Leonard Nimoy 1931-2015

What can I say that has not already been said or is being said in any number of millions of online searches, news outlets or media everywhere? 
Mr. Nimoy passed away on Friday of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 83.
OK, there are the stale facts. 
One more of the greats has passed, and forgive the sentimentality, but the world seems just a little more empty from his absence.
It's rare, in anyone life, to be part of history, at least to the magnitude that Leonard was.  You cannot talk about Leonard, without discussing his most beloved character. Mr. Spock, and you certainly cannot talk about him without discussing Star Trek.  Love it or malign it, but there is NO denying that Star Trek was a pivotal American Icon, and a VITAL part of it's social maturity.  Big words, I know.  But this show, running a mere three seasons,  touched on SO many volatile social issues that were igniting so much controversy in the later half of the sixties, from racism, politics, war, interracial love, woman's rights, equality the list goes on and on.  But, the show had everyone talking. Addressing these issues, while set in the far future, brought the insanity of these issues into sharp focus, but distance us from them just enough.  They poked fun at the "establishment" and all that supported the perpetuation of them.  Think of the episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" in all it's absurdity.  The crew of the Enterprise become embroiled in a civil war between two inhabitants of the same world. The cause of the war?  These two races, although identical in every physical way possible, have one difference, their faces are split down the middle, one side black, one side white but some of the population, according to the great character actor Frank Gorshin portraying Bele, the reason for the devastating civil war that had destroyed their entire civilization, killing all but two, was "I am black on the right side" ... "Lokai is white on the right side. All of his people are white on the right side"
Silly, right?  That's what most folks, watching the episode for the first time, thought.  How could an entire civilization eradicate themselves just because of the color of their skin?...Oh....wait.
Then people were talking.
Why do I go into such a diatribe about a TV show, when I should be talking about Leonard's achievements?  Because this show, and all it's influence on social advancements, may not have happened, if not for the help of Mr. Nimoy.
He had much influence and input in, not only, the direction of the show, but in the development of the character of Spock and by extension, the entirety of the Vulcan race.  Watch the pilot episode "the Cage", there you see a very stale, very human Spock.  After the studio passed on the series, they went back to formula, and here Leonard had input into the motivation of the character and set the Vulcan apart from his human comrades, with his cold, analytical mannerisms.  And the input continued on from there.  He helped shape and mold the entire lexicon of the Federation, all it's spin offs and movies (and directed what I felt to be the best of the first run of movies #4 The Voyage Home, and #3 "The Search For Spock).  Sci Fi may very well have been a very stark, cold, depressive place if not for the optimistic viewpoint set forth by this franchise.
Leonard did go on to have a fruitful career, behind the camera, as well as in many other forms of media.  He will sorely be missed.

The freakin' OCEAN is freezing!?!?!

Well, don't chide me too much, but I only got two done yesterday.  I feel your contempt, but the wheel stripping led to parts sorting, which led to discovering several more scattered buckets of previously parted out bikes, which led to MORE part sorting, which uncovered a stash of six more wheels that needed to be stripped, and four that needed to be put on the wheel rack (*SHUDDER*) which proved to require reorganization to fit them all, that led to moving the bikes underneath, which led to having to sweep the floor, which led to having to take out the trash....that brought me up to mid afternoon!
UGH!
But THEN, I popped a sweet, all chrome Haro BMX in the rack, started a MST3K "Gamera" marathon (yes, I have all FIVE of the classic, rifted Gamera movies) and went to town.  She needed a lot of cleaning and several parts, but that chrome frame is SWEET!  So now we have two choice Haro BMX'ers available!  Then, a full tear down and serious rebuild (lot's of replacement parts) on a gem of a classic Schwinn "cross" (hybrid)!  YES, Schwinn!  Bad mouth them all you will, but they built some SWEET rides back in the pre-"Screw up the Name" Walmart days!  This one was Schwinn's answer to the Trek 800, or Specialized Crossroads, and did a GREAT job of matching quality!  A lot of the components were identical!  Truly, a great machine!
'twas a little quiet yesterday in the later half of the day, so I had time to focus.  Not that I have a PROBLEM with being sidetracked to doing repairs or such, NAY, NAY!  More then likely because the wind shifted and started to grow colder outside, thereby forcing everyone to shelter. 
ANYWHO!
Our evening was relatively peaceful (Aside from Miranda choosing to share her dinner with us after lights out....UGH) so she, once again, chilled in the boys room watching Rescue Heroes, as Mom and Dad had decided to re-watch "Sherlock".  Yes, our lives are rather pedestrian. 
So now, today, having thoroughly cleaned behind the counter (WHO messes this place up, anyway?  Oh...yea...right) I am jumping on the Dual Shock MTB I stripped down before leaving.  After that, as all the rides in Bone Row have been finished, I'll be digging, yet again into the Bone Yard!  YAY!!!  There may be a vintage classic in our near future.  Who knows?
Yes, it's a wee bit nippy out there, but just remember, you COULD be up North watching partially frozen waves on the ocean.
Yea, I'm NOT kidding!  Check it out on Google!  Angela showed me this morning.  A gent in Nantucket took photos of partially frozen waves on the shoreline!!!  Un-freakin'-believable! 
Then ask yourself "wouldn't it be nice to take advantage of this weather and take a ride?"
You Bet!
IKEEBA!

SCHWINN "CRISSCROSS" HYBRID!!
ONY $145.00

20" HARO BMX!!
ONLY $100.00!!

Into The Belly of the Beast!

Yesterday was not AS interesting as Monday and Tuesday (C'mon people!  You're slacking!) but kept very busy throughout the day.  Primarily with repairs (thanks' to those and all their trust!) as I had the remaining two full rebuilds, one being more then I had anticipated, but that happens.  I managed to get out one newbie though, another ladies 26" cruiser, which was fortuitous, as the one I had just finished the night before sold almost immediately after that one went out!  Oh yes, we are once again starting to dwindle.  Have no fear, though, as I still have several out back to finish up (which I am sure the landlord and my neighbors will appreciate me getting out of the way!) and already have a sweet little Haro sitting in my rack, as we speak, to start the day off with, although I have to get one of the more mundane tasks I continuously put off, out of the way.  Stripping down wheels.  UGH.  We reuse every aspect of a damaged rim that can be salvaged, but the process is time consuming, and less then rewarding, so I just stack them up under my work bench until I start knocking them over and tripping on them to the point I break down and say "enough's, enough", pull out my spoke wrench, my metal stool, a bucket, suck in a deep breath and just give in.  It's how I spent the last hour of yesterday, while watching MST3K "It Lives At Night", as an attempt to distract me!  I'll be banging out the remaining dozen shortly, then on to more fruitful endeavors!
Thanks to all the folks and their kind words yet again, and my heart does go out to those few who do not heed my gentle cautionary tales in regards to not putting off a bike purchase on a ride they really liked.  I understand budgetary constraints, but the expectations that the bike you really liked would still be here two or three days later, while you "thought about it", are ill conceived.  Please keep that in mind, especially the RARE few who get angry with me, questioning me why I didn't "hold it" while they "thought about it" because they "really wanted it".  Seriously, I do not even know HOW to respond to that one.
That aside, it was another fulfilled day!
Well, until I got home.  Oh, don't take that the wrong way, I always enjoy my return and the rush of happy greetings from Angela and the kiddo's (well, the wee ones at least.  The remainder are pretty much lumps on the sofa who grunt a greeting at me with slightly upturned lazy eyes, unless they want something of course), no, it's having to deal with our resident "over-eighteen" Elijah, and his issues regarding responsibility, commitment, integrity, respect etc, etc.  Don't get me wrong, he's not a BAD kid, just...lazy.  Thanks to all the bleeding hearts in our generation, for relinquishing control to children.  Successfully tying the hands, FIRMLY, of parents everywhere, stripping them of all necessary tools for child rearing (you know, the things our parents, schools and officials did to US when WE were growing up that enabled US to become productive members of society) so that we could produce the new generation of inconsiderate, arrogant, snot nosed little whiners who can NOT perform the simplest task in life because they cannot "handle" it due to their tender sensibilities (not to mention Dug Company manufactured "disorders" that required them to be handled with kit gloves and a modicum of medications!)  and granted the ideology that their parents, and society as a whole "OWES" them...everything, so why should they have to WORK for it!
Oh yea.  You want to see proof of any of that statement, spend half a day at your local middle school, you will die of shock at what kids get away with nowadays! 
Anyway!  I could go on for a LONG time about this, but suffice to say, Angela and I figured out, perhaps a little to late for the older kids, to hell with all the constraints!  We were going to raise our children to be respectful, polite, ambitious, appreciative, hard working people...even if it kills them!  OK, before some granola munching, anemic, natural fiber wearing, Prius driving, bleeding heart jumps on me, NO we don't beat the children.  Don't have to, the threat of a "pop" is enough to make the trouble stop. And consistency!  The fact that Angela and I have almost identical opinions on child raising, goes a LONG way.
No, our troubles are regarding the older boy and his lack of drive and ambition, totally content to be a lump on the sofa, putting out the minimalist of efforts, with NO thoughts of his future.  Yesterday, having once again passed out on the couch after being woken up in the morning, he arose around noon time and supposedly "headed out" to look for work.  He was, of course, dressed COMPLETELY inappropriately for job hunting and happened to be carrying his back pack which contained his Magic Cards.  Obviously, he was off to play with friends, using the guise of job hunting to get out of the house.  Well, enough was enough, so I laid it out succinctly (suck...what?) to him when he returned.  From today, until he found a job (and, yes, he DOES have a deadline!) he would be up, cleaned and dressed appropriately for job hunting BEFORE I left in the morning and out the door, not to return until six PM each day.  No, we would not be giving him ANY money for lunch, drinks or snacks, he'd have to figure that out on his own, or just store up his appetite for dinner.  Hey, we have had to go hungry many a days, or pay visits to soup kitchens for sustenance, and we didn't die, he's a big boy, he can handle it.  My hope is, a little discomfort and suffering from a lack of cash may just spur him on to making some!
Here's hoping!
OK, so back at it, those wheels aren't going to break themselves down!
See y'all REAL soon!
K...E...Y....M...O....U....S.....E!

