Old is new again! or Re-building used bikes can be fun.

Note the algae and mineral formations. Yum.

SOOooo I dragged an old battered Bridgestone out of the back of the shop. It was headed for land-fill-ville but it was a BRIDGESTONE... so i figured I'd try to save it. Some disrespectful sod left it by a river for a season or two. Everything was rusted solid and the seatpost was stuck in the frame. With Andrew's urging I broke out the torch and with the help of a LARGE pipe wrench- we both "got medieval" on the poor beast. After some profanity, grunting, snorting and a pause for beer opening we achieved mission completion. Seatpost out. Check. Now to business. There was no un-doing the patina of age on the frame itself- but I figured this was "character". I kind of like it- and besides it would cost too much to paint or powdercoat it. I stripped EVERYTHING and rebuilt the 'ol girl from the ground up using a mix of old and new parts with the intent of creating a budget town bike that would haul a**. I used a compact road crank with a 7 speed mountain cassette, Avid Shorty brake arms and new wheels and tires. It wound up at 26.1 lbs and it goes FAST. AND the best part is the AWESOME 1980's English/Japanese slogans on the seatube. Classic!!! Sometimes random projects are fun. :)

She is SOOo happy now with sparkly new parts!