One Down, Maybe Three More To Go

Jerry the Condo King called me about a week ago to ask advice about buying a bicycle. Not for him, but for his mid-30’s daughter. She is mostly a runner, but has enjoyed borrowing his balloon tired bike and speeding around the bike paths on HHI. She mentioned graduating to a road bike and he said if you join the local bike club he’d buy her a bike. Little did he know. He check a local bike store and was flabergasted that an entry level hybrid/cross bike was $750. I suggested he check with the local Club and see if anyone had a used bike for sale. Once you get into it, it is like anything, you keep upgrading equipment until you can’t afford it any more, usually long eclipsing your competency level.

When I told Donna about Jerry’s call, she said, “What about my old road bike?” I didn’t even think about that. We both have fairly decent road bikes that were near top of the line about a dozen years ago that we don’t really ride anymore. I called Jerry back and asked how tall his daughter was. Five foot three. Bingo, Donna is 5′-2″, the bike would fit. I emailed him pictures and told him it she was interested, for $200 he could have it. Last Saturday he drove up from Hilton Head with two crisp Ben Franklins and drove home with a 1994 Bridgestone RB-1/7 with upgrade STI shifting. I tried to foist my road bike off on the daughter’s boyfriend, but he wasn’t biting. If you know anyone who might be interested in a 12 or 13 year-old Bianchi with full Ultegra 600 stuff and a cool dark purple/silver paint job let me know. I don’t know the frame size off the top of my head, but if you are 5′-9 to 6′-0 it should fit. $200 +shipping if you can’t drive here to get it.

We have two older (from the early 80s) bikes that we used to use as commuter bikes that we haven’t used for 5 or 6 years now. Each spring we think, maybe we’ll start back to riding to work and never do. Trouble is that they are so old (even though they have seen some upgrades over the years) that they are hardly worth much at all, but they are perfectly serviceable as commuters, but talk about a limited market. If I could get a hundred dollars a piece for them I can’t say as I’d be happy but it would be better than them hanging in my garage serving as spider homes.

We really have found a home on the tandem. Went for a little 11 mile ride this evening at dusk and it was very enjoyable. We are even concocting a plan on how to commute on the bike for two. I bought a front low rack for panniers and some extenders to retro fit an older rear rack off the internet last night from JANDD Mountaineering. When they get here we will be able to carry two sets of bags, one set each and then add a trunk bag for lunches.

Oh yeah, we had the breakfast of bicycle champions this morning too. Hardee’s Biscuit and Gravy for her and 2 Sausage and Egg Biscuit for me. We shared a water and order of Hash Rounds.

I posted another email joke forwarded from Mark (I think that needs an acronym – EJFFM), so if you like quasi-dirty humor, click on the Joke category for a look at it.