Tuesday, 10/26

 I had no idea that a thirty year old bike could be such a conversation piece.

This is the bike in question--

It's what I refer to as my “auxiliary bike”. It's a mountain bike I bought in the early 90s, a bike that now sits at work in case I need to get somewhere in a hurry. It's not my “bike” bike; that would be the Giant I picked up a few years ago.

Yet my old Shogun, my “aux bike”, seems to have become a conversation piece. I used it when I gave a bike tour for the History Center a few months ago, and there were a couple of people on the tour who seemed more interested in the 30-year old bike I was riding than in the tour itself. When people stop into the station and see it, they feel the need to comment on it, either about its age or its size..

Apparently, without even trying, my 30-year old auxiliary bike has become a conversation piece.

And I guess I can kind of see why. For one, it's old. For two, it's heavy. It has a solid metal frame, and seems to weigh several thousand pounds, unlike the lightweight bikes (like my Giant) of today. For three, it's a weird color. And for four, well...it's old. And I'm still using it.

Go figure, right?

I'm almost tempted to put it up on something like eBay or Craigslist & see how much I could get for it. After all, it's in good shape and it gets used quite often, so you know it works. Some people may not like the hybrid street/mountain tires that are on it, but I personally think that gives the bike a little personality. So I'd be curious—if people seem compelled to comment on it when they see it, how much would they actually pay for it?

Not that I'm planning on selling it, mind you. I'd just be curious.

Because it's old and not my primary bike I actually use it even when the weather's crappy, at least until the snow gets a little too thick or slippery to maintain any semblance of control while I'm riding. So when the weather starts to get to the point where I don't want to take my good bike out, I know that I'm still able to ride, should I want to.

And it's all thanks to a 30-year old conversation piece.

(jim@wmqt.com)