[CR]a guide to desecrating vintage lightweights

I really have no business putting up a smug me-and-my-cool-Torpado picture: http://homepage.mac.com/wes_london/cutoff/PhotoAlbum12.html

The desecration had already begun... I see I've already scraped off the stencilled "Torpado" on the seattube by then. Over the course of the next several years I would do things to that bike that would get me excommunicated if you only knew!!

Backing up though, I really did cherish that fine bike. I bought it from the wacky tucson framebuilder Glenn Berry, my early mentor. He built it up for next to nothing--- Stronglight 93s, Universal sidepulls, TTT bars and stem, Nitor post, and some cheaper Campy. The frame was gaspipe and had a huge slaggy weld under the B.B., but it did have the stylie 'globe' badge see http://www.vintagevelos.com/torpado.html and in silver w/ burgundy panels and chrome lugs it was actually quite stunning. I put silver tape and a silver Turbo saddle on it, 2 things that I haven't seen anywhere since. I KNEW it was a great bike, but I moved up to a bigger frame and became even more cruel and abusive to the old Torpado.

I remember taking paint stripper to it and then hosing it down so it would rust. I built it up apocalyptic/messenger style with a fixed gear and jaggedly busted-off cowhorn bars. I put "TUCSON HIGH SUCKS" in big letters on the downtube and parked it front of school. I remember when it had purple fur in the spokes and a long tail hanging off the seat...

I've saved lots of bikes in the years since, made them better than ever...but that one probably is somewhere in the landfill now. Is there a bike hell I should fear?

Jack "the opposite of good home" Bissell Tucson az