So this little post is nothing more than to feed the need of the somewhat narcissistic "writer" that is buried deep within the guise of an old, ex BMX racer who still loves bikes and thinks what he has to say is of any importance amongst a sea of like minded individuals. I know it sounds odd, especially since I have never met any of you on any level other than the confines of this little dialogue box, the response I look most forward to is that of Matti Thundrrr. Why? because this guy (I believe you are male) seems to have a pretty witty sense about him. Knowledgeable, As are most of you, kind of a smart a**, but in a good way, never obtrusive nor offensive, but still able to convey his opinion about any project. Again, not sure why, the dude just seems pretty dang cool..as do all of you. Maybe a "kindred" spirit of sorts...who knows. With all that said:
So here is my 72 skipper, all "BMX-ified", with the new addition of the earth cruiser forks I recently acquired through a complete bike purchase on CL. (which was the inspiration for this writing) $65 bucks for the entire bike. With that one bike, I was able to fortify 3 other bikes with the parts that came on it, and its barely half torn down. Individually, I probably could have sold the parts on Ebay for $250+. But I dont do this to make a profit. I have a job. Now I'm not against making a few extra bucks, but my point is this: Once you get to a certain point in this hobby, it pretty much starts to pay for itself. You buy a bike for parts, get to work on said bike, get to ride said bike, sell leftovers and essentially, your original purchase price is covered, with beer Money left over, and the bike you donated the parts to, creeps ever closer to that "complete" status, until its time to move on to the next one, not to mention the surplus one acquires after purchasing many donor bikes along the way. So, to sum it all up...I think the true value of this hobby, as silly or overdramatic as it may sound, is the constant resurrection of cool old stuff, utilizing other cool old stuff, that we build with our own two hands, keeping a little bit of history alive, and not only seeing the fruits of our labor, but actually getting to physically enjoy the fruits of our labor. Not to mention making a killer deal on a bike or parts, the rush of being the first to contact the seller in hopes you can get to them before anyone else can, and probably most important of all, the first ride on that labor of love....Oh...and chicks dig cool bikes...at least they did when I was a kid...
So here is my 72 skipper, all "BMX-ified", with the new addition of the earth cruiser forks I recently acquired through a complete bike purchase on CL. (which was the inspiration for this writing) $65 bucks for the entire bike. With that one bike, I was able to fortify 3 other bikes with the parts that came on it, and its barely half torn down. Individually, I probably could have sold the parts on Ebay for $250+. But I dont do this to make a profit. I have a job. Now I'm not against making a few extra bucks, but my point is this: Once you get to a certain point in this hobby, it pretty much starts to pay for itself. You buy a bike for parts, get to work on said bike, get to ride said bike, sell leftovers and essentially, your original purchase price is covered, with beer Money left over, and the bike you donated the parts to, creeps ever closer to that "complete" status, until its time to move on to the next one, not to mention the surplus one acquires after purchasing many donor bikes along the way. So, to sum it all up...I think the true value of this hobby, as silly or overdramatic as it may sound, is the constant resurrection of cool old stuff, utilizing other cool old stuff, that we build with our own two hands, keeping a little bit of history alive, and not only seeing the fruits of our labor, but actually getting to physically enjoy the fruits of our labor. Not to mention making a killer deal on a bike or parts, the rush of being the first to contact the seller in hopes you can get to them before anyone else can, and probably most important of all, the first ride on that labor of love....Oh...and chicks dig cool bikes...at least they did when I was a kid...
...nope.
)...or an autocrosser/hillclimber, even cheaper (less events).
