I painted this while processing grad school options... It was a nice chance to let the right side of my brain catch up with all the ideas that the left side has been dealing with.

Built a bicycle!

Bicycle is finished! With any luck this bike will last me a lifetime. It is especially gratifying to know that I did all the work myself, quite an achievement given that I knew almost nothing about bikes when I started this project! :)


Here is a list of what I worked on:

Wheels
- 'Trued' the wheel spokes
- New tubes and all kevlar reinforced tires w/ reflective band

Shifting
- Converted down tube shifters to bar-end shifters
- New cables

Handlebars
- Swapped out drop bars for upright porteur French style bars with a 90 degree angle curve
- New extra tall stem
- Slightly different brake levers

Pedals and crank
- New symmetrical pedals (non-toe clip) and reflectors
- Repaired the crank arm (it fell off!)

Style
- Brooks woman's saddle
- Hammered Japanese style fenders
- Leather bicycle bag (perfect size for my lock)
- Removal of rust (diet coke + sanding) and touch up paint

Yay! I am slowly on my way to a more car-free way of life