Glory Days

Note from Blief: Thanks so much to all the folks that donated to my Livestrong Challenge this year, there’s still a couple days left but in just the few short days since I made my mad dash for the finish-line we have raised $370!

Thanks for that, I really appreciate it cause…you know…money ain’t cheap.

And for those of you that don’t like to read stuff about bikes…well almost this entire post is about bikes and if you want to see which part ISN’T about bikes yer gonna hafta read it…or at least skim it…or maybe just scroll through the pictures. (hint)

Onwards!

---

A coupla’ weeks back a family in the neighborhood came over for dinner and after a while the Dad, let’s call him TheForeman, needed to run home quick. They are a couple blocks away and we were having so much fun I figured, on his way back, TheForeman must have caught sight of  his son’s BMX bike, grabbed it quick and hightailed it back.

Well we got ta talkin’ about the golden years of riding BMX’s around the neighborhood, tearing it up, bunny hoppin’ and stuff

and I mentioned that I still had my old Mongoose in the garage. (come to think of it, I might still have those shoes…eesh)

Check out the tennis ball in the front spokes…epic.

So I pulled it out and TheForeman is such an enthusiastic guy and all and he was just gaga over my old broken down ride and it got me to thinking.

[thinking]
The Mermaids are getting older, and taller, and riding bikes is getting more and more of a reality, you know maybe we could put this baby back into commission get some more fire and brimstone out of her yet and if a pink powder-puff tassle happened to slip onto the handlebars, well that would be okay too.
[enough thinking]

So I take it down to AJ and Jesse at GHY and after scratching their heads on my Silvio for the umpteenth time in idontknowhowmanydays their eyes lit up. As it turns out I’ve got bit of a classic BMX that other folks are restoring or putting up on walls.
They were amazed that even the original reflectors were still there and reminded me on more than one occasion

You know, you don’t have to ride it anymore, it’s a collector and worth a pretty penny.
I know but it was meant to be ridden.
Cool, cool.

The last time this bike saw a road or a trail I must have had one of The Three Bo’s on it because the seat was way low and the handlebars were way back. The rear rim has a pretty nasty dent in it from hitting something…harder than usual…but the brake surface was fine and the frame was in great shape, nothing but superficial corrosion or oxidation.

Not bad for about 22 years in two basements and two garages.

So Jesse dug in, found some original New Old Stock (NOS) red with skin sidewall tires, replaced the cables, trued the wheels, polished the frame, replaced the original chain with a dandy red one and just generally cleaned all the vital bits and voila…she’s back and ready for action.

The Mermaids may have to take a number.

Turns out I got a pretty sweet ride; a restored 1983 Mongoose Californian.

I even found the original pads in a box in my garage. Put ’em on.

The only parts that aren’t original on this bike are the grips, the tires, the chain, and the brake cables and housing all the rest is straight outta 1983, 10 years old, walking home from school on my birthday and my brand new bike is all gleaming, lit up with spotlights in the living room up on the dining room table.

I remember the night of my sleepover birthday party getting up in the middle of the night, in nothing but my little tighty-whitey underwear, and riding my new bike around in the living room in my bare feet. The pedal spikes hurt my feet and I didn’t care.

oh yeah, and for those of you that waited this long, enjoy some of the proof that the glory days are now.