I used to be respectable

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welcome brother we all gangsta's here...
bike gang.jpg
 
Never did write a formal introduction.
I'm long-winded and love to hear and tell stories (oh, ya think?) so here goes.

My first bicycle was built from a Schwinn cruiser to look like a Stingray (about 1964). Mom told me later he spent more than if he'd just purchased a new Stingray. Such is my life these days.
Schwinn Tiger and Orange Varsity (with Impeach Nixon sticker) got me through High School.

I didn't ride again until my early 20's when my landlord gave me a Raleigh 3 speed. New tubes and I was flying again. Loved that bike.

Two wives and a few kids later I got my first mountain bike, a Univega Aplina Ultima. Road that all over Ventura and got my first taste of Real mountain biking above Point Mugu. I was terrified on the downhill run. My buddy and I were slowly picking our way down a field of "baby head" rocks and a REAL rider flew by us touching ground only about every 6 feet or so. Schooled that day. Sometimes speed is your friend.

Next was a Cannondale ex-police bike I bought from a pawn shop. Full XTR. Stolen. Still pissed.

My first new bike purchase for myself was Wilson. My '08 Cannondale F29. He literally saved my sanity after moving to Sao Paulo, Brazil (wifey). I struggled with the language but loved the culture, the people, the food and the weather. Most of all I missed my kids but I was committed to making this move work. I started commuting to work every day and doing 20-30 miles on the weekends and at 55 I was in the best shape of my life.

I am just now recovering from a dry spell in my cycling life and found this site a few months ago. Now semi-retired and have a few bucks to blow. The challenge of problem solving each attempted upgrade or repair is what keeps my attention. The generosity and knowledge by the members of this site is unique among bicycle forums I think.


Peace!
 
Thanks for joining this is a fun group, many of us used to be respectable, some never were, and rumor has it a few are, but that’s not worth talking about.
Welcome aboard. We all love pictures and creative problem solving, even if you had to make up the problem.
 
Univega Aplina Ultima. Road that all over Ventura and got my first taste of Real mountain biking above Point Mugu. I was terrified on the downhill run. My buddy and I were slowly picking our way down a field of "baby head" rocks and a REAL rider flew by us touching ground only about every 6 feet or so. Schooled that day. Sometimes speed is your friend.
Haha that's awesome. There's a lesson in there too, did being slower than him diminishe your enjoyment in any way? That's a metaphor for life, run your own race and let the others do theirs. Comparison is the theft of joy.
That being said, the univega sounds pretty sweet, wanna show it to us so we can compare?
 
Univega Aplina Ultima. Road that all over Ventura and got my first taste of Real mountain biking above Point Mugu. I was terrified on the downhill run. My buddy and I were slowly picking our way down a field of "baby head" rocks and a REAL rider flew by us touching ground only about every 6 feet or so. Schooled that day. Sometimes speed is your friend.
Haha that's awesome. There's a lesson in there too, did being slower than him diminishe your enjoyment in any way? That's a metaphor for life, run your own race and let the others do theirs. Comparison is the theft of joy.
That being said, the univega sounds pretty sweet, wanna show it to us so we can compare?
 
The generosity and knowledge by the members of this site is unique among bicycle forums I think.
Welcome! Thanks for the intro, you've got a great story. This is a great bunch of folks here. Very knowledgeable and very fun building together. You might enjoy the community over at the CABE too if you haven't checked it out already. There's a lot of overlap in members and a TON of knowledge and great bike content! :cool:
 

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