Massasauga on the Bike Path

This morning I encountered a Massasauga warming himself on the asphalt trail. It looked just like the one in the picture above. I stopped after I passed by on my bike. By the time I got turned around to get another look, it had vanished. Probably a good thing too! I am no rattlesnake wrangler, that`s for sure. I also saw a group of 6 wild turkeys. But did not spot any deer today. I was riding the bike path at Indian Springs in WhiteLake Mi. Probably my favorite local place to ride. As far as my ride went, I only did one lap (8 miles). But I attacked the hill at the end, so I got a pretty good work-out. I was trying out a new saddle. (it did not make the cut) I have a WTB "Speed V" saddle that is on the way here from Jenson USA. I can hardly wait to mount it on my MotoBecane. The WTB Speed-V comp saddle sells for about 40.00 but can be found on-sale from time to time. And if you are looking for a comfortable "sport saddle" that does not cost an arm and a leg. The WTB Speed-V comp might be the saddle for you. And it has a sporty look. Some so called "comfort saddles" look like they came off a hot-dog cart. I have used the Speed-V on Road bikes, Mountain bikes Hybrid bikes and even BMX bikes. Now that`s versatile. The back part of the paved trail in Highland twp is under water. The park is on DuckLake rd. just south of M59 on the west side. It has been flooded all spring. And I am sure with the storms that moved through here last night it still is. However if you go left when you enter the trail you can still go to the viewing dock on the pond. Nice view of a natural wet-lands area. Unfortunately also some graffiti too! and it is not even good graffiti! Hey back to snakes for a minute. There is a snake in Michigan that lives in wet or swampy areas. They are not often seen as they spend much of there time below the surface. They like to eat grubs (so they tell me anyway) It is a fire-belly snake. If you ever see one PLEASE leave it alone. They must have the proper habitat to survive. And trying to keep one in a artificial environment would be difficult, for even an experienced snake handler. Ok that`s all I wanted to say about that. until next time RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always... RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

Lotus Excelle Sport Series

Well I said I would post the Lotus soon, so here it is! I really like this bike and I would love to keep it. But sadly it is a 62cm frame. And I am five foot & eleven inches tall. Now don`t get me wrong I can ride a 62cm frame. I rode this bike today. But the proper size frame for me is 57 to 58cm (5ft11 to 6ft1). And frame size really does matter, especially on long rides. I did lots of clean-up on this bike and installed many new parts. Even took the saddle off my new MotoBecane. Which is ok, I have already ordered a new saddle for the Moto. So if you are interested in owning a classic 62cm Road Bike. Which by the way is 100% Road Ready For a mere 350.00 it can be yours to have and to hold... Now that may sound a little steep. But this Lotus is worth every penny.U pdate: The lotus eventually sold for around $300.00 US. The list of new and refurbished parts is too long to list here. I don`t buy bikes and pump up the tires, wash it up and try to pass it off as "all original needs nothing". That is a bunch of crap! "Homey Don`t Play That Game" I put a lot of effort into finding bikes that are worth saving. This Lotus is a perfect example of what I look for. Good frame, good paint and graphics, straight or fixable wheels. a smooth crank and head-set. Basically low mileage bikes suffering from" long term storage disorder". (LTSD) Tires hard and cracking, cables brittle and corroded, all grease broke down and hardened. Derailleurs partially frozen in time and lots of surface rust. Those are the main symptoms of LTSD. If you have never heard of LTSD it is because I just now made up the name! But there is only one cure for LTSD and it`s not "a quick wash and air in the tires"! It`s hard work and lots of elbow grease. And yes many new parts. So don`t listen when they tell you" Oh it`a all original has been stored for 20 years but really does not need any thing" That`s a bunch of Horse Hockey! Ride-able and Reliable are not the same thing. A little oil and soap does not cure LTSD. Do you hear me people! Ok I`ll shut up now and say goodnight.
Cheers,Hugh

A Successful Bicycle Hunt

Hello and Welcome, Yesterday was a very successful bicycle hunting day. I stopped at 3 of my favorite "secret" places and found something interesting at each one.
Above: At the first stop on my hunt I found this very nice (Made in France) MotoBecane Mixtie.
Above: At stop number two I found this interesting KTM commuter bike. And I thought they only made motorcycles? Then I stopped by my place to unload.
Above: Then at the third place I found this little folding bike. Eventually all three will all be refurbished, getting everything they need to be safe and functional. There will be a lot of cosmetic work done as well. I am currently in the process of refurbishing a sweet Lotus Excelle (very cool bike). So these three will have to wait. I will undoubtedly be doing a post about the Lotus very soon. Before I sign-off I would like to say this. The key to successful bike hunting is knowledge. Example: Seller sees "A little green bike with two flat tires". I see a French Built original MotoBecane Mixtie. With no air in the tires "probably because they don`t have a presta-valve capable pump". Bingo!
Until next time please RIDE SAFE and Remember to always... RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!
Cheers,Hugh<

