I was able to get the shifter and brake cables situated last night. The donor bike's bar tape was in decent shape, so I wrapped that around the handlebar. The brake hoods are new.
I'm on the hunt for an aluminum seat post. I polished the original post and seat clamp, and they will work for now. The Columbia seat came from Goodwill. I haven't decided if I'll use it or a vintage Schwinn saddle.
Although it was dark, I took the Aragon out for a test drive. I had to laugh at myself. The stem wasn't tight enough, and the handlebar went crooked almost immediately. Embarrassed, I returned to the garage and tightened the stem's bolt. With that fixed, I tried again. I made it around the block, but I still have some adjustment work ahead of me.
According to the original owners, the Aragon was purchased in Des Moines when the seller was in high school. He said he took it to college, and then never rode it again.
Here's a guess. I think the owner bought a new bike in '82 when he was a high school junior. He then took it to ISU and bought the '84 Ames bicycle license as a freshman. Then the rear rim was bent. Being a college student, he didn't have the cash to fix it. He brought the Aragon back home and eventually forgot about it.
I may be wrong about when the bike was damaged. But even so, last night's ride was probably the first time the Aragon has been ridden in over 30 years. That's pretty cool.
No comments:
Post a Comment