Lest we forget



Andre Jute wrote:
> A bicycle is transport, not jewelry. -- Andre Jute


It's not jewelry, that is right, but for most of us it isn't transport
either.
If you ride bike, you might as well ride a nice bike...

Lou
 
On May 21, 12:47 am, [email protected] wrote:
> On May 20, 6:02 am, Andre Jute <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > A bicycle is transport, not jewelry. -- Andre Jute

>
> Andre,
> Astonishing brevity.
> Why can't a bike be both?
> I saw a deep green Lemond at the Tour of California that nearly took
> my breath away, and yet it transported just fine.
> ABS


Who was that johhny who apologized for sending a long letter because
he didn't have time to send a short one?

I could pretend it was a troll but in fact I just didn't have my mind
in gear. I was thinking, again, about how godawfully ugly the ali
welds are on all my current bikes which in all other respects please
me mightily, and that post was me muttering to myself, trying to
persuade myself that I don't really need the custom lugged stainless
steel frame I'm itching to order...

Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE HUMOUR.html
 

> On May 21, 12:47 am, [email protected] wrote:


> > Why can't a bike be both?
> > I saw a deep green Lemond at the Tour of California that nearly took
> > my breath away, and yet it transported just fine.


Just gotta keep the perspective on what is primary (transport) and what
is secondary (eye candy). Years back I had a friendly exchange with a
guy in NZ who didn't want to ruin the fancy paint job (six coats of
lacquer) on his M/C fuel tank in order to fix a leak that made the M/C
unusable. Eventually I talked him around to grasping that getting it
usable was the more important aspect, and the appearance could be fixed
up later, if desired.

Andre Jute <[email protected]> wrote:

> I was thinking, again, about how godawfully ugly the ali
> welds are on all my current bikes which in all other respects please
> me mightily,


So, get a grinder and a flap wheel, or a coarse Scotchbrite conditioning
disc, and fix em. Some folks ooh and ahh over that "stack of dimes"
look, others prefer a less pronounced weld appearance. Metal can be
moved. Contrariwise, you could fillet over them with Bondo ;-)

With a little masking tape, you could even paint on "lugs".

Personally I'm debating between flat camo, flat black, blaze orange and
random poorly brushed on colors for reworking a couple of revived
junkers, but my aim is the opposite of eye candy - I want the bike no
self-respecting thief would bother with, that gets me from point A to
point B. Some rust is good in this light, but too much is worrisome.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
 
On May 21, 3:49 am, Ecnerwal <[email protected]>
wrote:
> > On May 21, 12:47 am, [email protected] wrote:
> > > Why can't a bike be both?
> > > I saw a deep green Lemond at the Tour of California that nearly took
> > > my breath away, and yet it transported just fine.

>
> Just gotta keep the perspective on what is primary (transport) and what
> is secondary (eye candy). Years back I had a friendly exchange with a
> guy in NZ who didn't want to ruin the fancy paint job (six coats of
> lacquer) on his M/C fuel tank in order to fix a leak that made the M/C
> unusable. Eventually I talked him around to grasping that getting it
> usable was the more important aspect, and the appearance could be fixed
> up later, if desired.
>
>  Andre Jute <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I was thinking, again, about how godawfully ugly the ali
> > welds are on all my current bikes which in all other respects please
> > me mightily,

>
> So, get a grinder and a flap wheel, or a coarse Scotchbrite conditioning
> disc, and fix em.


Take a grinder to an aluminum frame? You're joking, of course. There's
a reason the warranty on an ali frame is voided when you repaint it:
before painting comes sanding.

> With a little masking tape, you could even paint on "lugs".


Nah, nothing but the real thing.

Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE & CYCLING.html