Motobecane "Mirage Sport" First Ride

I have no prior experience with shifters that are integrated into the brake levers. So I was having a little trouble getting the derailleurs dialed in. So "Thanks For All The Help" to my friends at Cycle Therapy in Waterford Mi. Yesterday I took the MotoBecane to Indian Springs Metro Park in WhiteLake Mi for it`s "First Ride". And so far I really like the bike. I managed to ride the paved path twice for a total of 16 miles. Climbing the Hill near the end of the first lap I was feeling pretty good. Then this young man passed me like I was standing still.(I am still in denial about being in my 50`s). I caught up with this kid in the parking and told him. (half joking) "You made me feel old flying by me on the hill like that". He said "I almost hit a deer on the trail,(that's right, change the subject punk...lol)"It jumped out right in front of me". I told him I have seen lots of Deer there but never had one do that before. As he loaded up his bike I headed back to the path for another lap.Thinking "I`ll show this kid,! I`ll do another lap! (Like anyone gives a crap..lol) I decided I better take it easy (once I`m out of sight) because this is only my second real ride this year. Last year my goal was to make it around the path 2 times with out stopping. I managed that ok. So this year I am going to raise the bar and try for 3 laps. Before I go on I should mention that I smoked for 30 years. And by the time I quit in Feb of 2003 I was in a constant non stop asthma attack. When I got to the emergency room I thought they were going to tell me I had cancer or emphysema or something like that. When the Doctor told me I was having an Asthma attack. All I could say was "Well I`ve been having it for a couple of months now" Well I was finally ready to quit smoking. So with some help from my doctor, who we call Dr Jay (not her real name)I managed by some miracle to quit.
So now here I am a 50 something ex smoker, ex drinker, ex junk food eater trying to recapture something. I`m not really sure what that something is. When I was a young man I played Hockey. And I was pretty good for a yank. And I also played tennis (weird combo there) and rode my bike everywhere. And I loved to ride wheelies on my Sting-Ray. I could run all the way home from school (almost a mile). I was a healthy kid for the most part.And I assumed that I always would be. I was only gonna smoke till it affected my ability to play sports. And I could stop drinking any time I chose to. Well,I was wrong on both counts. So I try not to compete with anyone but myself at least for now. Maybe a few years down the road I can find some other geezers to race. That might be a possibility. Anyway today was one more step in the right direction, and that's not too bad.

Ladies Schwinn World Tourist

I finished this Schwinn ladies bike Sunday evening. I took it apart Friday night. Then I worked on it all day Saturday. And about 6 or 7 hours Sunday. And (maybe for the first time) I had ordered all the parts in advance. So this was like a marathon build. It was never intended to be a rush job. Things just kind of fell into place. What a refreshing change. This Schwinn has the Shimano Integer FF system. Which is kind of cool and weird at the same time. The idea was (I`m guessing here ) to build a bike that you could shift while coasting "like a 3 speed bike." That`s what this system allows the rider to do. Instead of the rear cassette free wheeling. It is fixed meaning the gears spin with the wheel "no matter what". And the free-wheel unit is built into the bottom bracket assembly. The only problem with being able to shift a ten speed while coasting is. Nobody gave a S#!&. In other words there was no real demand. Eventually it just faded away. This is the 2nd Schwinn with the FF system bike I have rebuilt. And I`ll tell you what, It is kind of cool! Especially the first time you run across one. At first I thought the free wheel cassette was seized up. Then I was mess`n with the crank and noticed I could spin it backwards while the rear wheel was spinning frontwards. Then it hit me! That`s why the rear gears don`t free-wheel! They`re not supposed too! Well I could not wait to tell my friend Cameron at old ten speed gallery . com about my incredible find. Of course he knew exactly what it was. And then told be that a few had been featured on OTSG. Well these things came out in the early 1980`s And at that time I was into the motorcycle thing quite heavy.

Above: That was me "Rebel without a clue"...ltms. I stopped riding after I lost most of the sight in my right eye. So that is my excuse for not knowing what a Shimano Integer FF system was. And I`m sticking to it! Ride Safe. And Remember to always...RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

New Ride MotoBecane Mirage Sport

My New Ride. Finally got a chance to assemble it!

Mountain Tamer 10 Speed Rigid

I`m going to try to make this brief. I know I said no more Department Store "Kids Bikes". This is a full size Men`s bike. And, in it`s own way "Special". First the handlebars, are those cool or what? The other thing, it is "as far as I can tell" 100% original. I`m not sure of the year. The Magna Badge (decal) looks different from the ones I see now. When I first saw the bike it looked pretty dingy. Every chrome part was covered with surface rust. But I loved those handlebars! So I decided to give it a closer look. The surface rust, while wide-spread did not appear so deep that it could not be removed. Then the tires, all the nubs were there, and the center raised part of the tread was still thick. Once I got it into the light I could see that the paint was near perfect as were the graphics. The few minor scratches, probably happened while being hauled to the thrift store. I wish I could have been there before the bike was stuffed into the trunk. I imagine the paint was perfect because it is damn near perfect now. The only thing I remember replacing is the brake shoes. I replaced them with Jag Wire X Caliper brake shoes . As for the rust removal I picked up two fine brass brushes on the way home. Fortunately I had a good supply of Turtle Wax T-280RA Chrome Polish & Rust Remover in the shop. Thank God for Turtle Wax. That evening I started cleaning it up. I concentrated on the handlebars and stem. I really wanted to see those babies all shined up! The next day I spent the entire day removing parts and polishing and reinstalling them. And cleaning up the frame, fork and saddle. On the 26 inch mountain bike gum-wall tires I always use Permatex 01406 DL Hand-Cleaner. It really does a good job, and seems to hydrate the gum-walls too! By early evening I was wheeling it out of the garage. This bike could have easily been "passed-up" if only given a glance. That is why I have learned to look closer before just passing on a project bike. After a while you become a pretty good at judging the severity of surface rust. But be ready to use lots of elbow grease!. It does take some hard work and patience to bring a bike back from the brink. But well worth the effort. .Correction: I did replace the pedals with a used set I like better. And I replaced one (or both?) of the brake cables too! Hey it`s early! And I haven`t had my coffee yet!..lol Ride Safe. And Remember to Always...... "Rescue Restore & Recycle"