "new" ones. I started riding my bicycle. It is the perfect crisis management tool. I don't want a new wife, my wallet can't handle a sports car. With a bike I get some physical exercise, something my body has been begging for. I get some mental exercise, troubles seem to disappear with every hour pedaling.

So, out of the garage came my old Giant mountain bike. It had hardly been ridden in the past so was still in great shape. Though it did not quite fit me, it was alway willing to be ridden. With as much street-traffic as we have around here, I usually took it to the local off road park. Mountain biking felt like being a kid again: jumping over ditches, skidding up dust clouds.

When Christmas came around my wife had seen how excited I was looking for a decent Mountain Bike for my (then) seven year old. She surprised me with my own new-to-me Mountain bike. A few-year-old Fuji Nevada. I was really excited! Though not as technically flashy as the other bikes I see at the trails, it does work very well. It joins my hybrid Trek.

Now that the kids are actually old enough to ride, it is becoming a family hobby. My son is incredible on two wheels handling any trail I can... though complains a lot more than I do climbing hills. My wife has a very nice Trek so she joins us occasionally on rides around the neighborhood. The only issue is my daughter. She doesn't yet ride. She is too big for the bike trailer. So she zooms behind me on our recently acquired Adams Trail-a-Bike. Hopefully not much longer... she is getting heavy and knees are feeling it!