New Orleans Bike Swap

Spent this past Sunday set up at a lil Swap close to central city. It was held in the outdoor garden at Ecology Beer Creative. Firstly, thanks for hosting on a Sunday morning no less. I'm usually a brewery skeptic. Too much of what seems like artificially flavored stuff. Or overly hoppy beers. But This place gets 5 stars. I can't speak for the total beer lineup, but the two I had were very well done. For those interested, their address is 1401 Baronne St, New Orleans, La. Hat's off to Taylor for promoting. As someone who's done extensive promtions, I understand how difficult it is. Trying to get people to show up especially on a Sunday morning ain't easy. Can't wait the Febuary swap. Fingers crossed, as it's a really busy time here.

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.

Been A Long Time, but It's good to be here

Hello from sunny New Orleans! I finally gave up working for that soul sucking, shitty paying job, I had here. It's givien me a lot more time to work with bicycles. Which as many of you mechanics know, can be dangerous. I've probably purchased 100 or so bicycles in the last 6 months. I wholesaled most of them, but I've set aside about 40 for New Orleans. I'm slowly working my way through them. The response has been pretty good so far. I'll post pics of some of them soon. What really bought me back to the blog however, are the experiences I've had at local shops here. I have a friend in town,as I often do in the fall/winter months. We decided to attend the local blues fest the other day. It's held in Lafayette Square, a pretty ok venue, if I might add. Knowing ther'd be very little parking and it was a nice warm day. We bicycled down there. We stop for roadie beers on the way. Things were going swell when suddenly my buddy said, "something a'int right. Sure enough he'd gotten a pinch flat. It's crazy of me, but sure enough, I left the house with no extra tube, no small adjustable wrench. (single speed wheel)no tire lever even. It was a Sunday and we were passing through the quarter, (French). There was only 1 shop opened that actually stocked tubes. This is were it gets shitty. Walked his bike over to this shop who's name ryhmes with "Tide this Bike". The person on the phone was flipant, So unneccesary. I need a 700x23/32 presta 48 mm. Pretty standard tube at this point. They said we have an 80 mm. Thats way long but of course in a pinch i'll take it. Here's the kicker, $25.00 installed... What the actual fuck? I'm sure there are soje shop owners who are ready to argue this with me, but that's some bullshit. I can have a flat on my fairly large old 4x4 truck fixed for 20.00. That includes jacking it up, taking the lugs off with an impact drill, using a tire changer machine to remove the tire, repairing it, using the machine to re-mount the tire, checking it for leaks and the mounting it back on the truck and lowering the jack. $25 bucks for installing a $2.49 cent tube (wholesale) is criminal. Add to it the ineptitude of the (mechanic) I use the term loosly. Just watching him use a wrench was like nails on a chalk board. I've seen this before with inexperienced mechanics. Here's a tip.Learn how to use your body for maximum leverage when turning bolts or anything that requires torque! That any mechanic doesn't understand this, says to me that their training is flawed. One of the first thing you learn as a mechanic is never to push on a wrench. You always pull, bringing it toward your body. Not only will it prevent busted knuckes, if it slips while pulling it slips toward your body. You also get much better leverage when placing your bodybehind the wrench. Long story short.Buy good tools! Please when in New Orleans, choose your shop wisely. We got us some hacks here.

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. 

Lights, motherfucker.

I'm of the opinion bike lights are wonderful and you can't argue the safety. What I take issue with are morons ride as if the've never fucking heard of daylight savings time and get on the street well after sundown, without them. I've had kids to say it's not “cool” to have reflectors or lights, cause it's not a clean look. I think it's because they're too fucking cheap to buy a set. It's maybe $20 for a light that could literally save their asses. It's a pretty messed up visual. Most cyclists run through lights, even at 5:30 and later, their dumb asses, It's dark now. Put a goddamned flashlight on the fucking bike or go to Harbor freight and buy that cheap mechanics light, that straps around your head. And not so the road will be beautifully illuminated for your riding pleasure. It's so drivers can see your ass in time to keep from killing you!

