"Lucky" -- the rebirth of Obi (sort of)

Just about four weeks after I wrecked my beloved Specialized hybrid in a ridiculous wreck (see here) I brought home my new bike -- a 70s era Corsaro that was supposed to feature the components from the wrecked bike. Complications arose and the final product ended up including very few of the old parts. (Details here)

Nevertheless, it's a beautiful bike in its own regard.

The crew at Peak Adventures put in a huge amount of work to conquer the incompatibility of old and new parts.  Particularly vexing were the fenders.  The SKS 45s that were on the Specialized wouldn't fit, and the 35s I ordered weren't going quietly either.  Ryan,  a.k.a. "The Hammer," cut, dremeled (sp?) and fabricated until they worked.

A couple of very pleasant outcomes -- the SRAM shifters from the Specialized looked ugly on the bars of the new bike.  Thankfully, they didn't work well with the new bike's cogs and I went back to the original (and infinitely better looking) stem-mounted stick shifters.  The bike looks 100 times better without the big, black shifters on the bars.

Getting rid of the twist shifters meant losing the ugly black grips as well.  This cleared the way for cork grips, now sporting a couple coats of shellac.  Unvarnished cork grips are softer on the hands and a delight, but they get dirty almost immediately.  Two coats of clear shellac produced a rich golden color that will go very well with the Brooks B17 honey saddle I'm hoping Santa brings... for Thanksgiving.  Who can wait for Christmas when this bike so clearly demands a honey Brooks B17 Special?