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Jul 13, 2008
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Phoenix, AZ
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Hello all,

My name is Dave. I've been lurking around here for about a week and I think I've viewed every photo on the site by now. Love these old bikes and all bikes in general. It helps that I can't drive due to a visual impairment so coming up on 40 years old and never having a license will tend to get you into bikes. I've had lots of 'em over the years but I've spent the last ten trying to find one that I love as much as my old 80's Nishiki Pinnacle mountain bike. I gave her away like an idiot when she began losing her luster and I've never quite enjoyed another bike as much. I'm a newbie when it comes to the vintage stuff and, while I enjoy tinkering, I'm not much of a bike mechanic at present. At the moment, I've got a partially completed Soma Groove mountain bike project and a 2002 or so Trek Clyde mountian cruiser that I'm planning on getting rid of soon and, as of today, I'm the proud (maybe) owner of an old (60's or 70's) Rollfast cruiser I picked up on Craigslist here in sunny Phoenix. Here's a pic and I'll post more when I get some. I plan on tapping into the vast knowledge of all the members here as I begin to fix this new ride of mine up.
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Welcome. Why no licnese?
 
WELCOME!
 
I have no license due to a visual impairment called optic nerve atrophy. I'm extremely near sighted and it is not correctable with glasses although I do wear glasses that improve my vision just slightly. I do see well enough for cycling and frequently commute by bike. I'm also an avid scuba diver when I can get myself out of this miserable desert!
 
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity here. I can't ride without taking serious measures to protect my eyes and respiratory system, and some days the air quality is so bad I flat out can't leave the apartment, but like you, I ride.

If you like to tinker you'll pick up on the vintage bikes real quick. They aren't too complicated, yet they each have their own style and their own story. There's some darn nice bikes being manufactured today, at least the few left that aren't being thrown together in China, but they just don't seem to have the same character.

So what's riding like in Phoenix? On the plus side, you probably don't have to worry about getting caught in the rain very often, but you guys are pushing triple digits now, right? Do employers allow flexible scheduling hours to beat the heat? If not the ride home during the evening rush hour has got to be tough!!
 
Funny you should mention rain. We actually got a rare shower today which brought the tems down a bit. Normally it's pretty brutal at this time of year and I tend to hide away in the cool AC. I live in west Phoenix in a developing area. Few bike lanes and lots of gravel make commuting by bike an extreme sport. Fortunately, I'm about to begin working from home. I'm a middle school teacher and I'll be teaching via the Internet this year. I've never heard of anyone adjusting work hours for the heat but sounds like a good idea. Traffic is horrible around here.
 
hay how you doing ??? I live in east Mesa and can help you with any bike stuff. I,m retired and love to work on bikes. I have had 2 bike shops in my time and ran another for 6 years. What part of Phx. are you in ? 1 person asked if we have good rideing weather and do we adjust to it. Well 9 months of the year we have best weather in all of usa. for 3 months its hot. Some construction workers start at 4 am to beat the heat but most people deal with it thru air conditioners. Expensive but works. i just put one on my garage so i can work on ratrod bikes and my cars. welcome Bartleydad
 

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