LADIES 26" CRUISER!!
ONLY $65.00!!!

WHIZ BANG!!!

Well, thank all the Gods from all Mythology you all did NOT let yesterday get boring!
WOOF!
From 9.10am until about 20 minuets of closing you kept me HOPPING!  Yesterday was a day of repairs, and they were SOOOOO satisfying!  Not only did we have the common, simple tube repairs and adjustments, but FOUR full re-furbs!!! With only one incomplete (that I will be jumping on shortly) Seems more and more folks are finally starting to understand that you DO have an option to high priced repairs, or getting snubbed by the thought of actually fixing your favored older ride instead of buying some shiny, new HIGH priced alternative!  HAZAH!!!  The signal is clear, channel affixed and message is coming in sharp tune!! I do so like working on the old steel (and alloy, aluminum..whichever!) and folks are picking up on this! 
First an older Trek 800 Antelope, a rather unique looking (French?) folding bike, a rather sharp looking home made commuter that had just sat out in the elements to long, and a WELL loved Specialized (the left over) that's paint has seen better days, but as the owner said when he heard the price "I certainly cannot BUY a new one for that low a price"
EGG-ZAKLY!!!
And of course, I reveled in all the praise (I'm a Leo, a cat, and like being rubbed behind the ears!) one gent brought in a Schwinn (Wal-Mart buy from a couple years back) having been given a ludicrous price from another shop, to fix his brakes (and all they were going to do was an ADJUSTMENT?) and for less then half of what they were going to charge, we replaced the brake pads, cables, housings, and adjusted the shifter cables (they were threaded the WRONG way and kinking up the brakes) Not only that, when he dropped it off, he said he'd be back in a few hours to pick it up.  As I had just finished a project, I popped it into the rack to get it done and out of the way, and twenty minuets later set it up front.  A few minuets later he was walking by the window, noticed it sitting there, and came in, inquisitive, and asked incredulously, if it was done yet.
"YEP!"
You could have knocked him over with a feather for the look of "shock and awe" on his face!  PRICELESS! 
He then stammered out "But the other shop told me it would take two days!?" 
Of course, I felt obligated to explain how the other joints play the wait game to justify the high prices they charge!
Another thing that a customer told me REALLY had me scratching my head.  A regular of ours had a flat a few days ago, but was to far away when it happened to bring it here, and with the only option being "another" place, regrettably, had to have them do it.  He was on the road, had no tools, so had to let them install it.  Now the price of the tube was $7.00, the same we charge (even though this is one of those BIG bike shops, and they get a WAY better wholesale discount then little guys like us) but they charged $12.00 to install it!?
OK, look, in all fairness, these places have a WAY higher overhead then us, we know that, and I'm not begrudging there right to make a profit and pay their bills, but seriously...$12.00 for what an experienced mechanic will take three minuets to do?  I just can't justify that in my head.
ANYWHO!
OK, I'm done with self back patting and bragging. 
until another day!  LOL!
The end result of such a busy day of repairs, was of course, LITTLE production of newbies.
OH, speaking of production, I forgot, we had a regular of ours come in for a simple tube change, but as we started, discovered his tire was dry rotted, and the wheel had a bad pinch in a steel rim that blew out the new tube and tire I had put in.  As we scratched our collective heads trying to decide if spending that much on a bike he bought two years ago from us for only $75.00 was a good investment, he inquired if we had another, better ladies cruiser.  At the time, nothing was done, but I sad in passing that we had a few vintage ones out back.  He asked if he could take a peek, and provided he could navigate the debris field in the back hall, I said sure.  His eye's alighted on the vintage late fifties JC Higgins cruiser I have out there and fell in love.  Seems both he and his wife are big retro buffs and he would love to have this one!  SO, I now have an excuse to do a full restore on another classic!  YAY!!
I did manage to finish up a nice (albeit slightly faded) ladies cruiser we got in trade towards the Schwinn Colligate from the day before (although I had to stay a little later to get it finished) and have a pic below.
Once home, well, chaos had ensued.  Angi had some errands to run later in the afternoon, and Elijah was out job hunting so Kaleb was in the Captains chair, and of course little was accomplished.  We all arrived back home, late, within 3 minuets of each other, so it was a scramble to make a late dinner (Daddies "secret recipe!"  of whatever leftovers are in the refrigerator, thrown atop rice, with sauce!) and get baths and tuck ins.  THIS time, we did it smart, and asked Elijah to put Miranda to bed while we tagged along.  Seems to have worked out a lot better. While waiting for everyone to finish there vain attempts at personal hygiene, we were messing about with our phone cameras and got some really decent pics.  The best are posted to the right of this column!
OKEY DOKEY!
Now, I jump back at it!  Getting an early start on the repairs so I can put out more goodies...
...although have already gotten in two more repairs this morning so it's ANYONES guess!
See ya soon!! 

LADIES 26" CRUISER!
ONLY $65.00

You Folks SOOOOOO ROCK!!

