YOU STORE YOUR BIKES WHERE? |
Some of our non-bike lover aquaintances think it is strange for an adult, especially a "mature" adult to own one bike much less some 50 of them. Most of our close friends however, know that I collect things and take it in stride. They know that I have my old cars and car related objects as well as the bikes, and that my wife has her glass, her Fabrege eggs, and her crafts. It's those people who don't know us well that think it's a little bit odd. I read a note in one of the user forums, (fori sounds so pretentious), from a person who has bikes in every room of the house and if he could find a way, he would have one in his bathroom. A kindred soul. Might I suggest hanging a bike flat to the ceiling. He might want to turn the bars and remove one pedal for headroom. I know an old car buff who goes me one better though. He keeps his restored Ford Model T roadster in his family room and often sits in it while watching TV. Thats living. I wonder if he blows the "ahooga" horn when he sees something he likes on the tube. Another friend has a collection of mechanical music machines in his house. He has a hurdy-gurdy that hoots, honks, and blats, a player piano, and several other musical machines. Yet another friend has a veritable museum in his house. He collects about everything; antique furniture, statuary, Alladin lamps, guns, pedal cars, model cars, and even bikes.
I not only have bikes in the house but I work on them there as well. I limit in-house work to the assembly of fresh restorations or newly built bikes though. Why not, the parts are clean and I can watch or listen to TV while working. Once in a while I drop a bearing ball and can't find it. No problem, when my wife vacuums she always finds them. Man do they make a racket going through the fan. I also do the final waxing inside unless it is a nice day outside. I draw the line at using my bike stands in the house though. I just enjoy my bikes and like to look at them while relaxing. If I could I would have all of my bikes where I could see them.
I welcome your comments.
Yes, its true. I keep some of my bikes in the house, doesn't everyone? For example there's Seinfeld. He hangs his bike right there on his hallway wall. You must have seen it a hundred times. Of course I don't keep any old bike in the house only the special ones, the ones that I put a lot of work, love, and money into. The ones that are super clean. I like them there in the corner of the family room where I can see them while I'm watching TV. They are there beside my restored ECO tire inflator. Remember the ones with the crank for setting pressure, the ones that go "shhhhh--ding shhhhh--ding" in diminishing frequency until your tire is pumped up. And right beside that is my restored air driven Alemite lube machine that that goes, "tapocka tapocka" when you pull the trigger. No, the lube machine doesn't have any grease in the tank. Hey, my stuff is a lot nicer rhan that worm eaten stuff some people call antiques. There is my green Raleigh Sports, my orange Juice custom, my blue Fuji allegro, and my blue Schwinn World Sport in the family room. In the spare bedroom are my restored Canadian CCM, and my Ostereichen, (Austrian), custom. Does my wife approve of living with bikes? Well, she hasn't left me yet".