new to me

I purchased a 1970s Schwinn Collegiate road bike and I have to admit I love it more than my brand new Schwinn Typhoon beach cruiser.

It's 5 speed (so easier to ride) but I have no idea what gear I am in when I switch because it doesn't say on the lever.

I like this bike so much because it is so old and still in great condition. The stuff built back then were built to last.



There is something really cool about owning things that are old or used... I like to think about who once owned this bike, what roads and adventures it's been on, etc.

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.

Day 23: Anthology Magazine

I started subscribing to this lifestyle magazine called Anthology. The magazine was created by these two women based out of San Francisco.

This is the Fall issue. This magazine is quarterly and I love the cover of this issue.

This issue features the anatomy of a cute bike.

I have that exact headlight and back rack that I still need to put on my bike although I really haven't been motivated to because I haven't ridden my bike much and it's starting to rain and get cold.

Bikes, bikes and more bikes

I'm just bloggin' like Mo'Fo'... that's because I have sitting in front of my laptop a lot lately trying to motivate myself to work on my research project.

Here's a couple of photos I took from this Rat Bike Rodeo I went to. There were some pretty kick-ass bikes that people built themselves or customized, etc. The Rat Bike culture is very much Rock-a-Billy meets Low-Rider drivers. There really is no other way of explaining it. I think I might be too square or straight-edge for this group of people, but it was a fun event and the people were cool.

Cruisers galore! There were classic Schwinn cruisers everywhere.

This one is similar to my Schwinn. I love this bike, minus the streamers and the flowers on the baskets. A little too girly for me.

I really liked this bike because it was old and rusty, which I thought was pretty cool compared to all of the shiny new bikes.

Two things I am thinking about getting for my bike: The Schwinn two-toned "S" Seat (pictured on the green bike) and a little license plate (pictured on the red bike).

Here is something strange and cool. The seat of this bike is an upside down shovel. I can't imagine it would be comfortable to ride.

This was my most favorite thing at the rodeo. This old rusty bell. I love it. I want it. I just put a retro-style bell on my bike, but it is not nearly this cool.

Check out Rat Rod Bikes (http://www.ratrodbikes.com/ ) to view more photos of rat bikes. I am more into the cutesy girly type bikes, but the rat rods are quite impressive.

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.