I bought a bike on Ebay. I’m really not sure why. I wasn’t even drunk. Well, I do know why I bought it. I really like French frames. And French Bikes. They’re really good sporty practical urban bikes. The problem is that it’s a French Bike. ALL the sizes are different. Updating/conversion will not be…
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The last bike I assembled for a friend is the Hot Karl. It was a SRAM shifter and it just isn’t very good. Shifting problems keep re-happening and the foot hits the guard. The former is exactly the kind of pain-in-the-ass I don’t want to deal with. The latter is a basic design flaw that…
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Since I started doing my own bike repairs back around 1996, I’ve always wanted a bike stand. But I’ve never had the money or space for a real one. I had been using this little thing that was basically a workhorse. You took off the front wheel and locked in the quick release and rested…
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I’m pretty pleased with the Hot Karl. Total cost, around $550. That’s within pennies of Katie’s Del Ray. But with the internal hub, I think the Hot Karl is a nicer bike. It’s light, rides great, makes a nice old-school clicking sound as you peddle, and has some flourishes from the Mexican-run bike store (purple…
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I went over to Jersey City today. N to the PATH train. It really is easy to get to. It’s kind of like what we say about Queens, I suppose. And I picked up the bike that will become the Hot Karl. $270. It’s a perfectly sized frame. Light. Steel. Lugged. Two excellent wheels. Bottom…
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You meet the nicest people if keep a bike blog. This is from a man in Sydney, Australia who sells great bike trailers. Buy one if you can. You can get them in the U.S. as well. See his web site for details (just don’t expect to find any els on his CTA). I don’t…
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I still feel very stupid for building 4 (count ’em, four) wheels incorrectly. Especially when I built wheels just fine before then. Anyway, I got to work on the Bluebird. While I had the rear wheel off, I put on a new rear cog with one fewer teeth. This will hopefully make 5th gear a…
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I don’t really need a big living space. But it would be nice to have a workshop (or a guestroom… or an office). But the living room must suffice for all. When I’m in the middle of bike work, it become a mess. And this picture is after the bike has been removed from the…
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Katie may have a nice frame from between 1983 and 1986. Confirmed, I think, by the Dia Comp rear brake. http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-99546 “I believe the Del Rey was Fuji’s top of the line sport touring bike when it was first introduced. “ “I have a 1983 Del Rey, and I’m pretty sure it was the first…
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Just cause I don’t post much doesn’t mean I’m not busy building bikes. My friend Katie needed a bike. She was pretty jealous of the Bluebird, as she should be. So I said, what the hell, I’ll put together a little something for you. This one I tried to do on the cheap. But that…
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