I went to the neighborhood park yesterday (74 F., sunny) and ran into a guy with a bike, a student at Arizona State, couldn't have been over 20, just hanging out with his young daughter at the playground. When I asked him what kind of frame he was riding (no decals ) he said it was a Univega (obviously On Topic) he had purchased at a bike shop for a dollar. He had stripped it, painted it, and then built it up as a completely customized bike. He had cut the drops off of the bar and flipped it over with the levers out on the end of the rise. He related that a friend had thrashed the ergo brake lever/shifters and R. Der. in a crash, so he got them free. They worked fine even though the road had taken its toll on them. The crank was Shimano 600 and the wheels were modern. The bike had spd pedals, although he was wearing Birkenstocks. He just loved his bike, and he couldn't stop talking about it, and how fast it was (considering the cannons he was sporting, it's probably a rocket ship....)
It was just so cool to talk to this kid, this starving student who so obviously loves to ride, and he had figured out a way to have a bike he was proud of, found a way to make it happen. Later, I thought about the 25 bikes hanging in my garage, and I felt small the rest of the afternoon....
Pat Moffat Tempe, AZ -- Wondering if he had somehow converted the bottom of his Birks to "clip in". Naw.