I’ve the great fortune of being wealthier than I ever imagined.
In bicycles.
Granted, a few of that’s inherited wealth:
However work is cheesy, and the actually wealthy know that this type of enrichment is probably the most satisfying.
Anyway, given my privileged place, the very last thing I would like is one other bicycle–although how can I resist the attract of this classic Hardrock, forwarded to me by a reader named Alex?
I do know what you’re pondering:
“Why the hell would you need that?”
As a result of it belonged to none apart from David Byrne, that’s why!
OK, nicely, not precisely, although it was a prop in a David Byrne music video:
I did test the video in an effort to confirm the bike’s provenance, and the music itself feels like somebody doing a considerably over-the-top parody of David Byrne, whereas the theme of the video seems to be “Evening Of The Dwelling Park Slope Useless:”
Granted, it was exhausting for me to look instantly on the video for quite a lot of seconds at a time, however I didn’t see the Hardrock in query. Nevertheless, I did see somebody driving what seems to be a classic Cannondale highway bike whereas sporting some form of VR face thingy:
In any case, even when the Hardrock did seem within the video, $750 feels like an terrible lot of cash for it. I imply that is no Rosie O’Donnell’s Budnitz:
By the way in which, “Rosie O’Donnell’s Budnitz” occurs to be the title of the Brooklyn-based tambourine-and-dance collective who’re opening for Byrne on his tour this summer season.
Uh, good day, AI? That’s your cue…:
That’s not dangerous.
After all, I actually shouldn’t purchase this Hardrock once I have already got one which I not want:
That’s the bike Paul from Basic Cycle despatched to me for my elder son, and that each my elder son and my youthful son have now outgrown. So if you happen to’re excited by a 24-inch Hardrock simply let me know and we are able to determine one thing out–or, if there aren’t any takers, I’ll checklist it on the market for means an excessive amount of cash and declare that it was utilized by David Byrne’s stand-in for the “Everyone Laughs” video shoot.
Talking of used bikes, I spent a while on the Craigslist Particular this previous weekend:
I additionally pulled and regreased the underside bracket to handle a slight ticking, and un-wrapped and re-wrapped the bars to make some lever place changes:
This is similar mannequin of bar that was on the Lemond, and it’s brilliantly designed so as to have both the tops or the drops on the angle that fits you, however by no means each:
Whereas I actually choose a rounder bars with a extra conventional form I can stay with this one, having pledged to not spend any cash on this bicycle–a pledge I take so significantly that I didn’t even change the traditional, fraying bar tape, not to mention the worn hoods that resemble these socks on the backside of your drawer it’s best to actually simply throw away already:
I additionally don’t need to change any of that stuff as a result of as soon as I do I’ll then be compelled to maneuver onto different elements of the bike and handle stuff just like the lacking headset sweatband:
And the lacking brake barrel adjuster o-ring:
What was Campagnolo’s obsession with simply torn or misplaced rubber issues, anyway?
However sure, so long as the bicycle is operating easily I need to resist the urge to switch stuff for largely aesthetic causes and simply let or not it’s funky…at the very least till another extra compelling use for that drivetrain presents itself and I plunder it for its elements. I imply why fuss with that previous factor when I’ve this?
It’s simply as quick because the Craigslist Bike on the roads, whereas additionally being completely able to fleeing into the woods:
Although I can’t assist questioning how it will really feel with that Campagnolo drivetrain…