WOW! 
Ask and ye shall receive!  Apparently a LOT of you heard the pleas in my boredom yesterday and decided to help do something about it!
WOWEE!!!
OKAY, where to begin? 
Well, the optimist in me, says get the annoying crud out of the way first.
Remember, WAY back in the day, when banking was done in a bank....with checks?  And when you wrote a check the tellers ACTUALLY read the check?  Well, last month, when I sent out the taxes, I sent the check two days before the due date, thinking that would be more then enough time to get from Dunedin to Largo.  I was wrong.  Arriving late, I got an annoying e-mail, and letter.  SO, this month, I sent it out a week before it was due, but post dated the check to the due date.  Apparently, dates on checks don't mean anything anymore.  They deposited it yesterday, two days BEFORE the date on the check, thereby making it impossible for me to pay the rent. 
UGH! 
So, I had to make an emergency call to the landlord letting him know to hold off until the weekends proceeds hit the bank. 
Jeez!
Then, as I normally do each morning, I was updating our Craigslist ads and noticed we are being "Trolled" again!  Happens every now and then, as you can flag what you consider "inappropriate" ads, and they are automatically removed.  No one at CL actually REVIEWS the ads to make sure they are, in fact, inappropriate, thereby making an appeal useless.  No, you just have to go in and repost them, and see if they are flagged again.  Every now and then, we get attacked by someone, TRYING to do what we do, and they are threatened by just how cheap and proliferant we are, so they attempt to remove the competition.  Yea, pretty crappy, but it's just an annoyance we have to endure.
OKAY! 
That's the bad, and in the light of a new day, doesn't really seem all that troublesome!
Now ON TO THE FUN!!!
Monday started off on Sunday evening, with a series of texts from a gent interested in the Stretch Dyno cruiser we had.  He came down first thing in the morning and snatched it right up, after we had a real good conversation about the virtues of older cruiser, his forte, and he stood salivating over the pre-fix JC Higgens we have sitting in Bone Row.  We may be doing some horse trading on that one as he has some other vintage cruisers, refurbed, he may be willing to part with. 
As we were talking, more friends were coming in, and we sent home the Ladies 7 speed cruiser I had built on Sunday, with a diminutive young lady, who didn't want to be stuck riding a "kids" 24".  I'm glad we could end her LONG search!  Shortly thereafter, a gent, who KNEW what he wanted, came in to snatch up the Schwinn replica custom three wheeler, by simply entering the store and stating he would take it.  Seems he's a three wheeler aficionado, having just acquired a couple of projects, but wanted a cool finished one to ride about.  As he was loading up, a father and son team came in.  Obviously the young man (seeming somewhat disinterested) didn't WANT a bike, but for obvious reasons, needed one.  It was an unspoken cue, given by the father, that tipped me off and it didn't take much for ANOTHER father of an "over-eighteen" to recognize this was a "get off my bloody couch and get a DAMN job" bicycle purchase. They snagged up the dual shock Mongoose.  I guess the Video Games will have to wait!
At this point things quieted down a bit, and I jumped back to the new builds, putting the finishing touches on a "DAILY BANGER SPECIAL" Three wheeler we had got in on Saturday.  Full re-furb with new tires and such, but the Black Raspberry paint job was a little less then professional.  I took a pic for posting and had no sooner sat down to post when I got a call from a gent looking for a pre-owned (IE: CHEAP) three wheeler.  I told him about it, and he asked me to hold it, which we don't do (first come, first serve) so he used his CC over the phone and bought it, sight unseen.
Of course, I had to put aside the project I had just started on, as the late morning early afternoon rush of repairs came in, but made quick work of them, so I could jump back at it.  Quickly put out a real sharp looking Focus Road Bike (having recently been overhauled, hardly needed anything) then popped a ladies vintage Schwinn Colligate cruiser in the rack.  Took a couple hours of intense cleaning to bring it back, with a new set of tubes and tires to boot, then propped it up against the sign to take a pic, and as I was doing that, a vacationing couple strolled in.  The lady had an all to familiar look of "oh God, ANOTHER bike shop", but the husband appeared undeterred.  However, once her eyes alighted on the Collegiate, and she inquired, hopefully, if "this one was for sale" I stated, yes, and she sighed.  Seems they have been to MANY other shops in town (and in other towns) looking for a basic, simple, classic looking single speed cruiser, that would not break the bank.  They had all but lost hope of finding one, and we were actually there last stop (having noticed our sign) on their way to settle for a Wal-Mart Huffy.  Fate apparently stepped in!
Closing in on....closing, a regular swung in, looking for another ride (this will make the seventh bike he has bought from us over the years) and he tested a few, and was happily impressed with the feel of the ladies six speed hybrid.  OK...so it's purple...you got a problem with that?
And thus ended our programming day (cue annoying test pattern).
Heading home, a little worn out, I found that apparently the little talk (yes ANOTHER talk) Angi had with Elijah had had some impact.  He apparently spent a good amount of time inquiring about job opportunities and had secured an interview for today.  Plus dinner was on the stove, the house was relatively clean, the laundry pile dwindled down and I had a clean, fresh towel in the bathroom.  Surprise, surprise. 
However, no night is complete without SOME troubles, and the kiddo's were in rare form, all being a little off the chain (remember, I said yesterday, that everything ran smoothly in the morning?  Well, it never sticks.  They come to realize "WAIT!  We didn't drive Mommy and Daddy crazy today!  We're slipping!  QUICK do something destructive or annoying!  We have to level the bell curve!")  SO, having been fed, washed and dressed for bed, Angi and I visited while keeping one eye on the clock, ticking down the seconds until bed time.
ALMOST made it.
Miranda got upset, as she didn't want to be in bed, as her newest, bestest buddy Elijah had not PUT her to bed, and started having her fit.  Unfortunately, we were not quick enough to have him bring her a second bottle, and tuck her back in and....well, I hope you're not eating, but when Miranda get's upset, she likes to show off her half digested dinner...and lunch....and breakfast...
....everywhere.
Oh yea.
SO, while I bathed her, Angela broke out a couple towels...a mop....some Clorox wipes...
Ugh.
At this point, while Angela took a shower and Miranda was snuggled up on the boys couch being pampered, I flopped on the couch and tried to keep MY dinner down!
But I'm here now...safe!
SO, with that, I am going to get right on it, as I have already accumulated five repairs so far today and need to bang those out so I can get onto more newbies!
See ya soon!
And PLEASE, don't hesitate to make TODAY as interesting as yesterday!

THREE WHEEL "DAILY BANGER SPECIAL!!"
SOLD

FOCUS RT-550 ROAD BIKE
ONLY $190.00!!

VINTAGE SCHWINN COLLIGATE!
SOLD!!

Hmmmmm? Let's see.....

Yea, you know you work to much, when you wake up in the morning and it takes you a few minuets to remember what DAY it is!  So goes my morning!  HA!  It was a quadruple "Snooze" button morning!  BUT, a couple cups of coffee later, and I was moving!  Surprisingly the kiddo' actually got off on time this morning if not a little earlier!  AND, the resident eldest boy actually got up with only a modicum of prodding!  Yes, once in a blue moon, mornings go off without a hitch.
Sunday was another day of production.  Two newbies out with a third (the ULTRA-RARE three wheeler "DAILY BANGER SPECIAL!!") in the rack and partially done.  I'm gonna finish that up, right quick then the skies the limit!  Got all the repairs done and done, so I'm ahead of the game!  WA-HOO!
Wow.....I really have LITTLE to talk about!  That's the only down side to things going smoothly...nothing to write about! 
Ah well, I'll just show off our new wares, then mosey.
So, like, come on in and give me something to rave about!
See ya soon!

7 SPEED SCHWINN CRUSIER!!
ONLY $90.00!!

SPECIALIZED CROSSROADS!!
ONLY $145.00!!

Have To Enter Sideways As My Head Is So Swollen!

WHOA!
Cleaning done in record time today!  YA-HOOOOO!  (Although I have not fully reorganized the wheel rack...I'm...not going near that thing!  LOL! 
ANWHO!
Now I can turn my focus back to new builds, as yesterday was a further bout of acquisition!  YAY!  And what's even more exciting is that several of them were gimmie's!  Yes, we LOVE free!  No, there was no production as far as new builds yesterday.  Oh, I tried!  Believe me!  The Specialized I have been trying to put together kept going from the rack to the floor like it was strapped to a rubber band!  There were SOOOOOO many repairs coming in yesterday!  Thanks to all VERY much for the trust!  Always a pleasure!
Which brings us to my favorite part of the show "Shameless, Arrogant, Self-Aggrandizing!! 
We had SO many folks in yesterday, and some came bearing head swelling compliments!  I thank all those, truly, for positive feedback on this blog, as well as exclaiming their support for what we do and how we do it!  And I NEVER get tired of the look of shock and disbelief on folks faces when I tell them how little their repairs will ACTUALLY cost, and how quickly they'll get the bikes back!  Two examples had me very happy (and one gave me a temporary moment of discomfort, I'll get to that in a second).  Had a gent come in, perusing our wares, and when asked if he needed help, he answered with the all to familiar "I'm not sure what I want, yet"  After a few patented questions I came to find out, he quite enjoyed riding and the freedom of his bicycle, but recently, it having some mechanical issues, had shopped it around to a few of the neighboring "Boutique" Bike shops.  Oh yea, you know where this is going.  The bike is a 35 year old Schwinn World Tourist, and the resounding opinion of the other shops were "scrap it and buy a NEW one, which we just happen to have the perfect one for you for a mere $500.00 plus" Or "It will cost a bajillion dollars to fix!"  OK, not that much, but the lowest price he was quoted was $200.00!?!  Here's what he needed: two spokes, tighten the crank, true rear wheel and a tube.
Yep.
That's it!
Not only was he excited that I wanted to keep his bike, that he really was comfortable with, on the road, but we could do it so cheaply (only $41.00) that he asked about a friends bike, a GMC Denali, that he wanted to turn into more of a hybrid with upright bars.  He, too, had run the circuit of shops in the area, getting the same kind of response, and had all but given up on riding.  I quoted him $61.00 for the conversion (new bars, neck, brake grips, grips and full cable replacement as well as a tune on the gearing) and he stated he'd bring him in with him.  An hour later they were back and two hours after that the work was done. Another excited exclamation as to how quick the work was finished!
The one that really got me, was a young lady and her real cute little girl came in looking for a more comfortable seat.  I had one cruiser seat left, and when I told her it was only $10.00 she was mildly surprised, then when she asked how much for a new one, and I said $35.00 A look of shock came over her face and she exclaimed "WHAT!?"  At first, I thought she was angered by the price, but as it turns out, she too had done some shopping, and found that the seat I had described was being sold elsewhere for between $60-85.  Then, shopping for her son who had outgrown his 16" bike (by about two feet) she inquired about the sharp looking 20" BMX cruiser, and when I told her it was $35.00 She through her head back, rolled her eyes and laughed stating "I'll be back shortly with Dad!" And they were, quite excitedly grabbing it (and the seat we had) right up.
Also, we got a real boost of credibility with a call we got in the mid afternoon.  Seems a recent transplant from Minnesota is putting down roots in Gulfport and opening a little bicycle repair shop on the Pinellas Trail.  He had been told by several people that WE were the ones to call for advice in regards to the bike business in Florida!?  WOW!  It may seem like a small thing, but knowing that we are extended that level of professional respect?  Well, just brings a tear to the collective eye.  I wished him well, and much success (and did have to forewarn him about SOME of the cutthroat tactics of SOME of the other shops in the area) but forgot to get the name of his shop!  DOH!  No free plug, sorry, I only got his name, Todd.  So Todd, again, best of luck, and if you need anything let us know. 
Sent a few rides to new homes, as is the custom for Saturday, and what a BEAUTIFUL day it was a well! 
Today is even better!  So you have NO excuses anymore!  Get out there and ride! 
Now, I best get back to work!
See y'all soon!

