A sign that the world has changed.

Like we actually need more signs. As if the global depression isn't enough. I now have another sign that the world I once knew is no longer. We had our Bike Swap last weekend. It was loads of fun. For those of you who missed it, we have a video that Carene is editing of the two days. "Carene editing" is also synonymous with, "you may never see it". I'll keep hope alive however. My sign of change is this: If I had 5 bucks for every person who asked me, "what's a swap meet"? I could take a vacation in Wisconsin.
So here it is from Wikipedia.
A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered.

One would think that given the current economic climate, swap meets would be everywhere. But alas, it seems few people have even heard of them.
Sad...There are many bike swaps during the winter in the Midwest. Do yourself a favor, attend one. You won't regret it. Thinking about the Wiki definition, I really like the word Bazaar. So for next time look out for, "Lugs Bicycle Bazaar", although I'm sure some people still won't actually know what it is. For those who do, check this out.

This saddle was marked $5 dollars and sat around all day Saturday unsold. I got it, and it's no longer for sale. Wait til you see it polished.

A brand new Axiom Pannier bag. Great for the ladies or you softer boys. 20 bucks!

Beautiful vintage britches.

Bike crap galore

No, this wasn't for sale but this fella came by with this hipstered out Eddy Merckx.



There was tons of other stuff, like new cycling shoes for $5 dollars or leather saddles starting at $30. Most attendees had fun and found something to go home with. I'm sure we will do it again. There used to be a shop in Old Town, which is now just called Wells street. The shop was called the Bizarre Bazaar. They had all kinds of wacky stuff inside. It was such a cool place. That's it, that's what I'll call our next swap meet. "The Bizarre Bicycle Bazaar" Stay tuned.

Beware of sellers using the phrase ready to ride

As I cruise craigslist daily, I often check out the regular bike sellers just to see what they have acquired. We spend much of our time in search of just the right bike to rebuild. I get jealous when, someone beats me to a nice old lugged bike, or some Dura Ace equipped bike that sold way too cheap. Some of these guys post regularly on CL, I really don't know they find the time to post as much as they do. Many seem to be stuck on the phase "ready to ride". Some also are big on the words de-greased and re-greased. A writer from Chicago Magazine can in recently and interviewed us. He asked what should one look for when purchasing a used bike. I told to look out for guys who said their bike was "fine tuned" a term who's hidden meaning is "bullshit". Another one to look out for is "ready to ride". It's a copied term that gets used way too often. It's hidden meaning is " I haven't fucking touched the bottom bracket, so don't ask". At the time of this post, I used keywords ready to ride on a CL bike search and got 79 matches. My advice, beware!

A twenty plus year old bike, with twenty plus year old wheels? No mention from any of these guys about spoke re-tension. On single speeds, look out for guys who failed to mention if the rear wheel was re-spaced or re-dished. It takes a lot of time and patience. It's needed in most every case, It make for a straight chainline. Prevents premature chain wear and most importantly, keeps the chain from falling off. Below is a photo of and incorrect chainline. It's way too far to the left.


It's easy to put a bike out sale at $200 bucks if you don't put any time or money into it. Below is an example of a good chainline. Checkout the spacing.


To do a good rebuild, one should really replace the wheels, unless they were really nice double eyeleted ones used on higher end models. I'm gonna start sending these guys emails asking, what the fucks up with the old ass wheels? Gotta check their asses. Shits outta control.

Perfectly Spaced.

In Search of Ideas Who's got em?

So I recently purchased this bike from my buddy over at Nearly New Shop.
I'm in love with old English Bikes and try to grab them whenever I can. Names like Royal Scot, Raleigh, Dunelt, Triumph, Hercules, to name a few. Most of these bikes are pretty solidly built. They can often be had for a song. The downside is, many are quite heavy. I've found however that given a lighter wheelset and changing the crank to an alloy 3 piece design, can greatly reduce their weight. I always struggle with what to do with these bikes because they are just so damn beautiful as is. The full fenders, the classy chainguard and classic British paint, really suck me in. Just look at this beauty.



So I sat and thought and pondered. What the hell to do with the little beast? Sure it needs a good cleaning, some steel wool to take care of the rust. Change the bars to alloy add a Brooks saddle. But that would only make it prettier. Not really any better. I decided to air the tires up, tighten the crank arm a bit,and take it out for a spin.

Immediately I notice the crank arms loosening. I'm heading to the bar, which isn't very far, so hopefully it will make it. I can tell as I pedal on that,both hubs are likely dry as a bone. The tires though new, are not seated properly and the rear end kinda bounces up and down. Very common with cheap 26 in tires. The wheels appear stressed and won't really hold up on city streets. I arrive at the bar, the little shit made it. But it still has to bring me back. Stay tuned.

Ok, as life goes in Chicago, it rains on the return trip. It's fenders are really keeping my ass dry, although the rest of me is soaked to the skin. One things for sure, the fenders will be included in the rebuild, as is the chain guard. The wheels however must go. I'll be posting the aftermath of the rebuild real soon.