OTIS AND THE BIKE RIDE

The Bicycle: Part 1

The Beginning

This is the story of my bike, from when I purchased it used from a customer at my bike shop to the moment I left on my adventure. I bought the bike back in mid March from some guy who brought it into the shop. He was curious how much it would cost to fix it up, as I guess it had been sitting in his garage. A standard tuneup starts at $45. I guess he wasn't that interested. One of the other employees knew that I was looking for a new bike and told me about it. I looked it over, seemed to be in good condition. The guy said he would take $50 for it. Hot damn! I'll take it!

He left it, and I told him I would pay as soon as I got my paycheck in a few days. I had one of the guys from service look it over. With a little air in the tires, it was basically good to go. Amazing. That was exactly what I needed - a good road bike. So I took it home.

Over the next few months I made some modifications on my own. I changed the brake levers for some newer ones, swapped the bar tape - white to black. I purchased brand new wheels from a girl that was buying a new bike at the shop and getting some custom wheels. I got a good deal on them. I needed them because the ones on it were old and weak. I was breaking a lot of spokes. The new wheels had a single-speed hub in the rear, which is what I wanted. So I removed the deraileurs and shifters, swapped out the front chainring for one that works with single speed. Before I knew it, I had gone from 10 speeds to just one. It's perfect for commuting around the city. Simplicity is good, and there aren't too many hills in L.A. in most of the areas where I rode.

I also added a new seat that is much more comfortable than the old one. Eventually I took the rear rack off my old bike and put it on the Nishiki. Then, just a few days before I left, it was time for a new paint job. I had wanted to paint this bike since I bought it. I wanted to paint my old bike, too, but I just never had a chance. It takes at least a whole day to paint a bike, more days if you actually do it right, sanding and removing the old paint, etc. Luckily I had Joey and Frank to help me, which sped the process right along. I took the thing apart, except for the cranks, because I don't really know what I'm doing down there. Then we cleaned it and sanded the paint job a little bit, rough it up so the paint will hopefully stick. We started with a coat of orange. It didn't cover the old paint very well, but the next coat of yellow took care of that. I originally wanted to paint the bike just like a school bus, as I am the Busdriver, but I decided to go with something simpler and bright for touring. I gotta be seen. So yellow and orange seemed like the perfect choices. I love bright colors.

Joey did pretty much all of the painting. I have never been an expert spray painter. Joey has plenty of experience. He did a much better job and in probably half the time it would have taken me. I'm really happy with how it came out. Since we didn't remove the old paint job, this new one will eventually rub or chip off relatively easy, I think, but that's no matter. It looks awesome now, and however it looks when I'm done, it will be okay.

So I've got a Nishiki Olympic frame, some black Alexrims 700c wheels with Bontrager Hardcase tires at 700x28c, a 42-tooth chainring in the front, a 18-tooth sprocket in the rear, Look pedals, and a WTB seat. Other than the tires, none of this stuff is really meant for touring, but it doesn't matter. It will work. People have done much longer rides on much less qualified equipment, I'm sure. This bike is all I need. Anything it lacks will be compensated by my creativity and determination.