Caps......make that bikes.....for sale!

So I've been working lately on a side venture to support Connor's Army and by extension Sunrise Day Camp.  Its called RECycle for Sunrise and what I do is take old bicycles, fix them up and sell them to either help sponsor the cross country ride or to go towards the $50,000 we're trying to raise for the camp.

I don't know how many of you remember this sweet little tale but Caps for Sale was always a favorite of our kids when they were much smaller.  If you don't remember this sweet little tale, here it is for you.  I find it better to put on my snuggly pajamas and grab a mug of hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows while I enjoy it.  Wait a minute...............okay, I'm back and ready so here goes;



Of course this is not to be confused with that other children's novel "Cats for Sale";



Or (slightly less cute) "Crabs for Sale";



But if you want completely (and somewhat nausiatingly so) cute, there is always, "Kitten Falls Asleep";



And then we run into the problem that once the kitten falls asleep, what  do we do when said kitty has a nightmare?  You give it a hug of course!



And then there is the problem of trying to transport ducks for sale.  I mean sure they can walk themselves but what happens when the elements get to be too much for them?



Of course the entire problem of trying to peddle cats or crabs (or ducks) from town to town is trying to get them to stay on your head as you carefully walk along.  Even if they fall asleep, trying to get them to stay up there is a real pain! 

Now what many of you might not know is that I used to be a big baseball cap wearer.  Not that the baseball caps were big, I just used to wear them all the time when not teaching class.  And as much as I'm a big baseball cap wearer, I don't have quite the collection that anyone would want to purchase (although my wife does want me to get rid of about half of them) so instead of caps I sell my bikes.  And let me tell you, parting with one of my metallurgical steeds is not easy!

But I began listing them on Craigslist to see if I could interest anyone in a good quality used bike.  Most of them are bikes like this;

(all it needs is you!)

And so far I've managed to sell six bicycles and have raised over $250 in money that will go to help sponsor our trip.  I get theses bikes either as cast offs that I see on the side of the road (I have a great GT Tempest that fits that category), that friends have donated (I have a 1970 Schwinn Breeze and a 1980's Univega road bike from that source) or sometimes total strangers give them to us (the Trek above is part of that category as is a Trek 820 Antelope, a Columbia Road Bike) and I spend hours, days, weeks fixing them up.  Some are straight forward and simple adjustments.  Some, like the Schwinn Breeze you see here;

(all it needs is you!)

need lots of work as they are covered in rust and oxidation.  It doesn't mean they're junk, they've just been unused and unloved for far too long!

All in all, I have five bikes I'm working on right now including Amy's bicycle - a 1970's Raleigh Sprite which looks something like this;

(all it needs is - yes, you guessed it, Amy!)

the only problem is that as much as I like vintage, I'm working on "pimping" her ride so I can update some of the componentry.  Since my darling wife is not a much of a cyclist as the rest of the family, I want to make it as easy on her as possible!

Another project that I'm saving for those cold winter months is my father-in-laws bicycle a 1950's era Schwinn New World.  I don't have pictures of that bike available but it looks something like this one;

(could this be YOUR cool, hip, retro bike?)

and its in really good condition except it needs a THOROUGH cleaning!  It hasn't been ridden in fifty years and it has been hanging in their garage for about 40+ years.   When I did a similar treatment to my mother-in-laws bike (which we are not sellign by the way - 12-year-old Sarah has CLAIMED it!) I had to take it completely apart because all the grease had turned the consistency of parafin.  But he donated it to the cause and I'm hoping to get it all cleaned up and rideable and hopefully I'll find the perfect home for it!

Now I wish I were able to do something like this;

That is a top of the line Time road bike with top shelf componentry!  But the most impressive thing is the work space these guys have - look at all those shelves (not to mention the FOUR bicyle helmets this guy has!) and that space and enough room to move around.  Me, I'm relegated to my little corner of the basement known as my "man cave".  Its small and cramped and I have crap everywhere.  But, I still manage to crank out a few refurbished bikes or two a week.  Its fun and its a cool hobby, although I don't think I could ever make enough money to support myself at it.  Of course I do sometimes daydream about leaving it all behind and getting a bike mechanic job, I don't think I really want to relocate my entire family to Hong Kong to do it.

So, if you live on Long Island and you're reading this blog and you have an old bicycle languishing in your basement, shed, attic, back yard or wherever, drop me a line at syossetact@aol.com and I'll come and take it off your hands - it could end up with a new home and helping us reach our sponsorship goal so we can help the kids of Sunrise!  Or, if you're willing to pay me to fix your bike - I can do that too - and the money will go to the Connor's Army Cross Country Ride for Sunrise fund!

Stay well and I'll see you on the road!