In a message dated 2/3/2003 8:35:54 PM Eastern Standard Time,
morgan@hahaha.org writes:
> My old hobby is bikes. My most recent hobby has been vintage (Toyota)
> Land Cruisers. My current hobby is again bikes. My wife never liked
> the vintage Land Cruiser hobby, but she likes bikes. I am in the slow
> process of making the literature, toys, models, spare parts and one
> vehicle go out the door, and bit by bit bikes and frames and wheels
> are taking their place. She seems happy.
>
> Speaking of which, I am looking for a 2nd road bike for her, which she
> can keep at work and ride at lunch. I can probably find a decent
> mid-range Shimano 9spd road bike for under $500 that would suit her
> fine, but I think she'd like a vintage bike. She drove a '69 Karmann
> Ghia when I met her.
>
> Do any of you have something nice in a ~55cm road bike you'd part with
> for <= $500? Her previous bike was a 54cm Vitus, which she liked. Her
> current bike is a built-to-fit 55cm Landshark, which she loves.
>
> And just for the record, the same memes come up in the vintage Land
> Cruiser world as come up in the vintage road bike world: What is the
> "soul" of a cruiser? What is the ebay etiquette? What does restoration
> mean, and when is it correct to restore versus renovate? What is the
> timeline for <esoteric feature>? When is the next get-together?
> et cetera
>
> Now if I could just trade my bone-stock '63 FJ40 for a Bianchi Folgore
> in something like a 60cm...
>
> Morgan Fletcher
> Sunny Oakland, CA
> _________
Morgan
I spent about two years chasing iron oxide around my ancient FJ40.
$500 on that 'wandering generality' (you'll know what I mean by 'wander' and
'rust')
bought me a bunch of urethane bushings and washers to try to fix the front
suspension and a few tanks of gasoline to get me into more trouble.
I liked the removable top and the 'bobish' feeling from something a bit outof
the ordinary box. I was most happy with it at least twice - mainly upon its
purchase and sale.
For reference, in the modern emporia $500 will get you brand new Chinese road bike in a shop, (Taiwan if it's a Fuji)or a decent (north) American Spinergy rear wheel.
There are some vintage frames pretty nice for that price as well- and some bikes too if you are willing to look or find a sleeper.
Good luck - I really did like the FJ when it worked but the days shortened to 24 hours and I got cut to 7 of them each week and the two-wheel calling intensified so I had to make the choice
Welcome back
Larry Black
Mt airy, Md.