aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
I got the wheelset via the co-op. Benefits, people. Go volunteer at your local cooperative and reap the rewards! The tires were originally of the cyclocross/randonneuring style, but they didn’t fit well under the fenders so I switched for road slicks.  Also, my front fender got in a little accident and I have yet to get that fixed and back on the bike.

There have been some hang ups with the handle bars – the ones I originally got from Velo Orange were too big for the Brooks grips that I found on killer sale while in Minneapolis.  I decided the grips were way cooler than the bars so I switched at first to some mustache bars from friend.  They were kind of ghetto in that they had been chopped off for something or another, so the grips didn’t fit all the way to the end.  I just had the bars changed out the other day to these straight titanium ones from the co-op that fit the grips much better.  These probably won’t be the ones I stay with because the handling is a little uncomfortable for me, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

ChrisKingChrisKingChrisKing! Why is Chris King such a big deal? Who knows, I’m just in it for the cool points. And pretty points.

BrooksBrooksBrooksBrooks!  I got the seat post and fenders from Velo Orange, love ‘em.

ChrisKingChrisKingChrisKing! I found this bottom bracket in Minneapolis as well. I think I was way too excited for the sales dudes, but they also appreciated my enthusiasm. We talked some cross. It was fun.
The cranks were the final piece I needed, and I got them from a shop in Winston-Salem, NC. At that point I was desperate to finish it and realizing how much freaking money I spent, so I just grabbed the cheapest single speed cranks I could get. They still had to be special ordered. The anticipation was killing me.

Spacers were needed to fit the wheels as single speed – I found these while traveling around the beaches of North Carolina.

TAAADAAAAAHHHH! the finished product. I have a ridiculous hxc look on my face for some unknown reason, but I must say that Whitey 2 is one sexy bitch.  I am having a wonderful time riding around with my new friend!

(if you’re wondering about the runonwords in places, it’s a ghetto solution because I do not know how wrangle naughty wordpress into text arrangement submission. Any wordpress designers out there want to tackle our problem?)

I am coming to terms with the fact that Mick Jagger is probably not coming back. This has been hard, and I am still hopeful. However, it was time to move on and get rolling again.

One perk of running a Non-Profit Bike Shop is that I have access to loads of frames and bikes. A good thing in times of need…like this! Sunday morning, a mere 10 hours after discovering Mick’s disappearance, we were hard at work getting me on the road again. One of my good friends (and bike mechanic) Heath and I went to Bici and took a look around. We found a great Specialized mountain bike that would work and made plans to work on it. However, we stopped by my house (where Bici is storing extra bikes) and discovered a beautiful blue Schwinn that looked just about right. Oh how excited I was. A mountain bike would be fine, but I am a roadie at heart.

Plans changed and we got to work on it. Spent a day and a half in the shop working feverishly. Runs to the Local Bike Shop and pulling parts from other bikes (wheels) happened. Then…voile! A new bike for Elisa! Isn’t she pretty?

I have spent the past 3 days trying to figure out a name for her and today finally it hit me: Bettie. As in, Bettie Page, Bette Davis…heck, Betty Boop! I have never met a Betty I didn’t like.

So, internets, meet Bettie. She and I are becoming fast friends.

Oh, and the week before the tragedy, I went and bought an old Schwinn Speedster from Joel, the bike guy. Her name is Kat Von D. She and Bettie are going to be buddies, I can tell. Kat still needs some love, but I will keep you updated on her progress.

Both bikes have beautiful features, such as Schwinn nameplates (is that what it is called?), pretty lugs, original parts and stickers. Nothing like a pretty steel bike.

Meet Mick Jagger. The love of my life.

He is a LeMond etape, 2006 (I think). I love him. Sometimes I am embarrassed of how fancy he is, but then I get on and remember why I love him so. I aqcuired Mick when I was just starting to love riding and had to upgrade from my cruiser (too many hills!). I went to the local ‘bike guy’ and told him what I was looking for. We decided on a 1970′s Blue Raleigh, which I was to pick up in about a week. Well, he called me the next day and said he had the perfect bike for me. Needless to say, I went and looked at it immediately. After asking all sorts of super intelligent questions like “where is the kickstand?” and “How do all these gears work”, not to mention “can you please spell De-Rail-er for me?”, he told me to take it for a test ride.

I. was. sold.

We agreed on a price, I put down a deposit and went to work selling Kevin Bacon, my cruiser. A day later, I called Joel and said “Get it ready, I am coming by tonight”. We have been in love ever since.

Picking a name was hard. *side note: how on earth do you have a bike with no name? I don’t understand this…*. I went for an hour long naming ride and had it down to Mick Jagger and Marla Singer. For 2 days I debated. Then a friend pointed out that I couldn’t possibly ride a woman, so Mick it was. And I can’t ever imagine another name.

Mick and I are partners. We know the city and the best ways to get around. He tells me when he is sick and when he needs to be cleaned (which seems to be often!). I used to be afraid of my bike, then one day I wasn’t.

I may get new bikes and I may even one day (gasp!) replace Mick. But he will always be my first love.

Mick, meet the internets. Internets, meet Mick Jagger. Tell him hello next time you see us riding around!