And The Cold Lifted, They Stumbled From Their Clutches And Shouted To The Skies...It...Is....GOOD!!!

Ah well...I DID NOT break my production record from Thursday. 
*Sad Face*
No reason other then the projects I choose were way more then they first appeared.  Add to that my own stupidity of NOT checking them out thoroughly before I started!  The ladies 24" MTB I started with, was quite worn out, and needed several replacement parts.  I went through the whole tear down, cleaning process, right down to a thorough rehab on the wheels, only mount them, THEN spin them!  DOH!  They were WAY out of true!  Like...Taco Tuesday!  How the heck did I miss that!  ARRGH!  SO, in retrospect, I could have saved myself a half hour's work by just doing what I ended up having to do anyway, replace them!  Which of course, helps in taking some weight off the wheel rack!  LOL!  Then I dug through the pile out back, pulled out a cute little 20" stuck it in my rack, went through the tear down only to discover (ANOTHER rookie mistake) that I had NOT checked to make sure I had all the necessary parts BEFORE starting the project!  In this case, a pesky, inconsequential matter of....TIRES!  UGH!  So, stick THAT one in a tote!  Then I went on to another little 20" BMX cruiser, nothing to spectacular, but a good Cheapie Cheap, which ended up needing some serious cleaning, especially in the bearings which were clogged with sand.  From there I went on to a Specialized MTB.  The frame was pretty scratched up, but had some decent components, so I figured a nice, cheap higher end "DAILY BANGER SPECIAL!!"  She needed a FULL tear down to frame, and serious cleaning, but everything was tight.  It was not until I fought the sealed bottom bracket out that I noticed a wiggle and scraping sound.  Come to find out the seat stays were TOTALLY broken away from the chain stays!  How the Beelzebub did I miss THAT!?!  SO, now I have a bucket of parts in search of a body!  Capped off the day working out a little 20" Trek Jet, another kids bike in need of some serious TLC!  This thing suffered more damage from LACK of use, having obviously sat in the element for some time, but the body was still in good shape.  Also, holding me up a wee bit was having to convert Logan's BMX to a coaster brake rear, as his brake lines were totally rusted out!  This is what happens when they refuse to walk the extra 10 yards to the shed when they get home, and just ditch the bike behind the house.  Also, had to true Elijah's rear wheel (AGAIN!!!) as him and Kaleb keep killing it! 
Started the day off strong, with a real nice gent and his Dad, down from Nebraska, who picked up the two cruisers I built the night before.  The son, who recently bought a house down here to rent out to vacationers, wanted to leave a couple bikes in it.  We have been getting a lot of that lately!  COOL!  His dad was a pip, a real hot shot, that I instantly felt a kinship of wise ass with.  A real fun transaction.  From that point, the day got real quiet, unfortunately.  Oh, had several Looky Loo's, but primarily folks just getting into the area, so they are not committed to the cyclist life style...yet.  Give them a couple weeks of having to deal with the crazy drivers and traffic down here and they'll come around!
Heading home (a tad bit late) and we chilled for "Family Movie Night".  With a lack of any family movies we have NOT seen, Angi choose to revisit "Wayne's World"!  Neat trip down memory lane, and the kids got a real kick out of seeing "Dr. Evil/Austin Powers/Shreck" in his earlier work!  Then, kiddo's to bed, Angi and I relaxed to a couple episodes of "The Blacklist", Our new favorite show!  Of course, Angela voiced the silent thought going through both our heads that this was not unlike our wedding night, of little to no celebration.  Sadly true.  As she is fond of offering the sage advice "there are times to reap, and there are times to sow"  Well, now is our time for planting.
And speaking of planting weather! (wow...NICE segue!) It would appear the really harsh, bitter weather has let up, as it was much milder when I stepped out for my morning coffee this morning!  YAY!!!  I'm thinking, if it's as equally nice (if not better) tomorrow, I may pull the stock out into the parking lot and have an impromptu "Sidewalk Sale" while giving myself space to do the Sunday cleaning!
OKEY DOKEY!
Now it's back to the job!
Get up, step out, and breathe deep...and RIDE!

20" BMX CRUISER!
ONLY $35.00!!

LADIES 24" MTB!!
ONLY $55.00!!

20" TREK JET!!
ONLY $45.00!!!

Fourteen Years....And Counting!

