Over the last few weeks I’ve acquired a small pile of “projects”--meaning bicycles with just enough charm to hide their decrepitude. With the place to myself for the weekend, I had high hopes for dealing with a good chunk of them.
I made some progress... I also drank a lot of coffee.

Project I, my wife’s mixte. An old man a the corner of Salmon and 15th let this department store 10-speed go for a cool $50. I got it knowing that I’d have to drop a little more cash on it ($13 on a new one-piece crank, $8 on a chainring (making it a 5-speed), and $3 on a used set of handlebars). I was even cool with buy new wheels if I had too. Yeah... It turns out “26 x 1 3/8 e.a. 3” wheels aren’t really 26”. They aren’t even Schwinn’s 26 x 1 3/8. But oh well, it took a little extra time, but I think I might have found some tires and a used wheel that’ll work. That leaves just finding a new front wheel and grips/brake levers.

Then I turned to Project XII: my Old Green Bike (my main way of getting around town). It’s a Frankenstein’s Monster of sorts, and not all the bits make sense together. For example, the shifter and the derailer do not work in concord, which forces me to use the bike as if it were a single-speed. It also had a front fork with shocks for no apparent reason. I replaced the fork last night with self-confidence inspiring ease, so why not make it a real single-speed too? I tell you why, because bike-shop dudes don‘t think it‘s a good idea (see Crashbox’s post on this one. And I‘ll add to his comment with the observation that there seems to be a strong can‘t-do/moronic streak to these guys. “Can you take this cassette apart for me?” “Why?” Because I want it taken apart, jackass. Then he acts as if I‘m asking him to split the atom...). So the Old Green Bike is in pieces still.

But all in all the weekend was saved by Project II, my Schwinn Collegiate. My wife got a pair of matching Schwinns for free a couple years ago. I put some air in the tires of mine and have been riding it all over SE Portland this weekend. It weighs a billion pounds, and it’s “fast” is really... not fast, but I really dig it. It needs new tires and brake pads, but that’s about it. I want to make the shiny parts shiny again, but I like the scrappy look of the pain/decals.

The other Schwinn will have to wait for a bit. I looks like it fell over a few times too many...

Alas, that's all I'm getting done this weekend.