The Bikes

Here is my (Simon's) bike. It's a 1984 Fuji Touring Series III, all silver with beautiful lugs with the seams painted red. I bought it on Craig's List about two years ago to be my commuter and touring bike. It has treated me so well over the years and I love it. It's the only bike I ride.


The Silver Rocket


Over the last few months I have given this bike a near-complete makeover. It needed it! And I wanted the opportunity to learn as many aspects of assembly and maintenance as I could before taking off on this trip. I replaced the bottom bracket, chain rings, freewheel, chain, and rear derailleur at The Missing Link bike co-op in Berkeley. They have a free public bench and tools. Awesome. I replaced the brake levers and cables, and re-taped the bars with gel underneath. I replaced the rear rack. I rebuilt the rear wheel with new spokes and trued the front wheel. I replaced my old Armadillo tires with Schwalbe Marathon tyres.

And now for the equpiment related special thanks:

Thank you Matt Danning for the pedals and rear derailleur!

Thank you Jonathan Botkin for helping me select this bike (and Wendy's), for hours of advice, for the article about loading a touring bike, for the front rack and hardware to mount it, and for answering my every question with patience and authority.

Thank you Bundy for the vintage handlebar bag and the homemade rack for it.

Thank you Adam for ace meachanic advice, and for helping rebuild Wendy's drive train, and for solving her shifting problems. And for the taping lesson and the bottom bracket overhaul lesson. And for touring gear advice.

Thank you Atlanta SOPO Bike Co-op for the seat and toe cages.

Thanks Ryan for lending me the trueing stand and your tools and your back yard and your workshop and your knowledge for my wheel rebuild.

Thank you Jay for the totally tubular rear rack. It's amazing!

Thank you Warm Planet Bicycles in San Francisco for ordering a single set of oddball 27" tires for me, without waiting to put together a bigger order.

And thank you Mom and Larry for letting me turn your garage into a chaotic bike shop for the week.

And here is Wendy's bike. A circa-1999 Cannondale touring frame with a hodgepodge of componenets. We'll write more about this one later... In the meantime we'll add that Wendy has ditched that bulky front black bag for a sleeker, more elegant look.

The Green Flash