Anybody who has been following this blog will know, succinctly, I rarely take the pulpit to speak of anything with any degree of seriousness or sincerity, so you will forgive me if I take that liberty now.
Fourteen years ago, today, I finally married the woman of my dreams.
We have been together for 21 years, but it took me a little time to really....commit.  It all boiled down to timing and practicality (sometimes, a BAD personality trait).  When we met, she had recently had a child, and I knew on the day I met her, I loved her.  It took all my energy to suppress the desire to tell her so for a month or so.  But we hit the ground running.  Shortly after meeting (and not even having so much as an official "date" or courtship) I asked her and her daughter to move in with me, which she excepted.
The years have been...colorful.  But I was blessed to find a powerfully strong willed woman.  She has always known what was best for me, even when I steadfastly refused to listen.  This fact led to some VERY interesting altercations, as we are both fire signs!  Say what you will about astrology, and, no, I do not place a great deal of faith in the practice, but there IS something to be said about the accuracy of the generalization of personalities in relation to one's sign.  Furthermore, the controversy surrounding whether or not "fire" signs are compatible?  Well, all I can say is, if nothing else, it keeps life DAMN interesting!  Couple that with the fact that she is German/Irish (passionate with a propensity to "remember") and I am Polish/French (arrogant/ strong willed/ opinionated/ dismissive/ rude/ forgetful) and you get, what at times would be defined as....combustible, but it provides for a VERY colorful life! 
Sure, we have had our ups and downs (who hasn't?!) and have endured loss, homelessness, poverty, injury, suffering... you name it, but we have also been blessed in so many ways.  Through it all when so many other relationships would have long since crumbled, we have stood together, steadfastly, and weathered it all.  Oh sure, for the reasons mentioned above, we may have fought each other, but for the majority of the time it was in the best interest of each other, our family and our future.  It was that realization that truly kept us going.  Some may say it's unhealthy,  but hey, 21 years.  That's all I have to say!  When SO many relationships will fall into a mundane, pedestrian existence after such a stretch, I have to say, the passion, the love, the commitment and dedication has not only NOT waned, but has strengthened.  That has to say something about the value of "voicing your opinions".
Yes, on this day, fourteen years ago, Angi and I decorated our home, baked and decorated our cakes (with a wee bit of help) hired a Justice of the Peace, and I stood in our living room with all of our family in attendance (and three very cute AND young children acting as ring bearers and ushers(until of course, a very young Kaleb, tired of wearing his Tuxedo, stripped down to his diaper and insisted on going outside to play!)) as we watched my beautiful wife approach the makeshift alter, in a dress she and a friend made, and we exchanged our vows, with no scarcity of tears, sealing our commitment to each other.  It was not the pristine "church" ceremony we had both wanted, nor were we able to take a honeymoon (families great for a day...but not so much for babysitting) however, that day shall forever by catalogued inside me as my "best" day. 
 I'm looking forward to what the next 21 years (and hopefully MORE) will bring!
OK, now on to work!
Yesterday was another day of Mass Production!  The chilly weather that proceeded the day of rain on Tuesday has not abated, and we haven't gotten to the point where the Floridian inhabitants have begrudgingly accepted it's existence and gone back to their lives, so I had a lot of time to just build!  Put out a total of SIX newbies yesterday!  WOOF!  (he exclaims while whipping the imaginary sweat from his brow) We did, however, send home one to a returning Looky Loo!  They have been in several times looking for the perfect bike for her, as he had already picked up his three weeks ago, and she left with the really sweet Mongoose Sahara. 
Out of the six built, four were FULL tear downs and rebuilds!  Yes, I AM impressed with myself, so lets just deal with it! We actually got ANOTHER three wheel recumbent!  WOW!  In seven years, never had a one, now in the last six months alone, we have had three!  WAY COOL!  Also got out a really sharp looking Specialized Hard Rock Classic MTB!  There was a moment there, after the tear down and clean, I thought I was going to have to scrap it, as I was having MAJOR issues getting the bottom bracket to thread!  A very scary moment in rebuilds, as it marks the death knell for many a sweet ride, only because someone before had stripped out the threads!  BUT, I was lucky enough to have a sealed bottom bracket that bit!  YAY!  Then there was the Sun Cycle BIG BOY cruiser, that looked like a wreck when it came in, and I truly had little hopes for it beyond a parts bike. But, given the lightness of the frame I HAD to give it a try, and she ended up emerging a real peach!  Then I gave myself a breather and pounded out two, relatively, easy kiddo rides, then top off the day (and ran a little late) refurbing a simple Men's 26" Cruiser.  This one was a discard.  So badly rusted, the owner was just going to chuck it, but a friend suggested he bring it to us and donate it, so it didn't become landfill.  Oh, sure, it was a chore requiring several replacement parts (bloody cheap "chrome" plating) but what we came out with was a pretty nice looking and comfy "simple" cruiser.  Today, unless I am blessed with A LOT of repairs (HINT....BLOODY......HINT!) we will have more of the same! They are all lined up already!  I'm going to try and beat yesterdays numbers!
OH, as a side note, got a real neat surprise gift from my sister, from WAY up North in the "Old Country"!  Seems she was digging around in a thrift store in Kittery Maine, just down the road from Golden Harvest.  Apparently, they donate all proceeds to local non profits, and are some real good folk.  Now, anyone who knows my propensity for Science Fiction, dedication to Fandom, and drooling Fanboy like behavior at the thought of Star Wars may find this surprising, but she dug me out a copy of George Lucas's "THX 1138: Directors Cut" DVD set, and believe it or not I have NEVER seen the movie!  OH yes, HERESY some may decry, but the sad fact is, I've never been able to find a copy (pre-EBay) and had all but forgotten the effort.  WAY COOL, Sis, thanks!
OK.  Now, I really need to get at it if I'm gonna beat my numbers!
See y'all soon!
REMEMBER!  Jacket.  That's all you need, maybe gloves, but you CAN ride in this weather!  Consider it "Character Building!"
'nuff said!

Pull Your Collar Up And Hold On To Something!

SO, like...is this is a real life retelling of the classic "Winnie the Pooh: A Blustery Day"? 
Brrrrrrr!
It's cool though, because I love the roaring sound the wind makes when it rushes around the buildings and rustles through the trees.  I guess it's a good thing I was NOT able to ride my bike to work today!  Yea, had to take a cab in, and no, it's NOT because I was to lazy to walk, just didn't have time.  Apparently Kaleb got a wee bit confused this morning when he left for school, and used his lock to lock up MY bike, and took my lock instead with HIS keys!  YAY!  (confused yet?) So, he'll be delivering my ride this afternoon.
Yesterday, even though chilly, was quite busy around here!  Sent two rides to new homes, Thank you so much!  One lady was quite a treat as she had found us through Craigslist and went to the blog to check us out, and because of that decided that instead of going to a shop closer to her in Gulfport, she'd come and see us!  How Flattering!  Thank you so VERY much and I do so hope you are enjoying the GT hybrid you adopted! 
Thankfully, no catastrophe's yesterday, and my work was unabated!  Managed to put out three FULL re-furb newbies, with a fourth stripped in my rack and waiting.  Of course, had to take the occasional brake to take care of several "quickie" repairs (thank you SOOO much for the trust, folks!) and one of which was another displaced Yankee, so of course, the conversation revolved around old haunts, as he was from up around Maine.  Lot's of us moving in on Southern Territory!
Of course, last night around the house revolved around organizing the bedroom, as Angi was looking to take a different design approach.  She did, in fact, cut back on a lot of the "Twilight" trappings, reducing it all down to one display, and putting away the rest, stating she wanted to do more of a "grown up" motif.  In respect, I put away a lot of my goodies as well, some of which will be brought up to the shop to fill up more space!  Anyone like "Smurfs"?  Hee, Hee!  Yea, had these little guys for over 35 years!  Not to mention several other trinkets!  Thankfully, around eleven, I convinced her to go against her base instinct of working until she dropped and just call it a night even though she wasn't finished.  Been way to many late nights recently, and the last couple days I have been oversleeping and the kiddo's have been getting off to school late.  I SO do NOT want another phone call from the school! 
ANYWHO!
I best get at it!  So MANY more cool rides to tinker with and I REALLY like the shop to be FULL!
See y'all soon!




LADIES 6 SPEED COMFORT HYBRID!
ONLY $95.00!!

21 SPEED COMFORT CRUISER!!
ONLY $95.00!!

UNIQUE 20" ALLOY BMX!
ONLY $60.00!!

Things That Make You Go....Ugh

At least we awoke this morning met by blue skies!  Hey, I can deal with the cold, but the rain?  NOT! 
First, I gotta comment on something pleasantly unexpected, but weird.  See, we're used to an audience of about 100-150 views on the blog each day (thanks to all with nothing better to do then listen into my ramblings.  Seriously?  There nothing on cable?  Oh... never mind, I can answer THAT question!) and it is the grand standing, egotistical, "likes the sound of his own voice", Leo that LOVES to check my stats each morning.  Makes me feel wanted. This morning, however, when I peeked, I saw that yesterday we had 568 views!  568?!?  I wonder if there was a glitch?  But, the views were only 70% America, with 28 other countries all in attendance.  Bizarre!  All kidding aside, I am very humbled folks!  Truly!  I just wish I knew what it wasthat I wrote that was of mass appeal? If I can figure that out, I'll do it more!
OK, back to yesterday!  When I awoke, and went out for my coffee, I noticed the deep gray horizon, and shuddered.  Gray, rainy Tuesdays equals ONE thing.
Dead.  D...E..A...D, DEAD! 
HOWEVER, it was NOT without it's excitement!  Twas a day of acquisition, plain and simple!!  Got in a BEVY of new beauties!  Not without there issues, but once rebuilt, they are going to be GEMS!  I especially like the Specialized Hard Rock MTB!  That one is going to be CHERRY!  It was with that, and the otherwise slow visitor day, that I pounced upon the pile with vigor, and quickly in the AM had two done and ready to go (from the goodies we got the day before) then was about to begin on the new pile, with one in my rack, when I pulled the Mongoose Comfort Hybrid up for a photo op to post and put in line, when I realized that a wheel I had taken down for a customer (who decided to hold off until he could bring in his bike and have me install it) was leaning against the counter.  Not wanting clutter in my photo, I went to put the wheel back on the rack.
Apparently that additional three pounds was to much weight for our new designer wheel rack display to hold.
Oh yes.....
It did!
Now here is where, in retrospect, fate stepped in, and in a RARE display of altruism, actually worked in my favor!  As I placed the wheel in the rack and turned to go back to what I was doing, I heard a "POP" and rather loud shift with the clanging of metal.  Somehow, without looking, I thrust my hand out behind me and caught the right end of the rack, thus keeping it from crashing, FULLY, in a loud cacophony of clattering metal!  Quickly readjusting myself I spun around and surveyed the damage.  The first three supports had pulled from the wall, with only the remaining two holding it up.  I quickly began to remove the wheels I could reach with one hand, to lighten the load, and before I ran out of arm length, by happenstance, a customer walked in, saw my dilemma and quickly offered aid.  As we struggled to hold and remove the weight, Kaleb happened to walk back into the shop.  I had thought he had already left to go home, but as it turned out, he had forgotten something and had to return.  At his normal relatively casual pace, he casually helped remove the remaining wheels and grab a ladder to buttress it against the wall.  Non sooner had we propped it up, and began to contemplate what to do next in, Terry walked in to get his tri weekly batch of scrap, and just happened to have more scrap 2X4's on his truck, along with a couple handfuls of 3" decking screws!!  YAY!!!  Quickly we chopped up some supports, installed and painted them!  Had it not been for all that divine intervention, we more then likely would have lost half the wall!  Thank GOD this didn't happen with a customer under it, or more importantly, A BIKE!
ANYWHO!
All that, and the resultant "cleaning up" took a chunk out of my afternoon, so unfortunately I couldn't get back onto the new builds!
But that's OK I'm gonna work on them shortly!
After all that, we headed back to the house for the evening, and....MORE remodeling! 
Angi, now having the majority of the house looking as she wanted it, and doing a FAH-BU-LOUS job of decorating, turned her attentions to our room!  Realizing, that we both are just tired of orange walls, she bit the bullet and *shudder* set about cleaning our room!  AHHHHHH!!!!
See, our room is the catch all.  All the stuff, private items, books, toys, etc that can NOT be left in any other room where eager little hands can grasp and tear at them, so needless to say it is cluttered, at best!  And it make a proper cleaning, difficult.  Apparently, at one point in her endeavor, she was besieged by Dust Dragons, that she fought off valiantly with her Magic dust wand, as the protective Dust Fairies had apparently lost the battle.  When I heard earlier in the day she had committed to doing this, I, foolishly, stated that as long as she was cleaning she should leave everything in the middle of the room, and I would do the painting when I got home.  We had earlier decided to use the left over paint from the main rooms, as we had bought WAY to much to begin with.  But it's cool, we both really like the green/green combo (green is the color of magic!)   So, needless to say, twas another night we didn't get to bed much before 2 am.  UGH! The results, though were worth it!  Not to mention, I gained a little more real estate in the room, AND the really big book case that has, up until now, been a catch all in the kiddo's play room!  YAY!  Now I can take the entirety of my books (and maybe even TOYS) OUT of the closet, and put them where they can be seen!  The Star Trek novels alone will take up the whole top section!  Hee, hee! 
And she REALLY surprised me when she said she "May Not" put back her "Twilight" collection.
WHOA!  That is.....EPIC! 
We'll see.  I don't mind it though, as our room is really a reflection of both of us.  Twilight and vampires on one side, Firefly on the other!
ANYWAY!
Now, I best get a move on.  All my morning chores done early this morning, so I'm gonna get to banging out some more goodies! 
See ya soon!  Hey.  NO excuses, just put on a jacket and come and pay us a visit!

