Lucky's new (new) look

A little more than a year after I bought him, and after numerous twists and turns in his development, Lucky, my Corsaro 12-speed, finally is sporting the components and accessories he was meant to wear.  I think the end result is gorgeous and well worth the wait to get it right.

I purchased this bike strictly for the frame.  The idea was to take all the parts and components off my wrecked Specialized and transplant them onto the new bike.  One after the other, key parts refused to comply with this plan.  The old brakes were not a match for the new mounting system.  The old 700c wheels were too small for the new brakes to reach.  The list went on and on.  I was very disappointed that the plan to resurrect the Specialized didn't work out.

As is often the case in life, I am now eternally grateful that I didn't get my way.  As much as I liked the Specialized, it was absolutely nothing special to look at.  Grafting parts from a 1993 hybrid onto a gorgeous '70s frame would have been a travesty.  If you look at the earliest incarnations of the bike that would become known as Lucky Jitensha, you'll see what I mean.  The handlebars and twist shifters look horrible to my eye now. 

It's funny how tastes and perceptions change.  A year ago, the news that my old bike wouldn't be reborn on this frame was greatly disappointing.  Today, I'm embarrassed to say my wishes nearly kept this beautiful bike from being born.