The Making of a Retro-Grouch

As I get older I'm starting to notice some traits emerge, that once would have shamed me. The other day I noticed I was drinking from a water bottle that was stamped "Made in West Germany" and wearing a t-shirt that almost 20 years old. So I suppose it's only natural that my taste in bikes has become decidedly old-school.

So imagine my glee when I discovered this:


The Schwinn World Tour, its a pretty conventional touring bike at a great price but what's that I see? Yep a quill stem. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. In my opinion the threadless headset is one of the great abominations of modern cyclery. Sure it may have it place on racing bikes where every ounce of weight counts, but quite frankly it makes no sense on most bikes. So why is it now so common?

edit: if the Schwinn had horizontal dropouts it would be almost perfect.

Dreams

Last night I dreamt of riding the Schwinn on a narrow path in an Autumn wood. I could smell the fire in some hidden hearth while the wind lifted leaves into the air like so many fairies dancing around me.

It was a good dream.

The $13,000 Schwinn Paramount

I overslept today and wound up driving to work, so on my lunch break I rode over to Roswell Bicycles. It's what I would call a typical bike shop, a lot of road bikes, a smaller selection of mountain, hybrid, and kids bikes. And of course there's the $13,000 Schwinn Paramount.

Now for my bicycle heresy, if a bike is worth $13,000 it belongs in a museum not hanging from the ceiling of a LBS. That is all.

Almost Perfect

Once again a reminder of why fall in Atlanta is so great. A cool morning and a 70 degree afternoon with sunshine created what just may be the perfect day for riding. So much so that after the ride home I unloaded the bike and took a spin around the block just for the heck of it.

By the way, a tip of the hat to Mr. I'll Pass You on This Hill despite being at least 30 pounds heavier than you and riding a mountain bike with knobies. My hat is off to you sir.

Why We Ride

Last week was bad. By Sunday I felt like I had the weight of the world on me. So I looked at the old gray mule who responded "don't look at me like that, I need BB maintenance, new wheels, and look at that cassette." But she bore me again across the hilly roads of my neighborhood out toward the far suburbs to the exoburbs, and a funny thing happened. As I rode my troubles seemed less troublesome. As the number of miles climbed so did my spirit. Soaking in the smells and sounds and tastes of the road for a short time there was nothing else just man, bike, and road. And that was good enough.

Alpharetta Gets the Job Done

Less than a week ago the Big Creek Greenway was under about 3 feet of water. When that water receded it left a thick layer of mud in several places. Well I'm happy to report that Alpharetta's parks department has done a great job clearing the trail, allowing me to enjoy it on my lunch break again.