Reasons to be cheerful
 

Every once in a while something happens that makes me exceptionally happy, and I recall that old favorite tune from my youth:


Today, it was the acquisition of an Idéale 90 saddle. I like those. A lot. They are fairly rare in my area- rarer than the Brooks Professionals I also happen to like - and new ones carry a boutique price tag. So when I find a nice used one at a fair price, it makes my day:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ad3eeae277.jpg

What have your reasons to be cheerful been lately?



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Survived Crater Lake despite having to walk much of the hills and then doing just fine on my regular Gorge ride a few days later. ;)

Not sure what I was thinking. :twitchy:

I get warm fuzzy from saddles too, Ideale's are scarce on the ground all the way around IMO, I only have 3 I think compared to over 2 dozen Brooks of all sorts.

Awhile back I walked into a small shop near me, got an older open nose Pro w/Campy 2 bolt, B17 and B66 with clamp, basically all NOS, for $150.

That was a warm fuzzy day for sure. ;)

Beautiful Ideale saddle. Nice score. I'm cheerful I get to pound some k's on this. Family heirloom bike. Dad raced on it bitd.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...474dc1cbaa.jpg

I managed to pass this rattlesnake on the roadway without getting bitten during my latest night ride:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b0b2039268.jpg

DD

"Round littul skinny bottums"

He knew better than to mess with you. ;)

The weather forecast for the century next Sunday is “dry”

Was supposed to do one last weekend and we got over 2” of rain.

For those who don't know where Ian Dury got the idea for that song title:

Just rode this '81 Trek today for the first time and with my kids, and it was a lovely experience.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4399d86092.jpg

I enjoyed a lovely evening the other day.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bdb72905_k.jpgUp North 41 by iabisdb, on Flickr

A 1940's frameset arrived yesterday afternoon and my wife didn't kill me. I also got out for a 50 mile ride today.

Completed most of the demolition for a massive kitchen remodel and get to clean up now so we have a clean place to cook and eat. Take that, you bike riding pansies.

A few months ago this came on my path.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...57d0fe7333.jpg

Early days French aluminium.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2071a0139e.jpg

A true gentleman but without a fork.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3483947660.jpg

Lovely stuff. Probably it will be a lifetime ceiling hanger but I love it!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...75b63bf12e.jpg

The MecaDural? My size, 53 c-c I think.

I am thankful/cheerful to be able to read this thread......:D
Best, Ben

I woke up today...whew...

Stealing (and slightly modifying) a line from Chuck Norris in the "Expendables II". If you were bitten, after five days of agonizing pain, the rattlesnake would have eventually died.

A bit OT and maybe controversial to people of a certain mindset, but not a day goes by that I'm not thankful that my wife and I didn't have any kids. Growing up in IN, we had a lot of pressure to start poppeing them out after we were married. It took us years to get out college CC debt as it was, never could have happened with more than the 2 of us. Her favorite anniversary gift was me getting a vasectomy One of my old HS classmates recently shared that her 17yo daughter was 6m pregnant and run off with a local "drug dealer". I love her, but in a certain schadenfreude way I'm so cheerful we dodged that bullet.

That looks prefect, where is it?

Ian Dury's brilliant but way too short career. And what a great band he had.

Yikes!

No real judgement and I can sympathize from the other side, love my kid to death and am so proud of him no matter what despite plenty of mostly non life threatening choices he makes and has made.

He has some challenges and we tried, I'll be holding my breath a bit for quite awhile longer but wouldn't trade it for anything. Probably should have spent more time hands on while he was growing up. :twitchy:

I felt the same way as you for a long time, would have had to leave my wife to keep it that way, so glad I didn't.

You may or may not have dodged a bullet, you'll never really know now.

Lake Namakagon, Wisconsin.

After spending the night Friday night and Saturday in Bend. The smoke had gotten to me to the point where I thought I had a sore throat and couldn’t tackle the crater Lake ride.

so with time on my hands, I decided to do a little retail therapy. I walked into a store that had been around a while and asked if they had any old Campagnola.

they said what a coincidence. We just found this BB tucked behind some boxes. NEw in box, Italian thread that will fit in my Colnago. $30.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...05fcd3c4fb.jpg

Car free Sunday in Brussels yesterday. Plus the public library sold off part of their stock. Spasmic outbursts of cheerfulness!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...33c0cc14d9.jpg

Did Remco join in. ;)