Wrong. There were a couple dozen booths set up, and some genuinely interesting bikes and bargains. And, I'm told, the good stuff was gone within a few minutes of the "official" start time of 8 a.m.
I saw plenty of bikes to admire, but only two that I had to actively resist buying. One was this Fleetwood, made for Sears in the 1960s. It's a lovely chrome 3-speed, filet brazed and shining like a new dime. It does, though, weigh about the same as three less beautiful bikes combined.
The other great temptation was this Bianchi folding bike. I honestly don't know why I didn't scoop it up on the spot, as I've always wanted a folding bike and this one was of top quality and condition.
A little while later, I saw that there had been a good reason for me to not become the new owner of the Bianchi. It was bought by the one person who could give it a better home than me! Andrea, pictured here with her beautiful new bike, is the co-owner of Hot Italian, a downtown restaurant that celebrates the bicycle and all things Italian. She's been a huge help to cycling in Sacramento and has a gorgeous venue on 16th Street in which to showcase this bike alongside the Vespas and gelato.
Congratulations, Andrea!
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That is an excellent addition to her Colnago.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled upon your blog. Very nice. I enjoyed your stories on the Sac Bike Swap. I'm the guy who initiated it -- I volunteer with the Friends of Fremont Park and contacted the Sac Bike Kitchen. So far all the comments have been very positive, we'll more then likely do it again next year. I have a similar story to yours on biking, getting re-introduced to it just last year. It's been a lot of fun -- though, I wear spandex for those long rides...
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Nico. I'm sure I'll see you in the park one of these days... I was there a ton during the Amgen Tour weekend. Hope to meet in person one of these days.
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