LIKE NEW MONGOOSE COMFORT HYBRID!!
ONLY $105.00!!

GIRLS 20" 6-SPEED!
ONLY $50.00!!

A Trilogy.....of sorts.

WHOA!  Busy weekend!
Let's catch up! 
Sunday was a regular pack 'em up and ship 'em out day!  Sent four to new homes, and one was a triple "Ten Minute Rule!"  Had just put together a sweet Giant Simple Cruiser the night before, yellow of all colors, and did not have huge hopes for such a quick turnover.  Yellow is not a popular bicycle color.  BUT, when I had put it out Saturday, had a young lady come in five minuets after eyeing it.  Not having the cash on hand, she stated she'd be in on Sunday to pick it up.  Sunday came, another gent, first thing, checked it out, and was sold, but would be back the next day to pick it up.  Five minuets later, a couple came in (with three AWESOME trades, to boot) and snagged it up!  Never ceases to amaze me, when folks come back in a day or too later to pick up a bike they looked at before, only to find it no longer here, and they are surprised.  I mean, ten minuet rule folks "If I'm lyin'....I'm dyin'!" Even my own father, who was present during the whole transaction, had thought I was kidding about the rule! 
Now as mentioned on Sunday, 'twas a day of cleaning!  yay. So nothing new was built (nor any repairs done *sad face*) as we REALLY needed to get things organized again.  I know I talk about many a cleaning day, but you'd be surprised just how trashed this place can get, being up to our elbows in parts and debris.  Plus, we had the mess in the back...
Sunday afternoon was capped off with a visit from the aforementioned grandparents, and we hung out chatting for the afternoon and they treated to a Pizza dinner (which I'm betting they regret as when they asked should they order one or two, I had to sheepishly respond with "four".  Growing kids and all that) then, after their departure we chilled for the evening, which brings us to...."MOVIE REVIEWS!!!!"
OK, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "Previews lie, and reviews are less then truthful"!  Our examples.
First.  "Dumb and Dumber 2"  I have been looking forward to seeing this film from the moment I heard filming had started, as the original is one of my all time favorites!  I had planned on seeing it in the theatres, but as fate would have it, waited until it came out for rent.  In retrospect, sadly, I'm glad I saved myself $28.00!  Now, in all fairness, we DID NOT watch it all the way through.  When sitting down perusing Amazon Prime for a film to watch, Angi and I both had our minds set on different ones we wanted to watch, but she selflessly allowed me to choose.  About twenty minuets into the film I sighed and said "Let's watch yours instead!"
This movie (although out of loyalty I WILL finish watching it and let you know if it got any better) is proof positive that you CAN NOT catch lightning in a bottle twice!  The original was pure comedic gold.  Effortlessly and with tremendous skill skating the very razors edge of "Stupid funny, and just plain stupid".  Then they came out with "Dumb and Dumberer" which was quickly (in my mind) filed under "That NEVER happened!" (right next to "Superman Returns") But this new adventure of "Harry and Lloyd" takes a nose dive OFF the razor's edge, PLUNGES into FULL stupidity and splashes around, soaking it all into it's every pore!  It had one good laugh at the very beginning of the film, but then just went down hill....FAST!  It's highly contrived, borrowing heavily from the original with water downed, bastardized variations of the original gags, and even Carey and Daniels seemed so.....forced.  This was more a paycheck, and nothing else, which is sad, as Jim Carey really needed a hit, in an attempt to revitalize his standing in Hollywood.  Now, it seems more a Swan Song. I REALLY wanted to enjoy it...maybe it ends well?
ANYWHO, Angi's choice was "John Wick".  Simply put, a really good, sticking to safe formula, Revenge Movie.  This one ranks right up their with other such classic's as Mel Gibson's "Payback" and the visually unique "Sin City".  The premise (SPOILER ALERTS) is Keanu Reeves title character...
(Let me pause here, for a moment, and just say a few things about Mr. Reeves.  He's not the greatest actor in the world, but given the right vehicle, he can REALLY shine!  I liked him in "Constantine" all the Matrix trilogy, even his more recent panned films "Man of Tai Chi" and "47 Ronin" showed a range (and I LOVE him as a bad guy!) and he is really growing into those kind of roles.  (and let's face it "Bill and Ted" NEVER get old!))
...is a retired hit man, a very GOOD hit man (as one character states "Do you know the Boogeyman? John Wick is the man you hire to KILL the Boogeyman") who left the life for the love of a woman.  She regrettably develops an aggressive cancer and dies.  As a parting gift she sends him a puppy to "have something to love" as a way to heal.  Later that same day, he crosses paths with the son of a Russian mob boss who covets John's Classic Mustang.  Later that night, they break into his house, beat him, kill his dog and steal his car.
....that's all it takes.
Stricken with grief (and not so subtle imagery exemplifies his loss) he sets out to seek revenge.
Then the body count quickly rises, and the remainder of the film is a kinetic rush, sprinkled with some very morose "dark humor" but not so much so as to distract from the course of the film.  Definitely worth a heavy popcorn night!
(jumping around a bit....keep up)
Monday came, and Angi and I, in a VERY rare moment of "playing hooky" took the morning to go and do our monthly food shopping, having Elijah come and open up, and Kaleb to sit with the kiddos.  Yes, normally that would have been in reverse, but Kaleb is on restrictions for a couple days, so as an added bonus "deal with your siblings!" HAHA!!
Then Angi, sensing my antsyness , told me "Go, get to the shop" once all the food was put up.  Once here, and caught up (but 'twas a quiet morning) I hit the rebuilds toot sweet!  And pounded out three new gems!  A reliable A to B MTB, a much needed ladies hybrid AND a REALLY nice vintage Schwinn Voyager, converted into a Fixie with a rear flip hub!  And this is a NEW set of wheels!  Well...new by about six months.  I built this ride, special order for a gent, who unfortunately, recently had an accident (in a car, NOT on the bike) and could no longer ride. 
At the end of the night I went home and was treated to Angi's MAGNIFICENT interpretation of Chicken Catchatory (don't ask me to spell it....Spell check can't even figure it out!)
Once all the "nite, nite" chores were finished, we chilled while trying to figure out what to do for the evening.  Yesterday was our 23rd anniversary, but as we spent our allotment on Saturday, it was a quiet evening!  We settled on the old stand by, a movie, and were flipping through the selections, and I spied "Hercules".  Now, of course, anything with Dwayne Johnson seems to always be "thumbs down" by critics, but I was in the mood for eye candy, and figuring it would be a lot of monsters and fantasy, put in my bid.  Angela agreed, with a shrug and we were both duelly impressed.  (SPOILER ALERT!!!)  This is a retelling of the myth of Hercules (lot of that going around lately...) or more so, epitomizing the idea that reality can quickly morph into legend, given the right PR and "Spin Doctors". Was Hercules the bastard son of Zeus, or just a really big, strong guy who did some big deeds (with the help of his Posse')?  the question is never truly answered, but that's the point.  It's not the myth that's important, rather the man.  All in all, a real fun movie sprinkled with some great one liners and tongue and cheek humor!
OK, now on to today!
Getting right back on new builds!  YAY!  We keep accumulating more and more, and before we get nagged about the pile building up outside, I'm going to jump on it!
(he says after typing for an hour....)
See ya soon!

