Sunday, August 03, 2008

Priceless Hiawatha Cruiser Completed


I completed work on the Hiawatha cruiser. As you may remember, the seatpost was stuck. I don't have a bench vise, which was my next resort in removing the seatpost.

I hauled it to Hiawatha Cyclery in my BOB trailer. They (Kevin) put it in the vise and twisted. That didn't do the job. He grabbed the torch and applied heat to the area. It came loose with some serious twisting.

This all happened a couple weeks ago, but I only recently got around to installing the new seatpost and re-assembling the bike.

It's all together and works like its supposed to which is not very impressive. Every time I've ridden a cruiser-style bike, I've been disappointed. This one is no exception to that pattern. I put it in the bomb shelter and it will stay there until it is needed. That will not be soon.

The work it took to remove the seatpost was not really worth the effort. Bill, at Hiawatha, recommended checking for stuck seatposts and stems on old bikes before working on them. Good advice, I say. Although, with this bike I wouldn't have rejected it even if I knew it was a bad egg. It would have been impolite, in this case, to reject the bike. That's another story though.

5 comments:

KM said...

What is it about cruisers that seduce you with their curves only to ultimately disappoint? Sounds like my dating experience before meeting the missus.

Frostbike said...

We're going to see it on an upcoming Hiawatha ride, right?

Jim Thill said...

I think this bike has potential. A $500 wheelset would go a long way toward making this into a rider.

rigtenzin said...

No. It will remain in the basement until I get the $500 wheelset that Jim suggested.

That's a good idea, Jim. I'll be by in just a minute to buy the wheels. Wait for me, OK?

Jim Thill said...

I'm waiting... Or maybe you weren't serious. Shit.