NYC Bikers

Life is meant to be lived on the back of a bike. At least the fun parts. This blog is an effort on my part to convert the world into bikers, starting with my friends living here in Fresh Meadows! Even if I have to do it single handedly, I will civilize the bikers of New York!

Monday, May 16, 2011

A Royal Scot Joins the Family


The bicycle situation at home is starting to get a little crazy. Right now at the house, there are more bikes then there are people. The 6 bikes by last count where 1 fixie, 1 road bike, 2 mountain bikes, and 2 roadsters.  There are plans for building an outside bike shed on wheels to protect our babies from the rain but negotiations are still ensuing.

Of the 6 bikes at the house I have purchased or own 4 of them (my road bike, my mountain bike, my roadster, and the the Diva's purple mountain bike). The Diva continuously complained about pain in her wrists from her mountain bike. At first I thought she was being a diva but after I was forced to borrow her bike for commuting to work for a few days I realized she was right. Her purple Walmart Schwinn with the flowers on the seat might be fun for off-roading but because of the aggressive forward position, it was no fun for long distance cruising.

Because I love my Diva and because I must convince her to abandon her car in all but the most necessary situations, I combed the Craigslist ads for the perfect bike. After much searching I found a diamond in the rough - a 1967 Royal Scot.. We drove (yes drove) to meet the previous owner and to see if the bike was the right fit and if she liked it. Here are some pictures which were kindly furnished by the previous owner in his Craigslist ad -







Well, she didn't like it. In fact she hated the bike before she even got on it. I begged her to give it a chance and she did taking it for a bike ride around the neighborhood. I nervously waited for her return and proudly smiled when my Diva came around the corner. To my great sadness though she came saying NOT to buy the bike. She was convinced this was not the bike for her. The handle bars were too low, the fenders looked like they were about to fall off from rust, the brakes did not work, the front rims seemed bent, the crankshaft pedals were bent, the gears did not shift, someone dripped paint all over the finish, it creaked and heaved when it moved (like Billy's grandfather begging to be killed), the fenders rubbed against the cracked tires, and worst of all the bike felt "unsafe". At least that was the official word from the Diva - even the guy trying to sell me the bike told me not to buy it.

Of course I listened to no one and I bought the bike. I rode it home part of the way and I walked it home most of the way. I knew deep down inside there was an inner beauty only me and Boutros Boutros-Ghali could see. Perhaps my good friends at Belitte Bikes would confirm my suspicions. Perhaps they would tell me I was a fool and this bike was worthless. All I know is there are now 7 bikes at the house, we still don't have bike parking, and the Diva hates her new toy. All I need now is to go bike riding with the Diva and we get a flat in the middle of nowhere. That would surely destroy my dreams of happy and relaxed biking for hours and hours with the Diva cross country.

Of course this battle is not over. I will bring this little Scot back to life and I will make the Diva love it - I hope. Stay tuned for more details on operation Restore Royal...

4 comments:

Mama Up! said...

Can't you bring it to one of the better bike shops that refurbish things like that? Or would that be prohibitively expensive?

Enrique E. Facundo said...

Hey Christa! Thanks for visiting.

This story is about 2 weeks old. I hadn't published because the article wasn't ready. I have since taken the bike to my favorite local bike shop and had them tune up and make some adjustments.

I have also done some work restoring the pain which I plan to write about in the blog. It might have even have instructional videos if I am feeling ambitious. The bike is almost shinny now but you will soon see the pictures.

Honestly - how bad does the bike look in those pictures? I promise my feelings won't be hurt.

TTYS!

Unknown said...

Its less about the way it looks at this point and more about the ride. Can you smooth out the ride?

Anonymous said...

I like bikes.

Cow Bike!

Cow Bike!
Maes kept getting attacked by the cows whenever she biked through the fields. She decided camouflage would be the only way to survive.

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