For The Next Girl

I was having a conversation with a fellow cycle enthusiast Paul Grens, yesterday. Something he'd told me a few months ago came back up and made me laugh. He came by looking for parts for a Raleigh Sports cruiser. I asked him was this his "next girlfriends bike"? We both cracked up when he said, yes.

We were looking around at things he needed to finish the project when it occured to me what a great idea that was. I'm bored this time of year, so why not? I've built and restored a ton of bikes, but some of the most difficult projects have been step-through frames. I dislike how many of them look. I understand their value and need. It's sad but I often neglect some pretty wonderful frames because they happen to be step-through.





Nothing wrong with these bikes for sure. I'm not alone in my neglect of ladies frames. Many women don't care for them. Just look at the prices, on craigslist. You can get one for a song. I've watched a lot of them make it inside the scrap yard. Shame on me.

So for the next 8 weeks, I'm going to have a contest. All are invited to participate. I'm going to build my "next girlfriends bike". Will she be tall? What color does she like. Will she be girlie? Will she be a shorty? Maybe a big girl? It has to fit perfectly, so these are important questions. To the rest of you, I challenge. Build your "next girlfriends bike. If you are married or in some other arrangement, feel free to participate. If your next girlfriend is a guy, you can get in on this as well. However, he'd better be comfortable on a step-though. Mixte frames are welcome as well. I'm not sure what my next girlfriend looks like. I do know she's gonna look good on my bike.
I also believe it's gonna look better than your bike. Hmm... where to start?


Who accepts this challenge?
You don't have to live in the Chicago area either. But time stamp your photos and show your build steps. Don't write and tell your your next girlfriend doesn't ride a bike. If they don't, keep looking. The only prize the winner gets is hopefully an appreciative girl/guy/mate or whatever. So I guess in some way we all win.

Feel free to comment or tell me, your bike, will kick my bikes ass. I just don't think so.