Karma, Not Always A Bitch

By now I guess you’ve figured out that I’m done flying. Also, I’m not looking for new challenges. In an effort to improve my quality of life, I bought a bicycle yesterday. But it is not just any bicycle.

To put it in perspective, I must back up more than 40 years. Teri and I were newly married, had just bought our first house and were raising a family. We lived in Thousand Oaks where I was stationed at the Battalion 3 headquarters of the Ventura County Fire Dept. I was newly promoted to engineer and only managed to get such a good assignment because I was the only one to bid on the new ladder truck (the first and only ladder truck in the department) which was housed there. The best part of the assignment was being able to ride my bike to work.

We couldn’t afford the bike I wanted ($600 and up) but I found a used bike that really fit the bill. It was an Allegro. Original equipment was the best and the frame was super light. They were made in Switzerland or Sweden, one of those “S” countries, I’m not sure which. Anyway, the owner had customized it and ridden it hard so I got it for $250, less than a third of it’s original selling price. My plan was to ride it and eventually replace all of the new components with original equipment.

I was still riding it when we moved to Colorado in 1980. With no new gear. It was such a nice riding bike the way I bought it that I couldn’t see sinking another $1000+ to restore it. I wrote to Allegro and asked how I could refinish the frame like the original factory finish (it was a super complicated combination of chrome, candy apple red paint and black candle soot all covered with clear lacquer).  They wrote back and gave me all new decals for the frame and detailed the process. They said that the bike was made in 1965 and it wasn’t made anymore.

About this time (1990) we moved to Alaska. I boxed up the bike and packed it in the UHaul; figuring that some day I’d rebuild it. Turns out that McGrath was not the place for a skinny tire road bike, so it stayed in the box while we got new mountain bikes.

After the turn of the century (remember all that concern about Y2K ?) we were in Soldotna and I finally unpacked the bike. Imagine my unpleasant surprise when I discovered that somehow it had gotten wet and all the frame was covered in rust pits. I didn’t have the will to nurse it back to riding condition. I decided I’d look for someone to take it off my hands since I had purchased a used Motobecane and loved it. So, I took it to the local bike shop where I knew the owner and asked him if he knew any kids that might be up to the project. One of the high school kids that worked for him was delighted to take it off my hands. I told him he could have it for free if he promised to not give up on it until he put it back together and had ridden it. He was very happy with the arrangement.

Last week I walked into the shop to find the same kid (somehow he had grown up and was management now) was still there. I asked him, “Do you still have that bike I gave you?”.

He answered, “Yes, it is still my favorite bike”. Too bad cause I was hoping to buy it off him. Then he said, “But I have another one, if you are interested”.

So he brought it out and we discussed what new components it would need, agreed on a price and he had it all done yesterday. Here it is.

Even Madonna approves.

It is not the same fancy frame as the other one but it fits me better and I love it.

Took my first ride around town today and it is sweet.

Summer is a lot of fun around here when you aren’t frantically chasing the red run. There is a good chance that I will not even wet a line to catch reds this year. Sure takes the pressure off.

I plan to ride a lot.

After all, the weather is perfect for it.