Fixin' Miss P

I'm breathing new life into my mom's 1975 Peugeot UO-18, a white mixte frame that has seen better days. The old Simplex derailleurs were trashed (the front one has been useless for over 10 years; the rear, operational but brittle). Dad and I put on Nitto moustache handlebars last year and new brake pads, levers and cables, along with some fetching red handlebar tape. Little Miss P was looking foxy, but soon enough she will be even more stunning.

Dat's right folks, Miss P's gonna be a fixie.

I'm not quite sure how all this bike stuff started, or where I got the idea that I could do it myself (Sheldon Brown, overpromiser, your technical know-how goads me into action!). Johanna and a trip to London convinced me I could bike to work; Sean and I split two pitchers one night and biked home recklessly; the sense of moral superiority I have while biking is better than most other highs. Plus, there are tools and hardware and tinkering involved. I love tinkering.

So I stripped off the old derailleur and chain and accoutrements, dismembered the bike and flailed away at the cottered cranks before succumbing to the reality of my own inexperience and lack of appropriate tools. Took her into Light Street Cycles where Tim got out the power saw and attempted to cut through the spindle. Nary a dent. "Gee, this old 70's steel is pretty good," he said. So then he went after the cranks instead, slicing them right open along the cotterpins. Shazaam!

I degunked the BB shell and installed my shiny new japanese french thread cups and spindle. Still working on the adjustment and am hoping to swap the 165mm cranks off my new Nishiki for a crankset I got from the bike co-op. Got drunk Saturday night and bought a Formula/Alex wheelset off the internet along with a 15t cog and a lockring, so when those come I should almost be ready to work on the chainline. In the meantime I took a steelwool pad to my dingy chrome forks and polished them to a high sheen. The old Lyotard pedals are gonna look slick too once I get through with 'em.

It's nice to have a project again. Back in Gabon I made shelves and hinged mosquito screens and fancy lighting setups for my house, but it's been a while since I've had the opportunity to putter around and learn new skills. It's fantastic, but my cocktail conversations are a bit one-sided.

[me] "Dude, I heard you might be able to help me out with something."
[Art dude I met a couple times who stretched my Dominican Republic rooster painting] "Whatcha need?"
[me] "I need to pull some cranks."
[Art dude] "Sweet. I got a crank puller in my studio."
[awkard silence]
[me] "So maybe I should get your phone number or something?"

I also watched Breaking Away for the first time since 1986 and hotdamn! is it better the second time around. What a tight little coming of age story it is, with (bonus!) bike geek scenes! Watch as he chases girl on scooter after picking up her notebook from his bike without a wobble. Revel as he drafts off the Cinzano semi-truck and gets up to 50 mph. Rock out to the montage-eriffic sequence where he fixes up the old bike before the Little 500 and trues the wheels. Sigh when the Italians crush his dreams, and his father gives the old heart-to-heart. Cheer when his friends tape his bloody feet to his pedals for the final laps.

A perfect, compact little movie, especially when accompanied by three Natty Boh's. Go Cutters!