bike bike bike...I have three bikes now.
Aug. 27th, 2009 04:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aprilstarchildBought the Miyata 210. It's from 1985, I looked at scans of catalogs. It's a beautiful bike, and fits me wonderfully. It's also light enough that I can pick it up one-handed (triple-butted chromoly, woot). When I put loaded panniers on it, it handles much better than the mixte does. It has smaller cranks than the mixte. Also, a tiny granny gear and down-tube ratcheting shifters. It feels so much different and wonderful to ride a bike that's actually designed for touring.
The only downside to this bike: the seat post is frozen. As in, I can't move the seat up and down because the part that holds it up is stuck in the bike frame. If A Better Cycle can't get it out, there's apparently a guy at the Bike Gallery on Sandy that can. With the current (incredibly shitty) saddle, the seat is almost high enough. If I put my recently-purchased kick-ass saddle on it, I'll be sitting an inch lower because it's not so padded. (Note to non-cyclists: On longer rides, really squishy seats hurt like hell. Your sit-bones sink so far into the seat that everything else gets pinched.) So I need to be able to move the seat post. When a mechanic at Bikeworks on Mississippi tried to get the seat post out, with a HUGE wrench, some "liquid wrench," and both Shawn and I holding the frame, I couldn't look, I was so terrified of the frame being damaged. It's clear we're not the first people to try, as the seat post is scraped up all over from wrenches/hammers/god only knows what. Apparently the dude at Bike Gallery takes hacksaws and drills to stubborn seat posts. Or torches, even; although there goes the paint.
One way or another, that seat post is coming out.
On a positive note: a friend who is a Miyata fanatic, and two different mechanics, have told me that I got a deal on the Miyata. "A used touring bike in a hard-to-find size, in fairly good shape? You struck it lucky." I do wish I'd known how frozen that seat post was, I could have talked her down more. I paid $265, she was asking $300.
I'm thinking of selling the mixte. It'll be a while before I can afford to turn into an awesome city bike. Meanwhile, I'd be riding the Miyata because it's easier and more comfortable. Our garage does not have room for so many bicycles. I'm not selling the Raleigh. When I'm ready, I can find a lighter mixte frame on craigslist.
So Shawn learned something new about me on Wednesday, which is that I don't handle frustration well. We spent a couple of hours getting a borrowed rack onto the Miyata, before biking to Battleground Lake in Washington to camp overnight. This involved two trips to Community Cycling Center and a lot of swearing, because the holes on the Miyata's braze-ons are a different size than the holes on the rack, and the rear wheel is bolted on (wtf?) among other issues. We put the panniers on and the fenders started rubbing on the tire, we fixed that and the tire was rubbing on a chainstay, and on and on. Once we got it all working to our mutual satisfaction, I wanted to rest for a few minutes before we left for Battleground Lake. Shawn and I walked downstairs, I lay down....and burst into tears. I sobbed for several minutes before I calmed down. This is why I'd make a terrible bike mechanic. Every time I had trouble with something, I'd either throw stuff, or start crying.
The only downside to this bike: the seat post is frozen. As in, I can't move the seat up and down because the part that holds it up is stuck in the bike frame. If A Better Cycle can't get it out, there's apparently a guy at the Bike Gallery on Sandy that can. With the current (incredibly shitty) saddle, the seat is almost high enough. If I put my recently-purchased kick-ass saddle on it, I'll be sitting an inch lower because it's not so padded. (Note to non-cyclists: On longer rides, really squishy seats hurt like hell. Your sit-bones sink so far into the seat that everything else gets pinched.) So I need to be able to move the seat post. When a mechanic at Bikeworks on Mississippi tried to get the seat post out, with a HUGE wrench, some "liquid wrench," and both Shawn and I holding the frame, I couldn't look, I was so terrified of the frame being damaged. It's clear we're not the first people to try, as the seat post is scraped up all over from wrenches/hammers/god only knows what. Apparently the dude at Bike Gallery takes hacksaws and drills to stubborn seat posts. Or torches, even; although there goes the paint.
One way or another, that seat post is coming out.
On a positive note: a friend who is a Miyata fanatic, and two different mechanics, have told me that I got a deal on the Miyata. "A used touring bike in a hard-to-find size, in fairly good shape? You struck it lucky." I do wish I'd known how frozen that seat post was, I could have talked her down more. I paid $265, she was asking $300.
I'm thinking of selling the mixte. It'll be a while before I can afford to turn into an awesome city bike. Meanwhile, I'd be riding the Miyata because it's easier and more comfortable. Our garage does not have room for so many bicycles. I'm not selling the Raleigh. When I'm ready, I can find a lighter mixte frame on craigslist.
So Shawn learned something new about me on Wednesday, which is that I don't handle frustration well. We spent a couple of hours getting a borrowed rack onto the Miyata, before biking to Battleground Lake in Washington to camp overnight. This involved two trips to Community Cycling Center and a lot of swearing, because the holes on the Miyata's braze-ons are a different size than the holes on the rack, and the rear wheel is bolted on (wtf?) among other issues. We put the panniers on and the fenders started rubbing on the tire, we fixed that and the tire was rubbing on a chainstay, and on and on. Once we got it all working to our mutual satisfaction, I wanted to rest for a few minutes before we left for Battleground Lake. Shawn and I walked downstairs, I lay down....and burst into tears. I sobbed for several minutes before I calmed down. This is why I'd make a terrible bike mechanic. Every time I had trouble with something, I'd either throw stuff, or start crying.
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removing seat tubes
Date: 2009-08-28 04:46 am (UTC)If that didn't work, cut the top off the post, stick a sawblade inside and saw a slot all the way down the post. Repeat the vise process, crushing the post.
And frustration is another reason why paying a mechanic for stuff is worth it.
Re: removing seat tubes
Date: 2009-08-28 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 05:16 pm (UTC)Anyway... are you going to the party on Friday? (I'll also be at the ride on Saturday - sounds fun!) I want to gawk at your bike. Huuurr.
omg you know... I need to clean the gearing of my bike. it's all fucked up and I'm always too lazy to do it because I have no place in this house for bikes and the housemate's car takes up the entire driveway
no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 05:57 pm (UTC)And Shawn is a very patient dude. I consider myself lucky.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 11:41 pm (UTC)On top of that, the frame itself is fairly heavy, a bunch of the paint is chipped off, parts of it are starting to rust, and there are a few stickers peeling off.
I'm going to wait a couple of weeks before I decide for sure to sell it, partially because I'm going to take a few things off of it and put them on the Miyata, including the pedals (with toe cages) and the saddle I just bought. I have another saddle and pedals to put on the bike. If you've never ridden with toe cages, you probably wouldn't want to anyway, and the saddle is fine for most rides around town.