I have an old mountain bike that has become one of my favorites.  Not sure why, but I think it’s the pump peg.  It’s always the simple things that give flame to our obsessions.

Old version

The Miyata has a few issues, but I’ve solved a lot of them in the past year, getting rid of the front rack and basket (too much trail to handle well), and adding the awesomely great Compass 1.75″ tires.  They are like Hetres for a 26er, but with useful tread. I even harlequined the hell out of the boscos.   OK – there are a few other things that need changing, like the crappy VO crankset, slippy MKS pedals, and plain old Brooks B17, and I may have the frame powder coated some day, but I’ll leave that for a while and keep enjoying the retro color scheme.  I also needed lights for the perfectly good unused Shimano dyno hub.  Enter the Luxos B:

New hotness

Another problem with said bike in that it had ugly black fenders.  Those had to go even though they were perfectly adequate (well – not really – they were too short to keep the front splashes off my feet in really big puddles).  I picked up some NOS 26″ hammered Honjos last year intending them for this bike but uninstalled due to time commitments.

Bad ass fenders

I took it for the inaugural ride today and had no rattles, log-jams, or other inconveniences.  It is still living up to a favorite!  This will be my winter ride.  I may even use it on a brevet if the main bike is in repair…

Rear view

Oh yeah – the bell is totally divine!  Multiple timbres and tons of decay, while not being too intrusive/obnoxious.

Nice foreground to a vodka yacht (Serene)

Pretty!

This frame is 25 years old, but it’s starting to have a new life.  I’m guessing it will go at least another quarter century if these fenders do their job in rainy Seattle…