Schwinnnnnn! Part deux

In progress

Complete

Schwinn update:

I was surprised at how quickly this went. I took everything off the bike to soak and scrub the gunk off of every little part. As I removed the rear derailleur I began to wonder if I would be able to figure out how the chain went back on. This is also about the time that I realized I hadn't been keeping track of the parts as they were coming off the bike. I sifted through the bowl of parts and couldn't recall how they all fit together. 

Solution: forget about it. I took a photo for nostalgia and hopped on my other bike to go to the bike shop for parts. Although the bike shop is only about a mile down the road, riding into a strong wind on semi-flat tires made for a slow ride. You may be wondering why I would ride on semi-flat tires rather than go to the gas station one block from my apartment. The answer is pure economics. I'm not paying 75 cents for air when the bike shop has free air. 

At the bike shop I picked up new brake and gear cables, two new tubes and tires, handlebar wrap and a bike map. Armed with parts, I made the much easier ride home on fully inflated tires with the wind at my back. 

Once home, I cranked up the oldies on the CD player and decided to tackle the monster. It took a little while, but after looking at a few photos online and making a few extraneous phone calls, I found a place for every part. This morning I finished adjusting the gears, tightened the brakes, and wrapped the handlebars, just in time to take it for a 3 mile ride downtown to meet a friend for brunch. 

Within the first block of travel I began to wish I wasn't already running 15 minutes late. I also wished I had double checked the brakes and properly adjusted the seat height. Instead, I made do with what I had: a seat that was too high, and brakes that barely worked. Thankfully I made it there and back in one piece. When I got home, I did the right thing. I hung the bike up and thought to myself, "Aw.. forget about it."