Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Minor surgery

I will admit there have been times when I was worried about the bike I bought on Friday the 13th.

I named him "Lucky" to stave off any bad ju-ju, but when the plan to resurrect my wrecked Specialized on the new frame didn't work out (read about that here) and then the fenders proved to be a monumental puzzle... well, I was thinking the name wasn't enough to stand up against an onslaught of minor setbacks and headaches.

Here's how he looked when he came home (the first time):



And here's how he looked when he came home yesterday afternoon from minor surgery:




Notice anything different?  It's very minor, but it changed Lucky from a bike I felt sad about to one I'm going to love to ride.  Hint: he's a lot quieter now.

3 comments:

  1. Okay, I give up!
    All I see that's different on the post-op pic is that it's switched to a different gear, has a rear bag attached, and it also looks like you may have changed (cut down??..) the front fender, but I think that's just the light. Also, you could have replaced the brake pads to something less squeaky. Any of those guesses good?

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  2. Filigree, I am humbled and amazed!!! Not only are your guesses good, but you managed to spot the difference despite a number of red herrings... it was just photographic laziness that led to the saddle bag, different gear etc.

    But you are spot on with the fender adjustment! My mechanics tried valiantly to make it fit under the front brake, but ended up having to trim it just behind the brake mount. It's a slightly less classic look, but it's one I'll get used to quickly and, more importantly, it makes the bike a pleasure to ride.

    Once again, I am very impressed by your eagle eye for detail!

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  3. Cool, I got it! Must be my training in facial analysis + tendency towards bike anthropomorphism : )

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