Making the World a Better Place . . . One Bike at a Time

My dad splits time between Tucson and Incline Village, taking advantage of the mild winters in Arizona and fantastic summers in Tahoe.  He has a couple bikes in Tucson, but did not have one in Tahoe, which simply had to be rectified.  I mean, it's Tahoe.

I had almost everything I needed in The Archives except a frame.  I watched Craigslist for a while until I found something I liked in the right size.  The guy had a set price, but the bottom of his ad said, "Will consider trades for road bike parts, especially tires."

I dug five 700x23 tires out of a box, a tire size I will never use again, and sent the guy a picture.  He was game, and the trade was made the next day.  I scored a nice 7000-series Raleigh frame for essentially nothing.  I love the barter system.

Here is the result:

I was able to use a lot of older 8-speed XTR parts:

V-brakes that are still smooth as silk:

Hubs that spin forever:

And the best shifters Shimano ever made (before adding the damn 9th speed):

The bike turned out really well, and I had a blast riding around the yard with it.  It had been a long time since I rode a 26-inch-wheeled bike, and I have to say, it felt "right."  Maybe the 29er Kool-Aid is wearing off.

Anyway, I took the bike up to Tahoe on Father's Day and surprised my dad with it:

We went on a short shakedown ride around Incline to get the seat height dialed in, then went out for a nice dinner at a neighboring restaurant that had Lagunitas IPA on tap.  It was a good day.

Later.