LADIES HYBRID!!!
ONLY $130.00!!

VINTAGE SCHWINN FIXIE CONVERSION!!
ONLY $190.00!!

MEN'S DUAL SHOCK MTB!!
ONLY $80.00!!!

What a Night!

Well, I guess Sunday has become the defacto "Day of Cleaning"!  The mess out back from recent construction and all the rides we have been stacking up out there (not to mention the kiddo's leaving messes around) got to a breaking point and we needed to get it all cleaned up and organized.  OF course, after doing that, we just moved into the shop and continued the purge of trash!  Actually MOPPED THE FLOORS!!  WOOF!  That was real fun!  But at least it's done!
Yesterday we were way crazy busy!  THANK YOU to all the wonderful folks for coming in and making it such a hoot a nanny!  I lost track, but I do know, we sent the tandem home with a very funny couple, I wish them the best of luck with their bonding!  The Cannondale single speed conversion I'd been waiting to work on, finally cleared yesterday, and it wasn't even five minuets after finishing it did it find a very excited new home!  And it's going on vacation to boot, headed for Colorado!  Beyond that, I was so busy with new builds I didn't keep track of anything else!  Sad, really!  Managed to put out three others beyond the Cannondale, one of which already sold first thing this morning. 
Last night was a blast! Angi and I had a great VD celebration, having a (relatively) nice dinner at Sea Sea Riders (the place is being remodeled so it was a little less then appealing sitting next to sheets of hanging plastic) then on to Flannagan's where we hung with the band for a while.  All in all a great time! 
OK, now, I'm gonna try and get some work done before the end of the day (in an hour)
See ya soon! 

MONGOOSE "GIRDER" BMX

GIANT SIMPLE CRUISER!
ONLY $135.00

A Day To Celebrate Your Love

HAPPY VD DAY!! 
Time to show your sweeties the value they hold in your heart.  Hopefully they know it year round and this is merely a day to celebrate it!
Last night was a hoot.  Rozlynd informed us, the day before of course, that there was a dance at her school.  Of course, it was represented as a father/daughter dance, but was, in fact, all family.  However we did not become aware of that until the day of.  No worries though, her and I went and enjoyed the festivities.  It was sweet to be there and see her and all the other children enjoying themselves.  I danced a few with her, but lets face it, the music these kids listen to nowadays?  Very hard to find the rhythm! 
Then it was home and "Family Movie Night!"  Angi picked out a real fun one!  "The Book of Life".  I'm not at all hip on Mexican folk lore, but I have to think, this was the first time I've ever seen an animated film dedicated to the subject.  And it was SOOOOO good!   Even Miranda, who will usually pass out before the end of a film, stayed awake and enthralled in the whole adventure.
Yesterday, was more production, after repairs of course.  Put out the real sweet Raleigh Royale Mixtie.  This was another one that took some doing, but she was well worth the effort.  And I need more and more ladies bikes!  Had several visitors and looky loo's yesterday, and it would seem they were ALL looking for ladies bikes.  SO, I'm picking through the pile and finishing all that apply! 
Speaking of which, I'm getting back at it!  Early start on the day today! 
See y'all soon!

"LIKE NEW" LADIES 24" MTB!!
ONLY $75.00!!!

VINTAGE RALEIGH ROYALE MIXTIE!!
ONLY $125.00!!

10 SPEED URBAN COMMUTER!!
ONLY $125.00!!!

Ironic, Isn't it?

In the cosmic scheme of things, what is the significance of Valentines Day being preceded by Friday the 13th?  One would think it would NOT bode well!  Luckily for me, the 14th is not one of major importance, as Angela's and my anniversary is the 16th, a wee bit more important, and we have both begrudgingly excepted over the years that any celebration is muted by finances.  We opt for the 16th to "pull out the stops".  But don't get me wrong!  I still have to "think floral" on VD day! 
SO!  yesterday was one of production!  SAH-WEET!  Finally finished up that funky three wheeler! Golly Bob Howdy was she a bi......cycle!  I tallied it up.  An hour of tear down (rusty bolts) 8 hours of cleaning! (SHEESH!) and an hour re-assembly!  This one was a custom job, and by custom I mean, whoever built it, had to do some Jerry Rigging!  In effect, I haD to deduce what they were trying to accomplish.  In the end, I abandoned a few things they had half arsed, and think I made it a little stronger.  PLUS, found a REAL sweet vintage chrome chain guard to really make her pop! 
Did I stop with that accomplishment? Oh Nay, Nay!  Popped an old school ten speed MTB, and a full tear down, clean and rebuild later (with the addition of some sweet street slicks) we ended up with a pretty nice (and cheap) urban commuter!  OK...so the steel frame may not make it the best, but did I mention...CHEAP?  ALSO, got out another ladies cruiser! Ladies bikes have been ALL the rage lately!  I just can NOT keep them in stock!  SO it was with a great deal of excitement, that I popped an Old School, ladies Raleigh ten speed in my rack last night and gave her the full tear down, and will be jumping back on her in a moment! 
Wait...that didn't sound right.
ANYWHO!
On the home front!
FINALLY got an evening of R & R last night!  Thank HEAVENS!  I didn't have to do (barely) anything!  Elijah handled dinner and all the kiddo's pitched in with nightly "getting ready for bed duties".  Sure, we had Miranda up for a while after bed time, it's a full moon cycle, and her lycanthropy comes out, and she becomes hard to bed down!  BUT, she can be so damned cute, you forgive her!  She has gotten into tickling other peoples feet, and she has the cutest little mischievous grin when she does it!  PRECIOUS!!!
As Angi popped in our copy of "RED", I hunkered down with Elijah and Logan to play a few hands of Magic.  Elijah has really gotten into it now and is...learning.  Logan, of course, being the resident gamer/fanboy extraordinaire is teaching him a thing or too.  Really fun dynamic to watch there.  With many common interests the two of them have grown very close since Elijah moved back in.  Having discovered a local comic/gaming shop in Largo, Elijah took Logan with him to "Magic Night" last Saturday, and they had a hoot of a time.  And he is genuinely proud to do it, none of that discord with having to be with a "younger brother".  As much as I chide them, seeing the difference in their age NOT be a hindrance, and the closeness developing between them (beyond the normal bonds these kids have with one another) is rather heart warming.  Hence why sitting and playing with them is quite pleasant (even when Logan gets REAL pissy when I kill off his creatures! Hee, hee!)
OK, enough pahlatha!  I best get to work! 
See y'all soon! 

LADIES 26" CRUISER!
ONLY $65.00!!

MEN'S 26" TEN SPEED!
ONLY $70.00!!

"OOOOOOOOO! SHINY!!"
ONLY $210.00!!!

Couldn't Hold Out!

Oh I didn't want to wait until tomorrow on this one!  I took WAY to long, and I want to show it off!  Also found  real sweet vintage chrome chain guard I could make work with it!
OK, now I'm going back to work!

CAP CITY CUSTOM 3 WHEELER!
ONLY $210.00!!

Industrial Funk.

Sometimes your expectations exceed the reality of any given situations dependant  upon the shortcoming of others. 
In other words, DO NOT spray paint OVER bubbly rust!!!
ARRGH!!


