Winter project completed, spring is now welcome to arrive

As even more (!) flakes fly outside, one of the few respites from bicycling cabin fever is wrenching on one in the basement. With my nine-year-old outgrowing his 20-inch six-speed mtb, it was time to prepare him for another size up.



This was my oldest son's bike until I rebuilt him a Fuji Boulevard last summer. It takes 24-inch wheels, and it's the perfect size for my middle guy for at least a few years. He tippy-toes the floor from the saddle with it all the way down, and his legs look good on the pedals. Here it is after I started putting it back together.


 It's a bit heavy, but it's a nice bike. It was also yet another opportunity to learn more about repairing and rebuilding bicycles. On this one I went through everything. I replaced the old steel wheels with alloys from a parts bike, and repacked or replaced wheel bearings, bottom bracket bearings, and headset bearings. Those old Shimano derailleurs work perfectly, and keeping myself to a pretty modest budget, I just cleaned and re-used this one. Partly just to have an excuse to buy a freewheel removal tool, I swapped the Shimano 6-speed from the old wheels to the new ones. The cockpit is all new. New flat bar, donor stem, new twist grips and new levers. I had amazing luck with these Shimano BL-550R levers; they work wonderfully with cantilever brakes, and I have used them on other bikes I've had. The SRAM twist grip shifters work nicely, and they come with the grips for just about 17 bucks online. I replaced the cantilever brakes with basic generic ones, with Jagwire pads. They work fine. And I swapped over my 9-year-old's computer.

This winter has been snowy and brutal.

I'm pleased with how it turned out. The only nagging shouldawouldacoulda I have is the drivetrain. The old 2x6 works just fine, but I wonder if I spent another 50-60 bucks I could have truly upgraded this bike into new territory. I think the answer is probably not. It still weighs a ton, it's still a late 80s-early 90s Nishiki hybrid 24-inch bike that's only going to last my son a few years at the most. I only paid $50 for the bike in the first place, which is also a consideration. My son will enjoy it I'm sure; he was happy with the final product. But it's nice to just take stuff apart, see how it works, and put it back together sometimes. Better to make mistakes and go down rabbit holes with a cheap little project like this. I think I'd like my next project to maybe take a little more risk, a little more reward. Maybe a nicer old Schwinn, or Peugeot, or an 80s steel Trek. Something worthy of well-thought-out upgrades. On the other hand, when you build a bike from just a frame like I did on this one, part of me is starting to think that basic, high-quality components are all you really need. The rest is just marketing.

Want of the day

I don't obsessively stalk mountain bikes on Craigslist like I stalk road bikes, but if there was any lasting legacy of that "Reveal the Path" movie the other day it was giving me the mountain bike bug. According to th seller, this is a mid to late-90s Gary Fisher Joshua X. Bike names can veer into very strange territory; there's little rhyme or reason.

I like this bike. It's well-presented, actually--I'm sure the seller didn't think much of it, but the gentle green frame goes well against the orange wall. These sort of Y-frames that became popular in the 90s don't usually set me on fire, but knowing it's a Gary Fisher along with the bike's clean, overall simplicity makes it really interesting for me.

This Joshua X appears to be outfitted with some nice hardware; I'm no expert, but Shimano's Deore XT mountain groupsets are pretty well-regarded. The selller wants $235 for it; if I was actively in the market for a nice light to medium-duty mountain bike I'd make an offer, at least.

As I descend deeper into bicycle nut territory, I find myself leaving behind my previously strong belief that for most riders, one versatile bike will suffice. I have slightly adjusted that to two bikes--road and mountain.

Oddly enough, my current steed is an ancient mountain bike converted to drop bar quasi-road bike duty, and ridden pretty exclusively on pavement. For that reason, my short-term goal is to get a new road bike, in all its modern brifting, indexed glory. But for something like this Gary Fisher, which was a pretty capable, high-end mountain bike in its day, the money seems short for such a fun toy.

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Taking advantage

Taken before the recent foot of snowfall.

The winter we're experiencing here in the Northeast isn't any more or less brutal than any other year that I can remember, but it certainly doesn't fall into that nebulous category of "mild." We've had quite a bit of snow, but hey, it's winter.

I don't ride in the snow. I just never really saw the benefit of investing in studded tires for what would only likely be a few rides a year.

It is, however, important to sneak out whenever possible. At this point, it's not about staying in shape. It's just riding to take a ride. Fresh air. Body moving.

Other than that, it's winter maintenance, a project bike or two, and soaking up more and more information and perspectives on cycling.

On a whim last night I cued up Netflix and watched "Reveal the Path," a movie about a bunch of dudes who apparently went to some far off places over a summer and documented their exploits. I used to say I couldn't stand watching golf on television. It's accessible enough that you should be out playing it, not watching it. I feel the same way about bicycle stuff, but when there's a foot of snow outside, you have to get your fix somehow.

The locales in "Reveal the Path" were stunning. What were intended as backdrops for cool mountain-biking and vague talk about "taking the path" and "just going out and doing it" almost seemed to steal the show. The Scottish highlands, the Alps, Nepal, Morocco, Alaska--well chosen, boys.

It was pleasant enough, and they didn't seem to come on too strong with their whole message, although there was a website at the end where I'm sure you could indoctrinate yourself further. Above all, it was nice to see bikes going through green grass; a lack of winter gloves; and again, those bikes--very high end mountain/trekking bikes. Not exactly where I think I'm headed, but as I watched I kept thinking boy, I could use a nice mountain bike at some point. It would be nice to have in the stable.