Friday, July 23, 2010

Long Live Schwinn!

It has its spokes, it has its wheels, it has its frame, it has its handlebars and it has a really comfy seat but like many items that pass through my shop, all of these parts don’t seem to be working well together.  
I’m talking about The Schwinn!!  You may have spied this bike playing a supporting role in some of my Friday note photos.
This month, Martha Stewart did a piece about our newfound love affair with these old fashioned commuter bicycles.  My folks just returned from one of their jaunts down to Sun Valley, Idaho and they reported that these bikes are all the rage, hanging out on the designer racks of all the cool bistros.
BUT,  once again, like all things that find their way to my shop this bike kind of falls into a category of it’s own. It is not new enough to be a “new” vintage bike and it is not old enough to be an authentic vintage bike.  The quality it has is its potential!
When this bike falls into the hands of a loving bike person who can re-unite its parts, add a bolt here and a lug there to sturdy up its stature, pump up its tires, and put a dab of WD40 in places where WD40 lives ... well, then you’ll have something special.  You’ll have a flashy - like new Cruiser with the look and feel of a bicycle that has been long loved!
The good news ... it won’t take much to bring this ole girl to life and there are plenty of cruiser miles left in the summer!  

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