(Just a sneak photo from Photobooth, 'cause the digicam is MIA.)
Last night, I picked-up a 1989-ish Schwinn Prelude for a very fair price from a fellow ChiFG-er to use as a commuter and foul-weather trainer. I don't particularly mind taking my custom orange machine out in the rain, but at the same time, I'm so obsessively compulsive about keeping it clean, that I spend an hour or so post-ride washing it of grit, gravel and grease. This Schwinn will get a set of fenders, Look Keo pedals, and a good bearing overhaul and that's it. Nothing all too exciting, I know.
However, I am really excited about this bike for just two small reasons – the two downtube shifters. I love shifting a bike from the downtube, removing my hand from the handlebars to click the shifter up or down a notch, to match the terrain and my strength. Nowadays, an Ergo/STI/Double-Tap equipped bike is so much faster and user-friendly than a bike with downtube shifters, but in capable hands that old tech still competes well with the new.
Last year, when I was living in Athens, I was out nearly every night with a crew of cyclists, exploring the hollers of SE Ohio. One had a custom Calfee with Record, others on new Cannondales, and I was either on my Redline 'cross bike, or my 1992 Schwinn Paramount PDG. I was usually beat-out on the town line sprint by Rik Van Der Akker on his Calfee, but I held my own with my 15 year old heavy steel bike. I eventually upgraded the rear shifting to 8-speed Ultegra 600, but I always knew that I could switch it back to full downtube shifting if I wanted (and I might still do, seeing as how the shifter doesn't like shifting sometimes.)
But now I have this Schwinn to enjoy here in Chicago and I'm just about as excited about that as I was when I picked-up my other newer, nicer bikes. Could it be because now I can commute and train in the city without fear of trashing my race machines? Maybe. However, I prefer to think it's because I get to ride a bike regularly with obsolete tech just a few inches from hand. And if I beat-out out my teammates on their nice, CF superbikes, then all the better.
3 comments:
yay for new bike day!
Two questions:
1. Do you realize you are a retro-grouch?
2. Is it a 'Chicago' Schwinn?
@BVC:
Yes, I'm fully aware of my retro-grouchitude. I'm not on the same level as Grant Petersen, due to my love of severe levels of saddle to bar drop, but once my back gives out, I'll likely be a 100 percenter.
Oh, and yes, it's a Chicago Schwinn. Once I find some batteries, I'll throw some pictures of the bike online, including one of the precious head badge.
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