The Fuji Lives!

I was feeling grumpy this evening. Didn't want to do anything but nap or watch my email, hoping someone would send me something. (Constantly hitting "Check Mail". Sad.)

But then I remembered that my son needs a bike to ride, so I dragged out the Fuji frame and my old Trek wheels (27"), checked to make sure the 27" wheels would fit the frame that originally had 700c wheels (they did), and I got to work.

I had removed all the old cables, the rear derailer, and all the brake levers and shifters when I decommissioned the Fuji. But I still had the old handlebars from the slush mobile, complete with brake levers, shifters, and cables. I also still had the derailer (a late addition Shimano 105, put on when the original one--hardly a Shimano--broke off).

So I put the derailer on, reconnected the chain (after several tries in which it got routed wrong—damn! I wish I were more careful!), fished out pieces of cable housing that fit the job, ran the cables and got it working. (I had to jury rig a bit, but not too much.)

I was impressed with how bad the old wheels and freewheel are. The freewheel wouldn't even turn, and the wheels are not exactly silent. I guess it was time to replace them when I did.

But it seems to be put together. I need to take it for its maiden voyage and load it up with reflectors, since my son will occasionally ride it at night (without a light, of course). He's 16, so I can't expect him to be too careful. Perhaps I'll get a blinky light for the seat post. Maybe he'd humor me by turning it on when he rides at night.

So even though my wife thought I was nuts for not throwing out the Fuji, I knew better. Old bikes never die. They just get put back together with scrap parts.