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Right after the BACK40 was built, in November of 2015, I spent a few days adding some recycled barn boards and roofing tin to 'finish off' the inside. That was pretty much it, till the snow melted in March the next Spring.
As I was chomping on the bit to build a bike, I got a note from my friend Matt (former member on RRB) that he had some bikes I might want to lool at. His first child was on the way, and he was downsizing. He knew how to play his cards right with his wife.
I buzzed across the metro to his lean-to shed where all the good stuff was stashed. He had this '40s Monark men's frame, with a original but tight and true wheelset, a bent fork, and rusty seat pan and stuck handlebars. He also had a woman's Monark of about the same vintage with great fenders, and a functional, albeit slightly bent original Monark springer fork.
I handed over what I assumed would be diaper money, and went home to build my first bike out of the BACK40.
With a combination of real and surreal rust, and a mash -up of the two bikes, along with a brand new pair of Fat Franks, and a thrift store leather purse seat cover; 'Faded Glory' was born. Dedicated to my father, a Navy communications officer on a aircraft carrier in Guam fornthe last two years of WWII. This bike is one of my favorites to ride, you can stand and 'pump' as we used to say in the '60s up hills, and the gearing is doable even for our hilly and 3 block long climbs around the neighborhood.
Tonight I cruised a 4 mile trek to the local gas station for an evening ice cream treat. And had a fire in the BACK40 to commemorate the coming holiday, and my self-proclaimed pyromaniac father.
As I was chomping on the bit to build a bike, I got a note from my friend Matt (former member on RRB) that he had some bikes I might want to lool at. His first child was on the way, and he was downsizing. He knew how to play his cards right with his wife.
I buzzed across the metro to his lean-to shed where all the good stuff was stashed. He had this '40s Monark men's frame, with a original but tight and true wheelset, a bent fork, and rusty seat pan and stuck handlebars. He also had a woman's Monark of about the same vintage with great fenders, and a functional, albeit slightly bent original Monark springer fork.
I handed over what I assumed would be diaper money, and went home to build my first bike out of the BACK40.
With a combination of real and surreal rust, and a mash -up of the two bikes, along with a brand new pair of Fat Franks, and a thrift store leather purse seat cover; 'Faded Glory' was born. Dedicated to my father, a Navy communications officer on a aircraft carrier in Guam fornthe last two years of WWII. This bike is one of my favorites to ride, you can stand and 'pump' as we used to say in the '60s up hills, and the gearing is doable even for our hilly and 3 block long climbs around the neighborhood.
Tonight I cruised a 4 mile trek to the local gas station for an evening ice cream treat. And had a fire in the BACK40 to commemorate the coming holiday, and my self-proclaimed pyromaniac father.
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