Bicycle Family: Part Two

Well, one move and several more months into the pregnancy, and I have finally found the time to post the second half of the bicycle family.  Here they are, in no particular order.  This first amazing bike is called Jazzy Rojo.  My Associate and I had discussed for a long time the possibility of getting a bicycle we could ride together, but I was resistant because of a bad experience on such a vehicle many years ago.  We finally took the plunge, and I am happy to say we have made nothing but fond memories on Jazzy.  (The big secret about Jazzy is that she is from Walmart.  Yes, the evil empire.  The brand is Kent and I am not sure if there is a model name, or even what type of components she has.  Eek.  There, I said it.)

The next bicycle in the lineup belongs to my Associate.  I don't believe he has named it yet, because although he loves it, it is a bit too small, and honestly, I think he is trying not to get too attached...just in case.  He wanted a classic Raleigh road bike in a traditional color, and he got just that.  He went through a period of riding it a lot to work, but these days it spends more time hanging around than on the open road.

Lastly, we have my Associate's road bike, the Lamborghini.  He purchased it used on Craigslist, which is always a gamble, but it was love at first ride.  I have seen him make some impressive climbs on this flashy number.

And for now, there you have them.

There are a couple of exciting projects in the works.  For starters, I bought a new chain for the Motobecane today, and I am hoping to put it on the bike tomorrow.  I think I have also settled upon a saddle to purchase for it.  More on that later.

My Associate is also hard at work on restoring a cruiser, which isn't quite far along enough to join the bicycle family yet, but it should make a debut one of these days.

Lastly, we are in the formative stages of a bicycling society.  This is a grand undertaking.  I will definitely reveal some important information about this undertaking in the next few weeks.

New Handlebars

The first step in my New Year's resolution to give the Motobecane a makeover was to change the handlebars.  In one of my few attempts to give love to this biycyle in the past, I "pinked" it out.  I gave the bike pink handlebar tape, pink clipless pedals, pink flower-print panniers, and a cute daisy basket on the front.

This made the bike into a pretty cute commuter, and one that could still get beat up without causing me too much strife.  However, it is terribly mismatched.  One part urban, one part grandma, one part athletic.  Alas, I do not think all of the pink is going to make it through the makeover.  The pedals are great and I will definitely find another use for them.  The panniers are pretty great, too, both in terms of aesthetics and utility.  They are pink pannier-style bags manufactured by Basil, and I will most likely keep them on the bike. 

However, two of the three daisies on the basket were casualties during tragic bike-knock overs on the train, and the basket looks rather sad now.  I do think I got my $6.99 worth out of it, so it won't be too hard to let it go.

The first thing to go (and actually one of the nicer existing elements) is the pink handlebar tape because I am replacing the whole handlebar set.  I went to Manifesto in Oakland last weekend and got some porteur-style handlebars and guidonnet levers to go on them.  I also got some cute brown handlebar grips with a pattern reminiscent of little flowers all over them.  I put the set together and now all I need to do is put it on the bike!

While I was out and about looking for the handlebars, my Associate came across the business card of a fellow who paints frames for a reasonable price.  I have been thinking about repainting the beat-up silver frame into a lovely shade a mint green.  But, I am still letting that idea simmer.

I think this Motobecane is going to be the first bicycle for which I make the exciting investment in a Brooks saddle.  I am planning on going with the standard B-17 model, unless research yields any of the other models are vastly better options.   This will be the next step in making the Motobecane into a thing of beauty.

San Leandro Marina

Today my Associate and I rode in the San Leandro marina.  This was my first foray into this enjoyable waterfront bicycling locale.  Associate tried out his brand new Bern helmet and I do believe it is one of the most stylish head-protection options on the market.

My Associate rode his World Tourist and I rode Caliente.  We took some meandering paths by the Bay and probably covered about five miles at a leisurely pace in pretty good weather for January.  I wore an outfit I can only describe as something a unicorn trainer would wear while training unicorns.  Such are the fashion options of pregnant cyclists.

It was a lovely ride and I hope to enjoy it again in the future.

Bicycle Family: Part One

My bicycle family began very modestly but seems to keep growing and growing.  Currently, I have photos of about half of my loves, as well as those belonging to my fair Associate.  Here they are, in no particular order.

This is my triathlon bike.  Technically, it is just a LeMond road bike, but to me, it is the best tri bike on the planet...that I can afford.  I am on a quest to outfit it in as much blue as possible.  It does not have a bike name because this baby is all business. In fact, I am not even sure if it is a he or a she.  However, I am open to suggestions.

These next two awesomes are Matchy-Matchy.  The are maroon Schwinn World Tourists.  My Associate and I discovered them on Craigslist and they were a set being sold by the son of the original husband-and-wife duo who bought them new in 1984.  We believe these bicycles did a lot of sitting in the garage, waiting decades for the two of us to come along.  Note my snazzy panniers and the Associate's sweet headlight!  Everything else is all original.  Maroon is such a great 1980's color!

This next bicycle is a Phoenix belonging to my Associate.  He enjoys riding it in big, swooping circles around cul-de-sacs and the like while singing a little ditty that sounds like a circus tune.  After some discussion, I believe he named it the Grandfather.  The rod brakes scare me a little, but he tells me the secret is simply to avoid going too fast.

I bought this old mixte Motobecane a couple of years ago and my two agenda items at the time were first, to own a bike that could get beat up during my commute on the train and second, to own a bike that I could ride to work while wearing a skirt.  I wasn't in love with this bike at first and I treated it like a workhorse.  However, recently, I have begun to hatch great plans for it.  By the halfway point of 2010, this bicycle will be a lovely remodeled thing of beauty.

Lastly, of the bicycles I currently have in photo form, I present my most recent acquisition: Caliente!  I know calling the bike by its actual model name (this cutie is a 1980's Schwinn Caliente) is not the most creative idea in the world, but "caliente" is really and truly the most appropriate title for this spicy little bike.  My Associate and I went to the local bike shop so he could make a helmet exchange, and lo and behold!  Caliente was on post-holiday sale.  I had no intention whatsoever of purchasing a bicycle, but this one was too good to be true.  Caliente is new old stock; right out of the box.  Yours truly is her first and only owner!  Here she is on her inaugural ride at the San Leandro marina today.

Stay tuned for Bicycle Family: Part Two.

Bonjour, 2010!

Even the best-laid plans find ways to self-destruct, and my previous two blogs are certainly evidence of that.  I like to think of my first blog, my true love blog, the triathlon blog, as simply on sabbatical.  Someday it will make a grand and glorious comeback!  Someday.  However, Infinity MPG, despite its super cute name, seems to have fallen farther by the wayside.  Such is the fate of a blog intended to be about bicycle commuting in San Francisco by a girl who is these days auto commuting in Hayward.

But, good things are on the horizon.  With the dawning of this new decade comes the advent of my new blog, and if I daresay, the third time's the charm.  The wondrous tomes to come shall detail mes aventures gathering, repairing, styling, and, most importantly, riding upon a few of my favorite things.