Hi there!
After over 20 years (maybe longer) of not riding bikes, my hubby and I started again last year. We didn't have any bikes (our childhood ones had been sold long ago), so we each bought a new bike (not a fancy brand or anything) from a sports store. After a few rides we were hooked! I was beginning to feel that the 21 speed I chose was a little too much, and, as fate would have it, I spotted a rather rusty 72 Columbia tourist in a thrift shop. This three speed started our journey into old bikes - my husband saw how fun the 3 speed was, he wanted one of his own! We've been pretty lucky at thrift shops and our favorite local bike store. Our vintage stable includes two 3 sp 70s Raleighs (+1 Raleigh for backup parts), two Columbias, two Huffys, one Lambertus folder, and two old Schwinns. In the past year, I've learned to clean up and work on my own bikes, changing tubes/tires, swapping and installing parts to customize the fit and look of my bikes. (Haven't worked on gearing and truing yet, but maybe someday.) Sometimes I think my husband and I spend more time working on the bikes than we do riding them!
I really enjoy the pictures of the bikes and the shared information on working on them. I look forward to learning a lot from this board.
Thanks,
Jill
After over 20 years (maybe longer) of not riding bikes, my hubby and I started again last year. We didn't have any bikes (our childhood ones had been sold long ago), so we each bought a new bike (not a fancy brand or anything) from a sports store. After a few rides we were hooked! I was beginning to feel that the 21 speed I chose was a little too much, and, as fate would have it, I spotted a rather rusty 72 Columbia tourist in a thrift shop. This three speed started our journey into old bikes - my husband saw how fun the 3 speed was, he wanted one of his own! We've been pretty lucky at thrift shops and our favorite local bike store. Our vintage stable includes two 3 sp 70s Raleighs (+1 Raleigh for backup parts), two Columbias, two Huffys, one Lambertus folder, and two old Schwinns. In the past year, I've learned to clean up and work on my own bikes, changing tubes/tires, swapping and installing parts to customize the fit and look of my bikes. (Haven't worked on gearing and truing yet, but maybe someday.) Sometimes I think my husband and I spend more time working on the bikes than we do riding them!
I really enjoy the pictures of the bikes and the shared information on working on them. I look forward to learning a lot from this board.
Thanks,
Jill
