raleigh sports
Brooks B66 saddle for my newest project — a 1972 Raleigh Sports. The paint job on this guy is a little rusty, but I’m gonna keep the original, and perhaps just refinish the fenders. Also on the TODO list: adding wire baskets, finding some nice lights, oh, and perhaps rebuilding the hub to get rid of the little bit of skippage in there. Ho hum.
As always, Sheldon knows the answer:
June 17th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
My questions are manifold:
1- Where do you purchase the dilapidated bikes you refurbish? Or do you salvage them?
2- What, on average, is the cost for one of these?
3- How much time and space are required for this type of operation?
4- Why is it that educated people like ourselves tend to turn to more laborious pursuits in their spare time that are normally suited to the lower class (repair, housework, cooking) rather than more refined hobbies (art, painting, writing, music, etc.)
your pursuits are always interesting.
cheers,
t
June 24th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Somehow, I just end up with bikes. Sometimes they’re purchases, sometimes not. Hard to say.
Depending on what you want to do to the bike, it can range from $0 to several $hundred. For example, for all the new parts I needed to fix up that Raleigh, it ended up costing about $160 or thereabouts.
My older yellow bike cost me $60 to buy from a store and then a few bucks on spray paint, as well as a weekend or two in my garage.
As to your last question, I don’t know that I necessarily agree with it. Sure, I know lots of people who find joy in welding or fixing up old bikes, but I consider myself a writer and photographer too. Of course, your mileage may vary.
My $0.02.