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TheFlyingIguana's mountain bike blog 
March 25, 2009
I finally found it in an old tin building full of scrap wood, old lawnmowers, and whatever else the Wallace Clan didn’t feel like hauling out of there, leaning on the wall and its flat tires, slowly rusting away. The twenty year old mud still caked to the brakes reminded me of the last time I rode it. Maybe it was the eighties era “splatter-paint” paint job or the “Made in the USA” that gave me the sense of determination to decide to ride this thing sixty-six miles, or maybe it was that big sticker on the front that read “HUFFY”. Now, I had to get myself and this bike in shape for the ride.
After ambitiously signing up for an SERC race, my first ever, I found out about the Oxford Double Decker. Basically a fund raiser and in the spirit of ambition signed up for the 66 mile option, totally scoffing at the ten, twenty-five, and fifty mile options. I don’t usually ride on the road. I prefer the dirty twisty way rather than sharing the road with mindless motorists (like myself). But it was a good cause . . . some no kill animal shelters. Something I can relate to, as my wife of one year got me a Hurricane Katrina Refugee for my birthday a few years ago. He’s a Miniature Doberman Pincer and his name is Conan. Not coNAN like the barbarian, COnan like the comedian. He’s totally spoiled, but after all, he’s an only child.
After I signed up for the 66miler I thought maybe I should find out more about the ride. It’s not a race it’s a ride. It’s fully supported. It’s on the road but escorted. It’s sixty-six miles long. It’s in hilly Lafayette County in Mississippi. There will be a van to pick me up if me or my bike poops out. Perfect.
My first self inflicted thirty miles wasn’t bad. It was on John E. Rankin Highway which runs parallel to the Tombigbee River and has plenty of hills and turns. . . and dogs. My newish GT Marathon 3.0 was doing great with the steep grades of the road but I noticed that I was carrying a lot of extra weight and losing some energy with the full suspension frame I had been so in-love-with while blazing through the rock garden on the B.U.M.P. trail at Oak Mountain State Park a few weeks earlier. Also for the first time my brand new tires were showing signs of wear. Soft off road rubber does this if rubbed against asphalt too much. I thought “Maybe I should get some slick tires for the road.” But the thought of changing tires depending on my planned ride didn’t sound smart. New rims and tires would be nice but good ones with the disc break hubs were too pricey for me at the time, so I eventually decided I’d either stick with what I had or find an old bike and put some street tires on it, then I got to thinking . . . “where’s dad’s old ten speed?” After looking everywhere, I found it in much disrepair, to say the least. The chain was rusted into a solid piece of rust.
The tear-down was some of the most fun I’ve had with a set of wrenches. Inspecting and assessing parts that could be kept and those I had replacements for. The rusty rims would have to go, I had lighter replacements. I’d have to keep the old breaks, due to the frame design, but the pads would need replacing, the crank set would be permanent also due to frame design. I could ditch the five pound rubber seat, but I had to keep post. The handlebar could be salvaged but a lighter one would be nice and some updated brake levers and shifters wouldn’t be bad either. I wouldn’t be buying many parts for this build. Luckily, I had a few spare bikes out back to rape.
I wanted to keep the “splatter-paint” paint job and 90210ish lettering just for nostalgia sake, but after coating the frame with rust converter and watching it turn almost completely black I realized I’d have to strip the frame. If for nothing else, to see if anything was under the splatter paint besides rust. A vision of the bike slowly crumbling apart as I rode flashed though my head. After some paint stripper and an hour or two of wire brushes and power tools my fears were calmed. I had a good sturdy frame with all its silvery steel and brass welds gleaming. I thought of clear-coating it then and there. But some small rust pits here and there begged for a cover-up. I went with Rustoleum White.
Once I got the bike back together I couldn’t help but stare it. It was a time capsule of bicycle technology. From the old double blade fork and steel frame, and the stainless steel Shimano “Tourney” derailiurs, to the lightweight aluminum rims with Shimano Deore LX hubs. I’m not sure if a person who hasn’t wrenched on the bike would be able to appreciate the bike for what it is but I, for one, am proud of this build up. It was a challenge and a pleasure.
Just to see what it would do I waited until it quit raining the day after the build and took it out for a couple miles around the neighborhood. Everything worked great. I noticed the difference between it and my mountain bike immediately. It quickly spun up to 25 mph going down a short hill. 2.3 miles later and back in the driveway I checked the speedometer and had an average speed of 14.7 with a max of 28.7. For just cruisin’ ‘round the ‘hood this bike is already much faster than my GT on the road. Weighing in at just over 30 lbs. makes it light for a Huffy and respectable for a 10 speed cruiser (or 16 speed in this case). Next I’ll ride the crap out of it in preparation for the Oxford Double Decker on April 25th. 66 Miles on my dad’s huffy. Can’t wait.
NOTE: I did some googleing and found that in the ’84 and ’88 Olympics (around the time this specimen was created) Team U.S.A. rode Huffy bikes to two gold two silver and a bronze medal. I’ll have to keep that in mind around mile 65. I wonder if the Olympians bought theirs at Wal-Mart.
1 comments
February 21, 2009
I've been riding every day lately. I didn't know there were so many trails in the area. I can tell I'm out of shape. I'll get back in shape. At least my March 29th when I'm riding in the SERC race #2. Hopefully I'll have a different bike by then also. The schwinn is gettin' old and crappy and it's a little small. I've got Ebay bids in on 3 of 'em and secretly hope I win all three bikes. But I know. I'll get one of 'em though.
The trails in MS are profoundly beautiful. I love the woods of MS. I reminds me of so many times in the past that happened in the woods. . . anyway. gotta get to it.
0 comments
May 26, 2008
I hit my one and only trail I've ever ridden' again yesterday. It was muddy and hot. I loved every minute of it. I got all scratched up and fell once. Like I said it was great. Planning a trip to Red Rocks CO. Let me know if you wanna go!
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April 3, 2008
Okay, I found a mountainbike trail (Amelia Earhart Park in Miami) and just hit it. I'd never done it befor and know no one who does it but I've always thougt it looked fun.
I was right. It was quite a departure from all the roads in south Florida, which are stright and flat. Tons of sharp curves and trees flying at me. I had a good time and was very impressed with my abilities. I passed a guy!
My new Schwinn I bought at Target for $250 was great also. I think it's the lightest bike I've ever riden. I saw alot of bikes that I recognized as costiing way over twice that, but for a beginner like me it was great. I had tons of fun and can't wait to try it again and maybe find some other trails around here, maybe even hit some in Denver when I go for my cousin's wedding.
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