I Rode it Home

I rode the Raleigh DL1 home. It rides just as wonderfully as I remember my rides on others like it. It's in very nice condition for it's age. It's hub is labeled 1976, so it's a bicentennial bike -- even though it's made in England. When I hear that year, I think bicentennial. Mr. Carter, especially large fireworks displays, and of course the Bicentennial Edition Schwinn Varsity. I saw one of those recently in someone's garage. It's still a monumentally ugly bike.

So I rode my new 3-speed home, because the streets are dry here in Minneapolis (I don't want to get salt on this old dude). The alley, however was a runny mess with the melting snow and sand. I walked the bike through the alley to my house. Some neighbors driving down the alley saw me. I wonder what they thought of me carrying a bike down the alley?

I wiped off the tires and brought it into the house. My daughter, a kindergartener, walked on by it. My son, a third grader, politely pretended to admire it.

I brought it to the basement workshop. The elves love it. They stopped admiring the Davidson and went right to work polishing the chromed roller-lever brake parts.

The photo is very bad. I apologize. When I have time and sunlight, I'll wheel it outside and take some nice photos. The photo shows my workshop very clearly -- messes everywhere and that's after the big cleaning I put on it a few weeks ago. Since then, I've built two fixed gear bikes, installed new wheels, derailers, shifters and brakes on my wife's RB2, nearly completed my Davidson, and helped a friend replace a freewheel and cassette on his bikes. That's a nice list of accomplishments, proving that cleaning the room was worth it. I almost forgot, I also painted an old chair and refinished a heating grate. Those aren't bike accomplishments, but they still matter, to someone.