I talked to a driver recently who almost hit a cyclist doing exactly what I'm talking about. She stopped and checked to see if the girl was alright (cause she has a sense of humanity) she also suggested to the cyclist to get a light and the cyclist, got pissed. What the fuck.

Not that drivers aren't morons too. There are these guys that smoke in their cars, or like me, who rarely cleans his inside windsheild. Which admittedly is terrible on my part, cause it makes for some pretty poor visability at times. Then you roll up on some dark clothes wearing no lights having motherfucker riding in the dark with no lights on. How the fuck?

I've noticed New Orleans cyclists think it's not a problem. Not sure why, perhaps because the cycling pace here is slow. The law says get lights, sure, but few here care about law. Plenty don't of folks don't use them. Maybe the roads being total shit has something to do with it. The only way you can ride is relatively slow, with lots of folks on cruisers down here. Riding the wrong way on avenues. That's another post.

There's a young lady that's going to look real good on this bike. It'll be beautiful by the end of the week. We're going to build it per a conversation I had with her boyfriend, who is surprising her with a new ride. He's tired of seeing her hailing cabs since her bike got jacked this summer. If you ride a bike you don't always get along with cab drivers. So this bike will be a cab negator. Stylish and good for bad weather, but a small dent for Checker. Nothing against them in general, but when a taxi driver looks at the road, he sees twenty dollar bills, and twenty dollar bills are on two feet. Two wheels don't mean shit to him. His eyes aren't on the bike lane, so please people, watch the fuck out. Oh yeah, the Follis all finished..

People talk to me about accidents. I talked to a girl, a pedestrian, last night who said she won't ride in Chicago because she doesn't want to get hit. I have to say, about cyclist safety, 80% of the time, it's their own fault. Cyclists like to make a lot of noise about respect but they don't respect the road, many of them. I've spent many afternoons sitting at the Matchbox at Milwaukee and Odgen, watching these idiots. It'll be 4:30, rush hour for every fucking body and they're blowing the red light. Regularly I get an ear full from some dumb ass whose injuries and damage don't match the story. 

I'm not a fan of repairing bikes that shouldn't have been broken in the first fucking place. In truth, most repairs aren't from accidents. People that have been riding for a long time know how to deal for the most part. The repairs I can't stand are these kids that don't take care of their shit, leave their bikes sitting around and then want me to undo months of neglect.

They way I'd like to be spending my time is building custom set ups for people who have specific needs. I like to sit down with someone and talk about what their ride is, what roads, how long, what they like to ride in versus what they have to wear for work, etc. Basically I want to build bikes for their fashion needs, their lifestyle, their commute.

The light blue Mercier was constructed for a taller woman, who does not ride everyday. Hand stitched leather women's specific saddle, lower gearing, upright riding position and pedals that came handle heels. Although I don't endorse riding in heels. The olive colored bike was built for Marta, she's the owner of, " A Vision Chicago" a floral and wine boutique on Damen ave. Obviously a woman with style. I had it painted in this sage color and gave it an antique touch with a vintage leather saddle. Soft riding touring tires. Shortened the wheelbase by adding a straighter rake fork.

Sunday April, 15th

http://www.facebook.com/events/376972492313204/ If you're free at all on this day, please stop by the Rebuilding Exchange. We will be displaying some of our work and can assist you, if you have a project you'd like to get going. Hope to see you all there. Let's have a beer.One of my favorite ever builds. Still wish I'd kept that saddle.

So there was this bike swap a few Saturday's back...

