Saturday, March 9, 2024

FOR SALE in PDX: Deeluxe Singlespeed city bike!

As much as I have enjoyed this bike, the time has come where I can no longer pedal a singlespeed bike.

My knees simply cannot handle it anymore.

So as of today, it’s for sale.

Steel frame, 21” c-t, top tube 22” c-c. Ideal for someone between 5’ 6” and 5’ 8” tall.

Singlespeed with freewheel and hand brakes.

Converted to 26”/559 wheels with long reach calipers.

Special additions include Brooks B-17 saddle, PDW Bodega Basket, Karrimore saddlebag, Misfit Psycles handlebar. I could take these off and sell separately, but together they really complete the bike.

Upright, comfortable ride, perfect for around town riding.

Conversion and overhaul was done by a professional shop mechanic.

As it sits, I’d like $300 cash.

If you want, I can swap in cheaper saddle and remove basket and saddlebag for less money.

PM me for a meetup.






Friday, March 8, 2024

Rack swap

Rack swap on the All-Rounder, after a nice slow ride in the sunshine.I’ve shored up the washer situation to spread the torque over a larger surface area and preserve the original bolt recesses in case I decide to put everything back later. 

The rack isn’t perfect for so large a bag but I think it’ll work well enough.

The previous rack will go with my Burley Travoy cargo trailer, which I plan to sell this spring. I don’t plan to haul anything that heavy anymore.

Happy riding.







Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Bike Happy Hour

I went.
I went multi-modal because I knew I couldn't ride the whole way there without suffering.
It was nice to get outside and socialize with folks I mostly did not know, though I also saw a few old friends. Jonathan Maus (our host) was thrilled at the turnout, and held forth about this and that thing and candidate in the upcoming election, where we will chosoe a new, more representational City Council and Mayor. I was more involved in a conversation about how we will all need a very long time -- perhaps a generation or more -- to really process the number that Covid did on us individually and collectively.
I stayed for about ninety minutes and could feel my energy draining, so I left, riding all the way to Lloyd Center before tossing my bike on the bus to get up the hill.
Whenever I stopped to catch my breath, I looked up at the sky, which was the most beautiful thing I saw this evening. Portland skies are often beautiful during the rainy season, so I made it a point to notice.
It was cold.
My knees hurt, most likely from the cold and from not having ridden very much.
My hands hurt whenever I leaned too hard on the handlebars or when I applied the brakes.
I could feel how out of shape I'd become over the last five years.
Quite frankly, Covid had done a number on me, too, and it was highly unlikely that I'd get most of my fitness back.
When I got home, I was tired and melancholy and achy.
Tonight is my second night with the CPAP machine, and I understand it could take several days or more to grow used to it.

I feel positively assailed these days by so much change and I don't like it.

I'm glad I could still ride my bike, but it was such a hard won moment of victory that I'm paying for with achy knees and a tired spirit.

I hope things will improve when the weather warms a little.








Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Bicycle socializing, anyone?

Hey, Portland bike peeps --

There's another Bicycle Happy Hour tomorrow from 3 to 6 pm at SE 27th and Ankeny.

The weather will be decent, in the mid 50s.

Anyone care to join me? 

I need to get out of the house and be social with other bike people.

No cover, but there are refreshments and indoor seating if it gets too cold.

See you there!



Monday, February 12, 2024

Pass it along.

Tom of TomCat Bikes came by today to buy some of my stuff, tools and wheels mostly.

Just before he left, I gave him the sign that I’d inherited from Q’s Bike Shop after Quinn died. I was there in Waldport that magical summer of 1994 when Quinn painted the sign, and it hung in my shed for twenty years. Now it’s going to another career bicycle mechanic who understands the importance of lore. Tom asked me to sign the back for him and I did.

I believe Quinn would be pleased.




Sunday, February 11, 2024

I admit to some schadenfreude here.

Yeah, I know.

But this warmed my heart.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/robotaxi-vandalized-set-ablaze-crowd-203601455.

The driverless car is right down there with Elon Musk and a cashless economy in my list of Things That Are Bad For Our Souls.

So when a crowd in San Francisco destroyed a driverless “Robocab” and then stood around to watch it burn, I admit that I giggled with glee.

Have a good week.

Saturday, February 10, 2024

The end of the Bicycle Brain Trust.

When we bought our little house in 2003, it did not come with a basement or garage.
Fortunately, we'd been gifted a stack of Home Depot gift cards as wedding presents.
They totaled enough for a healthy down payment on a Tuff Shed, and allowed me to set up a home repair shop.
I've enjoyed using this space for twenty years and being a local Bike Lady to all who asked for help.

With all the hand troubles happening and my disability claim in progress, I've decided it's time to close the Bicycle Brain Trust and let go of that part of my identity. I'll be a fully-retired bicycle mechanic, no longer taking in bikes to repair and/or donate elsewhere. There are more than enough other folks doing this work in Portland now and I am content.

In a couple of days, a bike industry friend is coming over to buy the big tools, and most of my stash of parts. I am winnowing down my holdings to two bikes and enough small tools and parts for me to minimally maintain my own bikes.

I have been blessed to be the Bicycle Lady for over thirty years, and I am blessed to be able to set that aside on my terms and just enjoy riding my bike when I feel like it. I have no regrets.

It has been a truly wonderful ride.

Don't worry! I'll still ride my bike, and share my jaded opinions about the bicycle industry and offer ride reports right here at my blog. Thanks for reading!