Monday, May 18, 2009

A sweet new ride

As one taking part in the Pelosi/Obama/Biden recession, one has to take it easy on spending. On the other hand, I did have the opportunity to give my ten year old daughter a hot new ride for only forty bucks.

A 1975 (or so) Schwinn Collegiate. No kidding. With springs under the seat, swinging your leg across the saddle of this hot rod is like going from a one ton Dodge to a Caddy, even if your legs are six inches longer than your daughter's. I found the bike in a junk pile at a friend's house, picked it up when I saw the old Schwinn badge, and discovered to my delight that apart from dead tires and a touch of rust, it was in really good shape.

With new tires, she took it 18 miles without getting tired. If you're in the market for a good bicycle, don't ignore the oldies but goodies. They can save you a lot of cash, and prevent you from getting saddle sore to boot.

4 comments:

Gino said...

i'm not a bike rider, but i've heard that it is cheaper to fix up an old bike than to buy a new one.

and i've read somewhere, that those classics such as yours and older, are being snatched up from junk piles across the nation, refurbished, and treated as classics in the true 'collecter' sense of the word.

imfreenow.blogspot.com said...

Did I tell you I bought a new Electra Townie?!!!

I knew you'd be excited for me. I love it. It rides different with banana seat type handles.

Bike Bubba said...

Gino; precisely. If you can change a tire, turn a screw to fix the derailleur, and pack a bearing, you can get a great bike for cheap this way.

Gabrielle: a bike with a motor? Oh well... :^) Seriously, hope you enjoy it a lot.

imfreenow.blogspot.com said...

I took my cue from you Bert. I bought a new one because the cost of fixing up an old one seemed to be close to a new one.