How's everyone Feel About Klunkers?

Perhaps it's my age or certainly New Orleans ragged ass roads. But I've started more and more, setting up klunker type builds. Another reason might be the availability of well built frames. Take for example the 80's Schwinn Mesa Runner. It's never been considered anything speacial, but I'll be damned if those frames don't make for a first rate klunker build. For instance;

What's kinda annoying to me is, people will order a $300-$400 bicycle online. Many are bikes that aren't worth $60. The cheap cranks, brake hardware, saddles, grips, fake chrome, etc are things that all the bikes pictured above are not guilty of. I'd rather a 36 year old Klunker than any of the mass produced private equity owned bicycle brands. I can't tell you how many bottom brackets I've opened that had barely any grease inside. I'ts as if these companies purposely want the bike to wear out prematurely. Wheel bearings suffer from the same dodgey design. Also take note, how poor the paint is on these fast fashion bikes. You often find fairly new bikes, with oxidized or faded beyond saving paint. I'd like to start a formal protest of fast fashion bicycles. They're a waste of resources. Bad for the planet. Bad for the industry. Get a fucking bike built to last. Rant over.

I do like to build for ladies in particular. They appreciate the subtleties that I like to take the time on. A lot of men love good shape and color, sure, but I suppose if I had my choice to build for a male bodied or a femme, well, I’d just rather work withbthe femme. And frankly the ergonomics are more intriguing to work with. Pleasing a woman is no easy task, but it is one I am more than willing to take on, and when all goes well, absolutely worth it.

This bike was for Christy, a gal from the Nightingale, an art/theatre space down the way. She came to get it yesterday. A few folks from the neighborhood were hanging around listening to music in the shop, as they are prone to do. Pandora cut out for a second when a text came in. Normally that annoys the shit out of me, but I knew it was her and was looked forward to seeing her face when she got a glimpse of the new ride. She wanted it to be a surprise so she let me pick the color, style, gave me full creative license. I love freedom as much as anyone, but with comes responsibility. It’s one thing if a woman tells you what she wants. It’s another if she wants you to tell her. But that’s a matter for another time. 

Christy came in the first thing she said was, “Is this my girl? Shoot she is pretty!” Made me happy to hear. A positive response is really all I could ask for.

It started out as a rusty blue road bike with a milk crate on the back. So, you know, we took it all apart. She lives on a corner where her bikes have a habit of living outside on those tall long gates. Everything was oxidized. I showed her how the fork on her old bike had to be cut out because the stem was completely seized. Most of the old parts I put in the scrap truck when it came around. Pretty much useless. We made it clear that the bike is to be kept inside. No more of that. A lot went into it. The new fork is from an old 80’s model Schwinn. The bike is lighter now, it’s quicker. It’s more comfortable for her, the seating position is more of a thing a girl can ride in, more commuter friendly, more upright, better for her body all around. Her saddle was fucked, for example. It was cracking and she would just slide over the rough edges. No good. I stuck with the saddle because her ass already knows the shape, but the skin needed to be sturdy and soft. Softness goes a long way. We are talking about a delicate region after all. So we had Mr. Poncho cover it in a soft brown leather. No cold vinyl here. 

We sent the parts out to be powder coated that old British racing green. The color was a minor controversy in the shop. Everybody had to put in their two cents. And some a little more than that. Folks were pushing for bright orange, fushia, or darker green. I made the final call because it felt right. It’s fresh and unique, the right fit for Christy. When she came she said she was hoping for green, which gave me mixed feelings because on the one hand I was glad to have come through for her and on the other I wished it would have been more of a surprise. My ego talking there I guess. Anyway in the end the smile on her face was all I needed. She took the bike out in the alley for a test run, where we all heard her discover her little bell. As she wound around the block, you could hear her ring the bell and just laugh, ringing and squealing, ringing and squealing. Doesn’t get much better than that. She later sold that bike and went back to riding a drop bar bike. Said riding upright made her too slow. That was a big deal in Chicago at the time. Not sure what style she's riding now. Funny most shops I know of have tons of drop bars they're looking to scrap. Especially those narrow 80's fuckers.