Like most avid cyclists, I have collected a “fleet” of bikes over the
years. They are all steel frame, heavy bikes. Not great for speed (I
rarely ever get in a hurry anyway), but excellent for comfort and for
hauling stuff. I really have no need for a bike that I cannot put racks
and fenders on. With the exception of my touring bike, all of the bikes I
currently own are either freebies or yard sale purchases. My regular
daily work commuter (I retired in 2014) was an old Schwinn World Sport
that I rescued from a trash pile on the side of the road. It served me
well for many years, and is still in my basement as a single speed.
Around the time I retired, I bought an old Viscount Grand Prix from a
yard sale for $15. It is now my daily ride around town running errands
and just cruising.
My touring bicycle is a 1998 Heron Touring bike that I bought used.
This bike came with a story that I enjoy sharing. The previous owner,
Ebb, was 84 years old and was participating in the Bike Ride Across
Tennessee (BRAT). According to Ebb’s friend, David, who handled the
sale of the bike, Ebb drifted off the side of the road during the BRAT,
and died immediately from heart failure. David shared with me that Ebb
had told David that when Ebb died, he wanted his bike to go to someone
that would put it on the road. I feel honored that Ebb’s family sold his
bike to me. My first couple of tours were done on a Trek hybrid bike
and it did fine, but what a huge difference to the better it makes to
ride a quality touring bike frame when fully loaded.
Below is my bicycle junkyard, a/k/a basement. My wife is not at all fond
of all my bikes. I try to explain to her that when you ride old bikes,
you have to collect old bikes to use for parts because a lot of old bike
parts are now obsolete. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s
treasure.
This blog will be used to chronicle my bicycle riding adventures.
I have always enjoyed riding bikes, but really became an avid cyclist in
about 2001 when I began commuting to work (26-mile round trip) by
bicycle. For about the last ten years of my employment, if I was at
work, I got there by bike. I rode in all types of weather, and found
each to be rewarding and challenging. I began self-contained bicycle
touring in about 2005. Since then, I have ridden in various States
unsupported, including trips in Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, Georgia,
Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
