Bicycles

Bicycles require much patience, for me anyway. Since I started considering bicycles some two years ago, I've gone through various frames, wheels, bars, forks, many many frustrations, and the like. The point is, right now, my bike is finally exactly how I want it.

As is what seems mandatory when with dealing with bicycles, I've had many testing moments working on my brother's bike.
- After tediously sorting through boxes of parts, I finally found a 52t front chain ring that I was able to remove the 42t lower chain ring from. Turns out, all the newer sealed bottom brackets (something I would not easily buy used) do not accommodate the size of the 52t front chain ring.

- Got one wrong headset cup

- There is not a seat-post in the entire bike dump that fits the frame

- The handlebars I flopped and chopped cannot accommodate brakes?? Chopped at a point of too much curvature, and the raised center's taper extends beyond what a regular clamp brake can fit (a very rare type of handlebar).

...Especially when dealing with old bikes/parts, something WILL not fit, you will have the wrong tools, ordered the wrong part, messed up the sizing, blah blah blah. Murphy's Law is in full effect with bicycles. I'm still very much bicycle incompetent, so most of my mistakes can be chalked up to that. A project I thought would take a week or two has ended up taking much more, sorry Graham.

It's fun to tinker and learn and whatnot, it's definitely all worth it when you have a solid, simple machine to ride. There are few things that are so much fun; physically, mentally, and environmentally friendly. Bikes are like really complicated skateboards.