#bibicy

[krizste]

[krizste]

[krizste]

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Bicycle Co-Ops, A Good Thing

Yesterday I finished building my bicycle down at the bike co-op. I changed out the rear Axel, bearings, the headset, and the handlebars. Put on a new set of grips, changed the rear tire out for a better street tire than the one I had. It is looking like a very good bicycle if you ask me. Next I am going to start prepping it for a new paint job, I am thinking Deep metallic blue with white pinstripes. Sounds cool right? Once that is all done I am going to put a rack on the back for carrying stuff, maybe a basket on the front and there we go.

Now all of this could not have been done without the Bike co-op that I go to every Sunday, one of the many reasons the co-op is a great place to go is all the tools and parts they have. The expert advice you get from the volunteers and in general the people that you meet there always have something to say or some cool new trick that makes doing something real easy.

It’s a fun place to go and it gives back to the community that makes all this possible for people that don’t have the money or the stuff to fix or build a whole new bike out of thin air. This makes the second bicycle that I have gotten from there. All I had to do to get them, besides the work involved in putting them together was a few hours of volunteering my own time to help some of the other people that came in to get a bicycle of their own.

Special tools like the crank puller, spoke wrench, chain breaker, and not to mention the handy wheel truing stand make fixing or building a bike fast and easy. When you need the expert advice it’s right there standing right next to you.

Anyway now that I got my bike ready to go, how do I want to set it up for commuting? Should I go for the classic touring bicycle, bags and racks? Or the stripped down version for speed and maneuverability for everyday riding in the city?

Things to consider are what kinds of racks or panniers will fit on the old Schwinn frame? How much am I wanting to spend on said racks and panniers? Do I really need some of these accessories that I am thinking about?

I guess these are the things I will be looking at in the days and weeks to come as I put more and more miles on my bike and start exploring the many different bike routes that cross the city where I live.