Much Freeze, Very Snowing - Wow!

   Please excuse the bizarre language, but the internet and nutty weather have affected my speech. In an attempt to appear "hip" with my sons, I try to stay up on the latest memes, this one involving a dog named Kabosu (below) and the broken English an animal might use on its own website. Maybe I've just been spending too much time indoors!

   Not too much project progress to report, but I have been continuing my "bike brokering", this time for my brother-in-law's sister-in-law. Yep, the word of my cycle searching magic is spreading to the far reaches of family and friends. This would the sixth bike-find I've done for someone during the calendar year!

   At one of our recent holiday get-togethers, I overheard some talk of wanting to start regular cycling workouts, with the key words being, "But I need to find a quality, affordable bike." Turns out the person was talking to my wife, and it was someone I knew pretty well. I (politely) asked for a couple general measurements and if she had any preferences in color or style.

   Brianna was shocked that less than a week later I had already come up with a promising bike - an older Cannondale hybrid for sale on craigslist. The bike was described as very lightly used and had just been sitting in storage. I'm not sure how long the owner had been trying to unload it, but the bike retailed originally for over $1200 and she was looking to dump it for only $250.

   The whole process of trying to contact the owner and set up a meet became rather amusing. I had explained that my homeschooling situation made for a flexible schedule, but she preferred the weekend. Despite my initial request for a phone number, the seller kept sending back emails, perhaps just gauging my interest at first.

   She eventually told me that she was going to be away for a couple of days, and that she'd let me know when they were back home. Although I sent my phone number with my last note, she sent a message upon her return via email, but this time she included a phone number. Unfortunately, as we later found out, she had a couple digits transposed, and I kept getting an "out of service" message.

   I kept wondering why we couldn't just get a meeting time and an address from her. After another email exchange and a phone call to the correct number, the seller explained that she didn't just send an address because her house doesn't come up on Google or GPS very accurately. I sensed an adventure!

   Sue and I took a nice drive out through the snow-covered suburbs just outside of Reading, knowing this wouldn't be a wasted trip in any case. Based on the information provided and the pictures I had seen, I really had every intention of buying the bike, whether Bre wanted it or not, since I knew I could tune it up and sell it rather easily.

   As we pulled down an unpaved and VERY pitted drive weaving through some sketchy looking shacks, Sue and I couldn't help humming the theme to Deliverance. We came to a T in the road, and things improved a bit with some homes that were more like boathouses, lining a wide creek that looked navigable for small craft.

   The directions were good, but the bike sitting out front made the house easy to find. The only thing I was really concerned about were the wheels possibly being of low quality, but they turned out to be built from nice Ritchey rims and Shimano Deore hubs. The bike had some light oxidation on chrome areas from being stored in such a damp environment, but nothing that couldn't be polished out with some steel wool and light oil.

   I was pleased to find the frame was pristine, but the cables would need to be replaced and the the tires were starting to rot. I wondered if, by pointing those items out, she might lower the price another $25, and was happy to come up with the right result! 

   I am going to replace the foam hand grips with some modern anatomical rubber grips, and replace the knobby 38 mm tires with some Continental 28 mm versions with less rolling resistance. I think after I put all the parts and work into this machine, I could get $400+, but I'm going to offer it to Bre for $300. 

   

My Epiphany

   Well, maybe really more of a realization, but I thought the word was appropriate, considering the date. Anyway, I’m finding that during the winter, the pickings during my eBay searches for parts have been pretty slim. It is testing my patience a bit more than usual, but I’m in no real hurry to complete my projects, so I have to hang tough. This lull, however, has helped to confirm my idea that it would be smart to sell these bikes closer to springtime, when people will be looking for something to ride.

   On the bright side, shortly before Christmas I finished up my 4000 mile goal with a couple of shorter spins around the neighborhood. The temperatures were colder than that in which I like to ride, but I figured (correctly!) that the weather could turn even worse, so I rigged up a string of battery-powered LED Christmas lights on my bike and installed head and tail lights for extra safety on two separate evening rides. I wish I had a dollar for all of the double-takes I received from drivers or people out walking their dogs!

   I haven’t had a whole lot of luck with the remaining parts for the Colnago, although I did find an appropriate set of wheels built up from Mavic M40 clincher rims and Campagnolo hubs. Although the wheels were true laterally, the rear wheel was unfortunately a bit out of round. The seller refunded me the money to have the wheel fixed, so I took it over to Bikesport for repair.

   There was a bit of a setback when I went to assemble the drivetrain for the Colnago, finding the bottom bracket spindle to be too narrow, which would cause the chainrings to rub on the frame. This will be a matter of finding a part of the correct length, which is no major problem, just another annoying delay.

   I had picked up a group of Campagnolo Chorus carbon components (photo above) for the Pinarello shortly before Christmas, including brake/shifter levers, front and rear derailleurs with the appropriate cassette and chain. The clump of plastic wrap in the photo is the still-unwrapped cassettes (an additional Campagnolo-compatible version was included, which I will eventually sell) that both needed a good cleaning! I also purchased a Fulcrum Racing T wheelset, all at very reasonable prices.

   When I look at the total for the Pinarello Prince project so far, it seems a bit high, but I got good deals on the carbon parts, so it could be much worse. I keep thinking of a line I hear repeatedly on American Pickers, “Only buy things you really like, then you won’t feel bad if you get stuck with them.” Well, if I do have any trouble selling the Prince after building it up, I could always switch out the less expensive Shimano Ultegra components on my own Pinarello FP2 and replace them with the Campagnolo parts. I can’t say I’d really be crying about that!

   I spent some time over Christmas vacation removing as much of the damaged decals as I could with a plastic scouring pad, then I used the edge of an X-acto knife to gently scrape out the remaining pieces. Because the decals had cracked under the clear coat, I had to sand everything smooth, which caused some paint loss to the white highlighted areas. I have since been in touch with a local airbrush artist about touching up those spots before I can replace the logos with a new vinyl decal set.

   Again, I’m in no great rush to get this all done, but I am excited to see how this turns out. Even if I have to scale down the project and sell it as an Ultegra version, I won’t be too disappointed since I am enjoying the “work”. If I become really desperate to get rid of the bike, I could always turn to a couple of Flyers fans who I know would get a charge out of the orange and black paint job!