thebicycles

thesingle speedsociety

Jeff's bike

I found my bicycle at Bikes and More in the spring of 2003.  I walked in seeking only information about fixed gear bikes, and I walked out with a $150 used Peugeot Course, a new rear track wheel, and head full of fantasies of skid stops and track stands.

I rode fast and hard with my new fixie; I did love that bike.  However, something wasn't quite right.  I always saw other single speed bikes on campus that just looked so much more official.  I got rid of my rear brake, I got a new front wheel, and I removed all my reflectors, but to no avail:  It still looked like an amateur's ride.

 

 

After a semester of contemplation I decided what had to be done.  The old black bike needed some new clothes. 

I collaborated with my dad and we bought a sandblaster attachment for his compressor and some industrial primer for his spray gun. 

Before we knew it the time had come; I suited up and started blasting.

It is important when doing any job to wear appropriate business attire.

I consider myself a white collar sandblaster.

 

I knew ahead of time I wanted my bicycle to be Miami Vice blue, but I didn't know where to find an industrial grade paint in that shade.  My dad said he had some old boat paint in the garage that he thought was blue, so we went to check it out and it was the exact perfect color.

Now all I need is a crankset and some pedals.

After adding some new parts and some handmade decals I returned to the source to show Lex my creation. 

He was quite pleased with the result, but not nearly as pleased as he'd be when I would later get three of my friends to buy bikes from his shop.

Somehow though, something still felt missing.

It took a summer of contemplation and a mountain bike tour of Europe to finally see the big picture and to understand the single speed aesthetic dream that I had been chasing all this time. 

Turns out all it took was tilting the handlebars forward a little. 

Of course, a new sticker job, saddle, chainring, tires, bell, and bar tape didn't hurt either.  Whatever the case, my old hobby had now become more than just a bicycle, it was a work of art.

Let the adventures begin.

 

sss