Yes, the funky three wheeler I took on yesterday resulted in a FULL tear down and six hours, SIX....HOURS, of chrome cleaning!  At first glance, I figured I could do the majority on the bike with PB and steel wool.  No go!  Way to much chrome and way to many nooks and crannies I couldn't get into.  Full tear down later, I'd anticipated just sanding and repainting, as the person who owned it before had, themselves, used standard silver paint to cover over some obviously BAD rust.  Before beginning though, I figured, for shots and grins, I'd make a pass of one of the springer arms through the old wire wheel to see what I came up with!  Turns out, this was all REAL chrome, not the cheap plated stuff you usually find on these conversions!  SWEET!  With a little effort it came out like new!  Although the rust was VERY wide spread, it was about 95% surface.  Thing is...there is a LOT of chrome!!!  Some having been heavily (and poorly) spray painted.  First I had to get through that, then the surface rust underneath!  Well, at least the spray paint kept the rust from getting worse!  In the end though the six hours paid off, because once this baby is all the way together, she is going to look FINE!!!  I did one minor alteration though, when they build these things, or customize them, they take off the traditional crank and put on one from a child's 12" bike.  I guess they figure it will give it more of a "lowrider" look.  Nah!  Just plain GOOFY!  And talk about making it a chore to ride!?  WOOF!  You's be out of breath by the time you hit the end of your driveway!  I went back to a traditional 20" crank so it can at least be rode in comfort!  I managed to get it half way back together before leaving time, so I'm chomping at the bit to get back to it, then on to more "standard" rides!  Have SEVERAL "DAILY BANGER SPECIAL" candidates in the back, and wanting to get at them!
Last night, my thoughts of just enjoying some cuddle time on the couch didn't happen until way later.   Now that we have the entertainment center together, we decided it was time to reunite our entire movie collection under one roof (except for a few choice items that don't leave the shop (MST3K for example)) so I gathered up all the personal DVD'S and VHS from the shop, and the boys ferried them home, with the explicit instructions that they NOT bring them in the house until all the cases were Lysol wipped down! Let's face it, ANYTHING coming from this shop is going to have a wee bit of "industrial funk" on it, and I do not want it coming into the house!  It's bad enough what comes in on me before a shower!  Well, upon arriving home, I found the six large crates of movies still sitting on the porch, the boys having quickly abandoned their task with haste.  Once I got them clean, had to put them away.  Of course, ran out of room in the cabinet, so it looks like I'm going to have to get a couple more.
*sigh*
Well, at least we got to chill a little bit before night, night! 
ANYWHO!
I have procrastinated enough, back to work!
See y'all soon!!

STRETCH!!!

Ok, Yea, one of the perks of this job is the reoccurring pleasure of folks endearing joy I get to share in when they find that perfect ride.  Yesterday was just such a day!  Had a young gent come in, new to the joys of Veloism, looking for the perfect sidekick to share the journey.  His folks have been talking about improving their cardio, and he thought, that perhaps if HE got into riding, it would inspire them to do the same,
Wow.  There ARE kids out there caring for their folks!  Who knew?
Anyway!
SO, he had been hitting the local bike shops, and in his words, damn near DIED of shock at the prices they charged for even the basest of models.  Then he took to Craigslist and found either the ones that were cheap needed way to much work OR they were overpriced OR the good ones were snatched up WAY to quick!  Then he stumbled on our ads and thought he would give it a shot and come in to see what we had.  At this point he saw the Schwinn Traveler, REALLY liked the price, then took it for a test drive.  He was HOOKED!  Once he returned, he handed me a credit card and said "I'm in LOVE!" 
You have NO idea how much of a high THAT is! Not only knowing we played a part in all of it, but that one more person, hopefully, would be less and less ponying up to the Petrol Teet!  That is ALWAYS a plus!!
OH yes, if your brave enough to ask me, I WILL preach about the complete unnecessary addiction folks have to their cars, and that for over ten years our family has gotten along QUITE nicely without one, thank you VERY much! 
We also sent home the Gray Mongoose to help placate a young man who's recently purchased "Wal-Mart" bike "just started to fall apart" (and yes I DO recognized the irony that the bike WE sold him originally came from Wal-Mart).
Managed to put out TWO newbies yesterday, and before you lambaste me on the lack of production, the Schwinn Sidewinder we put out needed a LOT of work!  It never ceases to amaze me, though, that with some elbow grease and a little TLC even the most dilapidated of rides can come out roses!  ALSO, got in a couple SWEET treats!  ONE (that I just HAD to get out immediately) is a Dyno GT "Roadster" STRETCH low boy!  I LOVE these bikes!  They were the only ones from the fad of chopper cruisers a few years back, that could actually be RODE!  You'll realize how impressive they are when you see the pic below!  ALSO, and I REALLY like this one, is a "Kalifornia Kustom" Style Schwinn Stingray replica retrofitted into a three wheeler!  SAH-WEEEET!!  Be looking for that one later today!
On the home front?  Oh, the work hasn't stopped!  I thought we were going to chill last night, but Angela, looking for a proper rack to put the electronics on (to keep them out of Miranda reach) realized the chrome shelf in the laundry room (that we never use) would be perfect.  It was.  However, one would not think installing the thing over the TV would be THAT much of an ordeal!  After that, the DVD racks that Elijah had picked up and assembled last week, proved far to tempting a target for curious little hands, and the shiny little silver Frisbees inside an exciting new toy!  SO, flipped upside down, and bracketed to the wall on either side of the TV keeps them out of destructive hands!  Of course, as the boys and I were working on this (and waiting for them to do a run to the store to grab a few things) Angela kept herself occupied by creating a few more beautiful silk flower arrangements to accent the rooms and to creatively cover a small hole in the laundry room door that every child in the house INSISTS just "appeared"!
Of course, having all the recently acquired space inspired me to have Logan and Owen empty out all the DVD's and VHS tapes (yes...v...h...s!  Got a problem with that?) so I could organize and put them up!  I'd forgotten just how many movies were stuffed in our closet!  WOOF!
After all that flurry of activity, we reposed on the couch, and I quickly faded off.  Angi got me up, and we headed to bed, and as we lay there, cuddling and drifting off the last thing we discussed was..
we really need to do OUR room now!
Oh BOY!
See ya soon!
OK, with that, I am jumping right back into the rebuilds!

GORGEOUS DYNO GT STRETCH LOW BOY!!
ONLY $320.00!!!

26" SCHWINN SIDEWINDER!
ONLY $90.00!!!

BUST A GUT, LAUGHING!!!

Well...at least we awoke to something other then gray and overcast!  Yesterday was, an icky, rainy Monday.  Add it all up and you get?  A great day to get some work done! 
*sigh*
Even poor Suzanne was feeling a little depressed as the constant downpour hindered her ability to run amok out back chasing her squirrel friends .  Had to take the following pics, entitled "Puppy In Repose"



She was SOOO bumbed! 
Well, we played for a while inside and she got a treat so she felt better after!
ANYWHO!!
Managed to get out two new rides, with a third (that needs MAJOR work) is in my rack stripped with the frame cleaned!  Put out a sweet Murray cruiser and a GORGEOUS Cannondale F300 small framed Mountain Bike!  NICE! 
Obviously, with the horrific rain yesterday, had very few visitors, sad to say, but at least I have plenty to keep me busy!
On the home front?  I didn't have to do ANYTHING last night!!!  Angi and Elijah kept the house clean, and did a magnificent job of finishing up the kiddo's play room (although now that everything is cleaned and all the rubbish from the kitchen remodel is gone, I can see the trim needs to be done!) so we just chilled for a while.  In doing  so, I recently heard (and I believed I mentioned) that one of the original creators of MST3K went on to develop a take on the "riffing" of movies in the way of "Rifftrax".  They not only do classic B-Movies, but more impressively, they do an MP3 download you can sync up with NEW movies!  A kind of "commentary" style.  One of the franchise of films they riff is the "Twilight" series!  Now, Angi is a MAJOR Twihard, and takes the Megalith...seriously.  Well, I got a hair across my hiney, went on You Tube and found several snippets from the "Best Of" of them riffing the series of movies.
WOW!
Elijah, Logan and I watched (while Angi listened on, none to amused) as we literally split our sides in HISTERICS!!!  I have not laughed that hard since I first saw the "Peeing Scene" in "Me, Myself and Irene" After only ten minuets of clips the three of us couldn't breath!  Seriously, Check out Rifftrax, Twilight on you tube. Yer gonna DIE!!!
OK, I best get a move on, I really need to get some more goodies out!
See ya REAL soon!

2004 CANNONDALE F300
ONLY $280.00!!

CLASSIC MEN'S MURRAY CRUISER!
ONLY $75.00!!