As a guy who's always tinkering with something, I find swap meets of all kinds, quite a blast. I've left the warm winter of New Orleans and traveled the nearly 1000 miles back to the mid-west, just to attend the Brazen Dropouts swap meet in Madison, Wis. in January. There are not many things I love more than a swap, flea market, bike/car show, antique fair, or similar events. There's the Ann Arbor Michigan swap, April 29th, that has had me salivating since last year. Rarely do any of these events, disappoint. Except for... well one. The one that's actually walking distance from my shop. The one that's intended to serve the same folks that we do on a daily basis. The Active Transportation, Chicago Bike Swap. I'm sure there will be those who blast me for writing this, but so be it. It's a shit show in so many ways. I find it hard to believe that a large committee of people can arrange such a god awful event. I don't even see how they could get off calling this a swap. Webster defines swap meet. noun. An informal gathering for the barter or sale of used articles or handicrafts. Okay, so perhaps they could get away with calling it a swap. Here's the problem though: It's $10 dollars to get in! Highest price anywhere! Sponsorship by a non- profit or not, that's not cool. Lot's of swaps are sponsored by non profits. You would think non-profits, of all groups, would understand, value. I'm sure they'll say, they have added value, with their lectures and performances and tons of volunteers. They should note, most attendees are cyclists. They don't really need a, "how to keep your bike running during winter". They rode them to the swap.. Being as most attendees are avid cyclists, what's with all the dealers bringing new off the shelf accessories that are marked down 5%? Cyclists have that crap already! If no one purchased your cycling shoes at $190 bucks what makes them think someone will pay $180 at a swap? The amount of cheap, takeoff merchandise at that swap is depressing. Hello local bike shops, the reason you had to pack up so much stuff and take it back to your shop, is because no one wants it or it's not a bargain. If you're looking to get rid of something, price it accordingly. The event takes place in multiple rooms and when you go from one room to the next, the door Nazi's are checking for your wristband everytime time you enter. It seems the $10 dollar fee is what's of utmost concern. Even though you're carrying a bag of purchased merchandise and wearing a wristband, you're still treated like a stowaway as you move about the place. That sucks to high hell. Get it together, Active Trans.

I swear to start blogging again

It's been really tough getting back to this page. I'm not sure what it is exactly, that prevents me from posting. I'm always reading other peoples thoughts and enjoy sexy bike photos, still. Regularly I look at the cycling community in Chicago and get upset. For so many riders, the bicycle seems like just another way to get around, a tool, a prop for some. Often it seems they don't really assign any value to the machine. Some even expect a well built bike to be cheap.(Total bullshit I say) As a person who has put countless hours in some of these machines, I get pissed off with those who have this view. So many new riders and mechanics as well, fall into what I like to call a latest and greatest mentality. They fall for whatever a bike manufacturer or accessory company might put on the market each spring. It amazes me how few can see through sale strategy corporate, bullshit. I used to argue with them, now I just smile say nothing. Inside, I'm saying what a stupid fuck.. That's better than trying to explain to them that 10 speeds is no better than 9. I'm in New Orleans currently, where their are few riders who care about weight and how many speeds a bike have. Nothing about aluminum or carbon. You hear shit like, "how are the tires" or after a test ride, they'll say "it's comfy, that's just what I was looking for". While here I met up with an old buddy, Peter Stanley. Peter builds bike trailers. Big ass bike trailers actually..

He had this hooked to a tall bike that evening. It's 7 ft wide to the outside rails. I forget the length, but it's at least 10 ft. It's weight capacity he say's is around 1000 lbs. pretty damn sweet. He will build one for you. I have his info. Oh, and it's steel, by the way.

Hope you all can make it

There will be a bike swap inside the market. Hope to see you there.

This Sunday 8/7/11

We will be bike swapping with other vendors at:



You don't want to miss it!

Happy Holidays Baby..

Please let this be over! The Holidays, while enjoyed by many, is hated by some. The old Grinch here included. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against those who celebrate them. It's the build up that really annoys me. It seems to start after Halloween and drag on and on until the first of the New year. Seems so much pressure is put on us. There are plans to be made, family get together's, parties, presents, music, travel and so on.

I've long felt about Christmas, the way Eazy E from NWA proclaimed in a song on their only holiday album. "Merry Christmas Mutha Fucker". By the time Christmas actually arrives, I've been over it for weeks.

