This right here is my bike. I know it doesn't look like much, but it's what I have to work with. My coworker gave it to me after he realized his father was going to throw it out. It was sitting in his dad's garage collecting dust and fighting off "bike cancer" (rust). He saw it just in time to save it. Now, it has made its way to my parent's house. I had to strip it down to bare metal so I could paint it.
Like this blog, it took me a while to get started. However, once I started putting things together, I couldn't stop. I'd rush home after school at 7:45 pm to work on it a little at a time. I started with the bottom bracket and worked my way from there. Slowly, things started coming together. Every week it started to look more like a functional bike.
I have to be honest, I almost didn't finish the bike. It was going to be one of those things that I started and never finished (story of my life really). The thing that kept me going was my coworker asking whether I was done with it or not. There was something in the way he asked that made me want to finish. For some reason, I didn't want to let him down. I finally bought the missing parts and put the bike together.
When I was done with it, I felt ecstatic. I wanted to ride it right away. I took it out of the work area and brought it out to the sidewalk. I hopped on the bike and started riding. Since it was a road bike, it felt awkward to be leaning forward. I thought I was riding it wrong. Nonetheless, I was riding and I could feel a slight breeze against my face. I felt free...until the chain broke. It split right in half. The was pedaling as fast as I could and I was still slowing down. Oh well, I guess I have to go back to working on it.
After a few days of going over my mistakes, I started working on it again. I got the chain back on and this time, I made sure everything was on tight. I got back on the bike and started riding. I made it past my parent's house, then the next, and before I knew it, I was turning around at the end of the cul de sac a few blocks down the road. The chain didn't fall off. The tire didn't come off of the drop outs. I was actually riding...
That's my bike. I've made a few changes to it since this photo. The handle bars are now bull horns and I got rid of the derailleurs and I'm biking as a single speed bike. I have to say, I'm very proud of it. I actually finished it.
The lesson I learned from this is that if I keep trying, I'll eventually finish. I guess it's not a new lesson for me, but it was something I had to be reminded of.
When I was done with it, I felt ecstatic. I wanted to ride it right away. I took it out of the work area and brought it out to the sidewalk. I hopped on the bike and started riding. Since it was a road bike, it felt awkward to be leaning forward. I thought I was riding it wrong. Nonetheless, I was riding and I could feel a slight breeze against my face. I felt free...until the chain broke. It split right in half. The was pedaling as fast as I could and I was still slowing down. Oh well, I guess I have to go back to working on it.
After a few days of going over my mistakes, I started working on it again. I got the chain back on and this time, I made sure everything was on tight. I got back on the bike and started riding. I made it past my parent's house, then the next, and before I knew it, I was turning around at the end of the cul de sac a few blocks down the road. The chain didn't fall off. The tire didn't come off of the drop outs. I was actually riding...
The lesson I learned from this is that if I keep trying, I'll eventually finish. I guess it's not a new lesson for me, but it was something I had to be reminded of.
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