Simplyfly's Blog.

If I had an extra $300 laying around I could be the new owner of an unidentified Schwinn Tandem.

Yesterday when my ma was visiting she told me that on the way over she passed a garage sale in her neighborhood that had a tandem, but that she didn't have the time to stop and look at it. I was stoked to hear this, because for the last few weeks I've been dreaming about how awesome it would be to ride tandem around riverside with one of my adorable best friends, who has the same name as I, and is short and dark haired like I am. A & A on a tandem. Double trouble.  So, I asked my mom to go by today for me to see if it was still there and to call me with the price and specs. She went buy and it was $300 and from what she described I think it is probably an older Twinn. Blue. Not my favorite color but if it was cheap I could have gone for it. The guy also had a Schwinn Adult Trike for $200 and another Schwinn that she didn't get the details on for $100. I'm a little disappointed, because I was hoping that it would belong to someone who had kept it in his/her garage for decades, did not know the worth, and just wanted to get it out of the way. Maybe some day. From what I have heard, it happens.

While on the telephone with my mother tonight I told her that I am considering going to the United Bicycle Institute in the fall to take their two week "Professional Repair and Shop Operation" course and get certified as a bicycle mechanic.

This is a fairly random thing to consider, since I am very interested in bicycle mechanics, but just decided to look up bike schools a few days ago. She was a bit surprised, but also surprisingly supportive of this new idea, and agreed that it might be a good thing for me to do. At best, it will be another certification to use to help me get a job (whether it be in sales or wrenching) at a bike shop should I choose to pursue that path. At the least it will give me more knowledge which will help me in restoring my own bicycles (and friends'), a trip to Oregon, an adventure, and a sense of accomplishment.

I think another reason why UBI is really attractive to me is the length and intensity of the course. For the last year and a half I have been in a bit of a school commitment-phobic mode, only truly committing to finishing short-term work projects and to my various interstate relocations. I even took the leap and applied to the KCAI this year, but right now I am considering postponing going back to school full time for another year. I think my main problem with committing to a long-term school right now is that I have so many interests (design, culinary arts, etc) that I am not sure which is a greater passion. I am not a flake, I just want to feel something is right before I commit to a 4 year program.
I already started going to college for one thing (psychology a few years ago), and changed my mind completely. I don't want to make the same mistake. (and thank God this indecisiveness is strictly school/work related.)

So, I have sent off for a brochure and I am doing hours of research to see if this program might be right for me.
So far I'm thinking yes.

I know it might be a longshot, but have any of you reading this gone to UBI or another "bike school"?
Or do you have any information/advice about being a female bike mechanic?

Those who know me know that I am not a materialistic person, and that I actually prefer to not have an excess of unnecessary "stuff".

That said, I do like and appreciate nice things, and as I come nearer to reaching my goal size I find myself being drawn towards fantastic new clothing like a moth to a flame.  Most of these items would be worn with cardigans.

After returning from the Ozarks yesterday I went to my old residence to pick up my '77 Schwinn Breeze.

Full of excitement, I brought it home and immediately started cleaning it up. Taking the minor rust and gunk off of the chrome on the handlebars, fenders and wheels. Cleaning and lubricating the chain. Simple enough,

However, there is a major issue that a little steel wool, wd40 and silicon spray, rags and a toothbrush cannot repair. Like the fact that the Breeze has NO front brake pads, and both the front and the rear brake have sadly worn out cables. I have no idea how to install new brake cables and pads, even after doing some research.
The good news is that if I search enough I just might be able to learn how to do it myself.
Hopefully there will be no bad news. I'm crossing my fingers.

This bicycle isn't the prettiest  in the city. But I love it. As far as I can tell it does have all of the original parts. However, the Kool Lemon paint is chipped and rusted in some places. The rust isn't enough to have done enough body damage, but depending on your point of view it is either a 'patina' or unsightly. Depending on the day my opinion varies.

While looking for touch up paint online yesterday (hyper-formance.com comes highly recommended), I came across a post on the Schwinn Forums that says that the only colors available on the 77 Schwinn Breeze were Sky Blue and Flamboyant Red. Well, today I went out to do a little more rust removal and sure enough, when looking closer at what I thought was rust I saw that the exposed streak of red is what must be the original paint. Whoever repainted the bike had me fooled. It was complete with the stock decals and stickers.

77 Breeze

At this point my focus is on repairing the brakes. As for the paint...for now I am leaning towards buying a can of the yellow touch-up and keeping the Lemon look.