I've had Lot's of folks here in New Orleans, ask me to assist them with Christmas, (bicycle gifts). For the most part, I declined. It's just too much work, getting bikes shipped from Chicago. The desired bike here is the cruiser, especially vintage ones and shipping is pretty expensive, given the weight of most them.

One fellow who contacted me, Patrick is his name, was pretty persistent. He'd seen some of our work and just had to have a cruiser for his girlfriend. We went back and forth , a few times over the phone. Mostly with me just saying, yeah sure, I'll see what I can do. I suppose Patrick could smell that I'm a lazy shit. He did what many folks in Chicago do, (call me until I get my ass and my brain to make a connection.) He even called Carene and told her I was ignoring him.
Finally an impetus came over me. I got in touch with "The other Ron", over at A Nearly New Shop on Broadway. He had a bike in stock that I had shown Patrick photos of. It seemed like the ticket, from the pictures, so I had Carene pick it up, replace the chain and ship it to me.
I was a bit put off however, when I received it. The front axle was loose, which is no big deal but the axle bearings were also bone dry. This from a bike that was on their sales floor.
I figured if the wheel bearings were dry, the crank had to be as well. Sure enough, it was. The handle bars and grips were also not original. That's no big deal if this was a beater, but not something you give your girlfriend for Christmas. After all, it takes a year to make up for giving a lousy Christmas gift.
Check it out..



After going over it, I called Patrick and told him, I'd do my best to get the proper bars and grips. It test rode really well so I felt fine delivering it. Here's some pics of it after assembly.



Rear racks are the shit... Really

The fender mounted headlight has always been hot..

I have a new respect for the vintage cruiser. Probably because I've seen so many hot women riding around town on them. (yes I'm a pig)


Whatever the reason, this town is gonna get a lot more of them, courtesy of yours truly.

A View From 930 Miles South

July 7th was the last time I updated this page. It goes without saying, that I suck as a blogger . It was indeed a busy summer and fall, despite how it looked to those of you who know us well. As in previous years, we again refined what we do and how we build and although we finished a lot less, the projects we completed were of much higher quality than in years past. Unfortunately it cost more money to build this way. Sadly, that alienated some people. Below are a few of my favorites.





Hard to believe that bike was 35 years old. It's an old Schwinn LeTour, that is finally deserving of the name, "tour". The fellow who requested this bike owns a hair salon. He has impeccable taste, but likes things minimal and uncluttered. I had to make him take that rear rack. He loves it now. He completed the Apple Cider Century in Michigan, late this past summer.

This next bike was also a request. This fellow favored beach cruisers, but his girlfriend, a longtime friend of ours, favors road bikes. When they rode together, she spent a lot of time waiting for him to catch up. This was our compromise.







You can likely tell I have a fondness for the color off white. I did four bikes in this shade over the past year. It's called "Platinum Smooth". It's just so goddamn elegant. We special ordered the wheels for this one. They are coaster brake, Shimano hub with Sta-Tru alloy rims 700x25. I committed to 9 pairs. We still have 5 pairs remaining. The basket is from Wald, it's called the "Woody" (bet that took a lot of thought) The tires are Schwalbe Delta Cruisers. I'm sold on the Schwalbe brand. They may cost a bit more, but with the exception of theLugano's, they are very high quality. They have a new tire available this spring that looks very good as well. Never, ever buy the Lugano's however.

Emily Taylor is co-owner of Pocampo. A company she founded. They make cycling accessories for women. Everything is done locally with no out-sourcing. I'm always happy when I see her riding around town. She even took this bike to Interbike in Las Vegas. The shipper however was not very kind to it. We may have to do a repaint. This bike is also featured in the TYK calender, along with Emily.
She's Ms. September.

I like my photo better:


Sometimes when building a bike. You're asked to do things that pain your soul. This next picture was one such bike. I'll only show part of it. This was a Nervex frame, extremely light and elegant. It was from the late 1960s. Beautiful in every way. Jaime again wanted it minimal. Not even any lug highlights. That hurt...


