Thursday, January 26, 2006

Funny lookin', but they work

Tired of startling motorists, scaring small children and making neighborhood dogs break into mournful howls, I finally broke down and scrapped my old Kool-Stop brake pads for a fresh set of Aztecs. Those old pads were fine in warm weather but, damn, did they make a fuss in the cold. No more temptation for guys to say, "You squeal like a pig, boy."

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The brakes on my winter bike are some old Avids that I picked up at a bike swap for a measly eight bucks, still in the box and wrapped in plastic. Apparently, the seller couldn't unload them in his shop because he couldn't find a customer who wanted anodized blue cantilevers in the age of V-brakes and discs.

But then I came along.

At the time, I was building up an old Trek as a commuter, and cheap was good. Hell, ugly was good. Why tempt bike-stealin' scumbags? (Unless you're hidin' nearby with a rifle—in that case, baiting the bastards is perfectly fine.) I like old bikes built with mixed-up parts, as long as they're good mixed-up parts and the bikes run well.

Old, rebuilt bikes have character. And behind many of the parts, there's a story to tell. The brake levers from a favorite old trail bike. The new gear rings found at a killer sale price. The used wheels purchased from a friend. That stuff means something because you scrounged for it, salvaged it, cared about it. It feels good to ride with those components, even if snobs on high-zoot bikes look down their noses at them.

Screw the snobs. You can't buy love.

4 comments:

Frostbike said...

Wow, those are really, um, blue.

cfsmtb said...

Screw the snobs. You can't buy love

True. All my bikes are frankenstein's & I cherish them all equally.

The Donut Guy said...

Seriously, I woulda paid full retail for those brakes.

I love blue.

gwadzilla said...

yes
character can not be bought....

it sometimes amuses me when someone gets a new car/new motorcycle/or even a new bike
and people are drooling all over it
like the machine is different out of the showroom

yes
beautiful and nice
but
character or customization is something different

oh
tons of new images
went crazy today!