I am coming to terms with the fact that Mick Jagger is probably not coming back. This has been hard, and I am still hopeful. However, it was time to move on and get rolling again.
One perk of running a Non-Profit Bike Shop is that I have access to loads of frames and bikes. A good thing in times of need...like this! Sunday morning, a mere 10 hours after discovering Mick's disappearance, we were hard at work getting me on the road again. One of my good friends (and bike mechanic) Heath and I went to Bici and took a look around. We found a great Specialized mountain bike that would work and made plans to work on it. However, we stopped by my house (where Bici is storing extra bikes) and discovered a beautiful blue Schwinn that looked just about right. Oh how excited I was. A mountain bike would be fine, but I am a roadie at heart.
Plans changed and we got to work on it. Spent a day and a half in the shop working feverishly. Runs to the Local Bike Shop and pulling parts from other bikes (wheels) happened. Then...voile! A new bike for Elisa! Isn't she pretty?
I have spent the past 3 days trying to figure out a name for her and today finally it hit me: Bettie. As in, Bettie Page, Bette Davis...heck, Betty Boop! I have never met a Betty I didn't like.
So, internets, meet Bettie. She and I are becoming fast friends.
Oh, and the week before the tragedy, I went and bought an old Schwinn Speedster from Joel, the bike guy. Her name is Kat Von D. She and Bettie are going to be buddies, I can tell. Kat still needs some love, but I will keep you updated on her progress.
Both bikes have beautiful features, such as Schwinn nameplates (is that what it is called?), pretty lugs, original parts and stickers. Nothing like a pretty steel bike.
It's called a head badge, generally. Some of them are pieces of art in their own right, beautifully decorated pieces of metal, some with plating, and different metals pieced together, cloisonne crests, etc. The red Raliegh Heron is the most familiar to old-timers, but I'd still like to know how the heron became the bird of choice.
ReplyDeleteYou and Betty are becoming fast friends? HOW fast? (Had to be said, you gave us the perfect setup...)
Hope you get used to the lack of Mick Jagger, in your back yard, on the road, etc.
They ought to allow hanging bike thieves like they did horse thieves, a hundred twenty years ago, and for the same reason. Then a horse was not "Just a means of getting from one place to another", but an active part of the family, and your life depended on him being there when needed, and on his condition. Anyone that tried to steal that, put your life in danger, in a very real and immediate sense.
So, Hang 'em high!
Very nice bikes! I look forward to hearing about your new cruiser.
ReplyDeletesuper cute...love the pink detailing! I'm itchin' for a pair of pink pedals...
ReplyDeleteBettie looks great, old road bikes are truly eye candy. Have a lot of fun with her.
ReplyDeleteNice! Both appear to be genuine Chicago-made Schwinns, too...real rolling American steel!
ReplyDeleteLove the fenders. Really do.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking bike! I love the deep blue and shiny steel with the pink bar tape. What fun! I'm a roadie at heart, too. Some girls think hot cars are sexy (I would count myself one of them). But hot bikes are sexy too! Welcome Bettie!
ReplyDeleteHow are you going to explain Bettie to Mick if he DOES come home?
ReplyDeleteBack where I come from, it's considered good form to wait until the corpse is cold before asking the widow to dance.
Don't forget Betty White from the Golden Girls.
ReplyDeletethat semi-chrome fork is sweet! :)
ReplyDeleteso sad your mick jagger :(((((
ReplyDeletebut heck, this bettie is hawt. rock on!
have you seen her dressed in blue?!!?
Nice bikes- love the pink tape :0
ReplyDeleteYou never told me she was named Bettie Paige! Neko must be so confused.
ReplyDeleteDan-I only had her for a week, so it is perfectly acceptable to change her name. Besides, she is much more a Neko!
ReplyDelete