For some reason the bike below, took forever to assemble. I replaced everything from the bottom bracket up. The only thing original to the bike are the frame and crank. Using cross tires made for some really tight clearances. The thought process in building this was, handling Chicago's winter. I added bar end shifters, which I'm a big fan of. I also have a fondness for vintage randonneur bars. It test rode like a dream. Even though we kept its original finish, it cost as much to assemble, as some of our powdercoated bikes. The Vittoria Cross tires are among the best that I've tested. The sidewalls are really stiff enabling them to corner like no other cross tire. Quite a superb little machine.


I've had more free time on my hands than I could have ever in my life imagined. It's allowed me time to look around and to rethink bike building. Living in Chicago, I've spent much of my time focusing on bicycles that Chicago commuters want. Which for the most part, means light, quick and efficient. I personally am not a big fan of someone tearing ass down the avenues. Not only is it risky, as getting doored could make you a human catapult, but the rider seems to be rolling in a tunnel. With views to the left and right mostly obscured. There could be the sweet aroma or the sight of something grand nearby, but the tunnel often keeps the rider from ever acknowledging it.

Riding around New Orleans is nothing like commuting up and down Chicago's busy streets. I must say, I will never complain about the shitty pavement in Chicago. The streets of New Orleans, are on par with, dirt roads. I'm sure much of it is it's elevation (51 percent of the city is at or below sea level) and the fact that it's still a very poor town. Priorities first, I suppose.
The cruiser, seems to dominate the streets of New Orleans. Much of it, is cheap Walmart shit. Carene, Ryan and I serviced some vintage cruisers before we headed down here. They sold as soon as we posted them on craigslist. Wish we could have bought more. I have requests here from folks who want them for Christmas.



Yes we are in WHO DAT nation, with a Bears themed RV.
Give me the "C", over the crescent any day.

Sitting in the park in December. That's one thing this town has on Chicago.

Recent Work

We often build bikes for people that never reach this blog. They usually go out the door as soon as they are finished. Here are some photos of some that got away.



This was a bike I had never seen before. "The Londoner" made in Japan in what appeared to be the 70s. Beautiful headbadge, nice color and what I liked most English threading which made for a pretty simple rebuild. Notice the long wheelbase. It rode like a dream. I.m a big fan of this kind of frame design. If you compare it to say, one of todays typical hybrids, it puts them to shame.



I'm a big fan of the old Raleigh Gran Prix frames. Very light, strong, nice lugs and pretty rear seat stays. This one went to Andy, who works at a nice bar on Division st. We used 700x 32 tires, as he is a city commuter and was looking for a quick bike, still with a soft ride. Set up as a roadster.





This bike also did not stay around long. I loved the color. Cyclepro road
bikes are pretty rare. The Wald woody rack has been a nice addition for us. They are a bit heavy, come with the cheapest screws available but look and work really well, if you mount them properly. I'm a big fan of big bells and believe all bikes should have them. This bike also was done ,using Green Grips bar wrap, which I really like. You'll need to do some heavy shellacking, however. But you can't beat how nice it looks.



This bike never made it out in the pictured setup, as the owner thought he could do a better job. enough said...





This bike, I rode this 66' Triumph for about a week before it sold. I carried a case of bottled beer to a party on this bike on a cold winter night. It was quite heavy but the basket didn't mind at all. It was purchased as a gift, by a nice girl to give to her boyfriend for Christmas. Lucky, boy.

Something we are currently working on

Along with leather re-upholstered saddles, we are attempting to design and produce leather saddle bags. Since these will be cut from remnants, colors will vary. Here is one that we installed on that pretty Suteki Mixte. These would be good for storing a light jacket, plastic bag to cover your saddle, a sammich, your keys, wallet, or whatever you don't want in your pocket. I will post other colors as they are produced. Figure a leather bag in the 45.00-50.00 dollar range, handmade.





A few bags in different colors should be available this upcoming week.

Sneek Peek at the Art About Display

 

My love affair with the Mixte continues...

 

Vintage Centurion Fixed Gear Roadster

Look for us at 5 Star Bar on Chicago Ave.