It's a stunner

 

I'm not sure what the high temperature was today, but if it didn't break a record for warmth, it came close. It was a stunningly beautiful day.

A coworker recently pointed out to me that I wear a lot of red and black together. Had she told me this a few years ago I would have tried to start varying my color combos a bit, but now I think I'll just own it. Besides, I just started sewing for the first time in years and this red circle skirt was the first thing I made.

Cody's uniform

This is Cody's go-to commuter uniform. Slim pants, button down, sweater. He's a creature of habit, and it works for him. Unfortunately, that's not a neckerchief, it's his new ear warming headband. I sort of wish he went around in a neck scarf, but that's never going to happen.

Boy, I wish I saw this a month ago

My New Ride? Time Will Tell

I decided to take on a new project over the winter.  Last fall, a family acquaintance offered to give me an old Peugeot Course road bike that he had been pilfering parts from for his current project - a vintage Motobecane.  When I inspected what was left of the bike, I found it to be in surprisingly good condition.  In particular, the frame looked to be in decent shape, and I found the pearl-white color with the sandy brown lettering quite lovely.  I've been very happy with my current commuter bike - a 1972 Raleigh Record - and I wasn't really all that excited about taking on another big restoration project with the summer coming to an end.  But I just couldn't get past how good the frame looked, and since he was giving me the bike free of charge, the price was right.  When I got the bike back to my parents' house, where it lived for a couple of weeks before making its way up to Columbia, I snapped a picture of it with my cell phone:

Not much to look at, I know, but there seemed to be a lot of potential to turn this thing into a sweet little commuting machine.  I decided to take the entire winter to work on it and use the extra time to find good deals on the parts needed.  I've started ordering some of the more crucial parts, but I think I'll save this subject for a later post.  One of my primary concerns was that the bottom bracket might be French or Swiss threaded, and since I like to convert my bicycles to cartridge bottom brackets, I would have likely needed to pay a lot of money for a press-fit bottom bracket.  I dropped the extra cash to do this on my Raleigh and I've been quite happy with the results, but a bit despondent about putting such an expensive part into such a cheap bike.  My father and I did some research on this particular Peugeot, using the serial number as a guide, and found that it was likely manufactured in the early 80s and that it could possibly have an English-thread bottom bracket, depending on when and where exactly it was produced.  I took the frame in to my LBS and discovered that the bottom bracket is indeed English, which means I can screw in an inexpensive cartridge and worry about it no more.

Overall, I think this is going to be a fun project.  Depending on how it feels, how it looks, and how it rides when I'm done, it may end up taking the place of my old Raleigh Record, which is currently my daily ride.  If this is the case, the Raleigh will likely end up on the auction block.

Well, hello there

It's January, and on Monday I biked to work without a coat. Thrilling, no? It was for me. More thrilling than the sub-freezing temperatures and cold, cold winds that kept me in the station wagon the rest of the week. Perhaps I'll be less wimpy next week.

Also, how 'bout this new blog? Cody sure did a great job setting it up. You can expect to see what's going on inside Cody's tinkery and more about what we're doing to look cute en route.

The Tinkery

 The Tinkery is where new life is breathed into aging bicycles.  This is also where the Stringer fleet of bicycles is housed and repaired.  A number of bicycles have come through the doors of The Tinkery.  Some are overhauled, tuned up, dialed in, and then sent back to their owners.  Others are restored and then sold.  Then there are others still that have just the right fit, feel, and look to end up on the wall of The Tinkery, where they will be delicately cared for for years to come - or until something better comes along.

Besides my own personal restoration and repair projects, I also enjoy taking on other projects - large and small - for friends and family.  I have a particular interest in old bicycles.  Exotic materials, tapered tubing, ergonomic shifting, and aggressive styling are all fine, but there's something about the silhouette and simplicity of a vintage road bike that is difficult to put into words.  There's also something to be said for keeping such machines on the road, as opposed to the landfill.

About Cycle Like a Stringer

We are Cody and Ginger Stringer, a husband-and-wife team of bike enthusiasts in Springfield, MO. We encourage everyone to try commuting by bicycle, and like to talk repair and restoration and stylish cycling. We try to bike to work every day, but when bad weather strikes or are transporting our toddler we take our station wagon, unless it's the weekend and we're going to breakfast.

Ginger bikes about four miles daily and has two vintage bicycles. She strives to make the transition from the bike to the office as seamless as possible, and firmly believes you can bike to work wearing the clothes you already have in your closet. Usually she posts pictures of herself wearing things you wouldn't expect to see on a cyclist, just so you can see what's possible on a bike.

Cody is an amateur bicycle mechanic who enjoys restoring vintage and classic machines.  From The Tinkery, he keeps the family's bicycles running and in good working order while also undertaking restoration projects.