zip ties and hose clamps keep it together.

The great thing about having a bike is getting it all fixed up and I have previously blogged about some of the work I have done on my bike.

Here are some before and after photos of my Schwinn with new (more like old) accessories.

The way my bike looked when I purchased it (ignore the scary uninviting porch)

with a new seat, some fenders and a basket...

now, the bike's got a vintage Schwinn messenger seat, a headlight mounted to the fender and a back rack.

I got this seat from eBay. Schwinn no longer makes these seats so I got this one for about $40. It is surprisingly so much more comfortable than the previous seat I installed.

The back rack I got from someone for $10 at a rat bike rodeo and it wasn't meant for my bike so I didn't think I could ever make it work to fit. Thanks to a crafty friend, zip ties and hose clamps did the trick!

So I have to give credit where credit is due and that is to my friend MT. He did most of the hard work on this bike because it involved using a drill. Besides, why do the work when someone else can do it for you -- (half) kidding.

Here's a bike he built. I stole this photo from Facebook and can you believe how easy Facebook makes it for you to steal photos? I just discovered the "download" button today.

P.S. I just finished my fifth week of counting calories and exercising at least one hour per day. I don't remember what kettle chips taste like anymore. Kettle chips are my favorite, which is why I have stayed away from them. So far, the progress has been good. I have lost 9 lbs., which is the rate of about 1.8 lbs. per week. When I hit the 10 lbs mark, I'm going to shop to celebrate and maybe enjoy a small bag of kettle chips.

All Dressed Up

I sweated it out in my garage, used wrenches and screw drivers and got greasy to accessorize my cruiser. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be only because I had no idea what I was doing. I have also spent more time accessorizing the cruiser than actually riding it.


This is how I roll...

I have added a rear view mirror which so far hasn't proven useful. 

I replaced the original black seat with a brown one and added chrome fenders.

The cruiser now has this wonderful extra large wicker basket. This basket makes me want to go riding in the French country side to buy baguettes and pick flowers. No, I did not pick those flowers. They are fake from Ikea. I just thought it would look cute in the photo.

The best part about this basket mount is that I can interchange both wicker and metal baskets!

Bike riding does have it's perils. The busted lip and scraped knee was inevitable. (I know it kind of looks like an STD or domestic violence. I assure you, it's the result of my face scrubbing the asphalt.)

What can I say, I'm a ride or die kinda girl.

Look Ma! No training wheels!

Hair tossing in the wind... there's nothing but me and the open road... my heart beats faster with each pedal... my hands grip tighter as I push through the wind... I am moving faster and faster catching my breath until I reach my final destination.

I would like to say that is what riding a bike is like for me, but in reality, when I ride, I am saying to myself, slow, steady... don't fall... oh no, why are those teenage boys staring... can they see up my skirt... oh sh*t I have to brake!

I have not ridden a bike since grade school. Shockingly, I still remember. I thought it was something I had to relearn so I added re-learning how to ride a bike to my bucket list. In order to do so, I had to purchase a bike. I bought a Schwinn Typhoon Cruiser. I am not in love with it, but I do like it. What I am in love with is the idea of customizing this bike. 

The bike is currently blue and white with black seats, black grips and white wall tires.

 

(1-speed, back pedal to brake)

One of my favorite things to do is accessorize. So, I have ordered a couple of things for my new cruiser. I ordered, brown seats, brown handle grips and chrome fenders. I also would really like to change the color of my bike. I'm not sure what color yet but I am really leaning toward white and a sort of tan color. I must admit changing my bike's color depends on how hard I work or how quickly I get sick of this new obsession.

I still need to install this cool mirror I got and I still need a basket, a back rack, a headlight and a bell. 

Stay tuned for Sarah's Schwinn transformation.

*Unfortunately, summer is coming to an end. I literally have not ridden the Schwinn much, just around my neighborhood. However, I am still ecstatic about customizing the bike and taking it for a spin on a midtown pub crawl. I probably have to practice riding for that.