My ramblings on the topic of Mountain Bike History

Oy oy. 

 

Please forgive my ramblings this morning.  I'm in a rambling mood and I'm never able to just get to the point.  It isn't in my nature. :D

 

I hate sick days.  I'm not hyperactive.  I NEVER get bored.  There's just something about taking a day off from work that I don't like.  I want to feel like I'm doing something useful to someone... even if that someone is just myself.  So when the alarm went off at 4:45 this morning and I had obviously contracted some unknown plague, I wrote my boss an e-mail and slept a little longer.... but not much longer. 

 

By 7:30am I was up and doing stuff.  My King hub has been making distinctly un-king-like noises on the last two rides.  Last summer I'd done a ghetto overhaul job since I didn't have the right grease and it wasn't holding up.  I tore it down, cleaned it all out, realized that I'll need to replace the internal bearings soon and then rebuilt it with the right grease.  It is smooth and making noises more fitting of its royal status. 

 

I put new derailleur cables on the bike to get it shifting right.  It is perfect now. That was silly since I'm going to tear the whole thing down in a few days when the new frame arrives.  Go figure. 

 

After breakfast, I sat down at the computer to do some "Odd Thomas" web surfing.  That consists of letting the psychic powers that be guide my wanderings through the miracle that Al Gore benevolently bestowed upon us all. 

 

That's when I found First Flight Bikes.   This is not only my kind of web site, but also my kind of bike shop.  Sure they sell all the latest and greatest stuff there, but they also have one foot firmly planted in history.  The shop was opened in the historic town of Statesville, NC in 1988 and has evolved since then. 

 

The shop and web site are both museums.  They’ve got wonderful vintage bikes all around the shop.  The web site is an amazing resource for the history of bicycles in general and mountain bikes in specific.  I had a blast going through the web site and remembering all the bikes and parts that I’d had over the years (some of which are still alive and kicking in the basement). 

 

The shop plays host to the annual Crossroads Bike Festival… a weekend get-together for people who love retro mountain bikes.  It includes a swap meet and many rides. 

 

I had seen posts by the shop’s owner, Jeff, on MTBR in the 29er forum.  Reading his blog (Goat Droppings) was fabulous.  It chronicles the evolution of his latest project.  He’s obviously heavily into retro stuff.  In preparation for last year’s Crossroads Bike Festival, Jeff got bit by the idea of bringing back an old bicycle brand and updating it with modern technology.  While this is not an entirely original idea, (Ibis beat him to it) his take on it is wonderful and refreshing.  Read the blog from bottom to top.  It the ongoing story of how Mountain Goat Cycles has come back to life by his hand.  The story is fascinating.

 

I guess I’ve said enough.  Go and read.  I think you’ll enjoy it.  I’ve sat still for long enough.  I’ve got to clean house a little before the box of parts that I ordered arrives with the mail today.

 

Love,

 

Pete