The bike fairy cometh
a lot of people e-mailed today and let me know my last post was sad. blue. some of you bike-riding folks chastised me for not sweeping up the cruiser at the swap meet. rebecca (who only posts a comment when I include a picture of Monk) even commented. this e-support was peppered in the middle of a truly bad day. it's been a stressful week and today seemed like a sort of bad-week cherry.
the light at the end of the workday was my bike ride back home from the office. after climbing the Mission Rd hill, I turned into the neighborhood liqour store to pick up some tipple. it's always fun to visit the KCK liqour store in a chamois and jersey. they pretty much count me as already drunk. as i shoved my sixer into my messenger bag, i noticed a bright yellow Western Flyer (Fairway Flyer model) parked outside the second-hand store down the strip mall.
i booked my butt home, grabbed my checkbook and drove back to purchase the bike. talk about a great end to a bad day. and maybe a little visit by the bike fairy? i do think so. this little gem is now sitting in my garage, waiting for me to figure out what's wrong with the front tire tube. the back tire and tube are tight - inflate fine and are holding air. cosmetically, there are just a few blemishes. it's a 3-speed with front and rear brakes. need some new parts, but for 10 buckaroos, it's going to be a breeze to justify spending up. i think the biggest feat will be cutting the bike lock off the frame - anyone have some bolt cutters?
i need to do some more research on the year, etc., but its Western Flyer pedigree makes me pretty excited.
i need to get back to working on work (seriously, how am i expected to do this when the bike is mere feet away?), but wanted to post some pictures. if anyone has any info on this model, much obliged...i'll have to figure out some basic bike repair/restoration steps. but seriously, if i fix the front tire, the little yellow classic is ready to go for a few loops.
thank you, bike fairy, for brightening my day.
back to work....
the light at the end of the workday was my bike ride back home from the office. after climbing the Mission Rd hill, I turned into the neighborhood liqour store to pick up some tipple. it's always fun to visit the KCK liqour store in a chamois and jersey. they pretty much count me as already drunk. as i shoved my sixer into my messenger bag, i noticed a bright yellow Western Flyer (Fairway Flyer model) parked outside the second-hand store down the strip mall.
i booked my butt home, grabbed my checkbook and drove back to purchase the bike. talk about a great end to a bad day. and maybe a little visit by the bike fairy? i do think so. this little gem is now sitting in my garage, waiting for me to figure out what's wrong with the front tire tube. the back tire and tube are tight - inflate fine and are holding air. cosmetically, there are just a few blemishes. it's a 3-speed with front and rear brakes. need some new parts, but for 10 buckaroos, it's going to be a breeze to justify spending up. i think the biggest feat will be cutting the bike lock off the frame - anyone have some bolt cutters?
i need to do some more research on the year, etc., but its Western Flyer pedigree makes me pretty excited.
i need to get back to working on work (seriously, how am i expected to do this when the bike is mere feet away?), but wanted to post some pictures. if anyone has any info on this model, much obliged...i'll have to figure out some basic bike repair/restoration steps. but seriously, if i fix the front tire, the little yellow classic is ready to go for a few loops.
thank you, bike fairy, for brightening my day.
back to work....
posted by Andy Woolard at 7:43 PM
2 Comments:
Happiness is a $10 yellow bike! Congrats. Yellow lab, yellow bike... I think it's your theme color.
Nice find. Is it a geared hub? Sometimes the old ones are tough to deal with. I have yet to meet a chain or even U-lock that won't eventually yield to a hacksaw and patience.
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