March 11, 2024

Lucky:

For Real: In this world where tools become paintbrushes and bikes transform into canvases our creativity is realized in a tangible form of materials that thrives on the structured dance of a riders intentions. Sometime luck and more often knowledge unlocks the harmonious innovations deep within us and the creative journey comes to us due to an interplay of personalities and consequences we'd never foresee unless it really happened to us.
Last week I received a text from my friend Henry (he's also a subscriber to the newsletter!) about a tool he was looking to sell. He was able to unload it online for a handsome sum and he had also come across a bicycle framebuilding fixture that was close-ish to me. I wasn't really in the market for a fixture but I figured why not, let's get into it and see what happens. It's been too many years since I built a frame. I can still imagine the bikes and geometries that are floating around in my head that need to be built. The text from Henry was the impetus to get after it.
If you've ever done a deal online, Craigslist or Freecycle, you know you're going to possibly be dealing with scammers or nefarious people that have good intentions of taking someone's money, just not yours when you really really want to purchase what they have. So with a roll of the proverbial dice I emailed the seller of the fixture and waited. Within minutes I had a reply and I responded with my estimated time that I could arrive to their area. They responded right away and said that was ok. I asked for their address and got nothing back, no reply, just silence. Here is where I had to sit back and think for a moment. Do I put $60 in gas in my truck and start driving south for 2+ hours or do I wait for a reply? Thoughts were starting to race through my brain at this point. Was the price meant to be so low to get a massive response and just get the cash from whomever got there first? Were they selling it right now and not going to tell me? So I waited 30 minutes. Still no reply.
3 weeks ago I had a potential deal fall through that would have been a windfall for many cyclists in the area, mainly some high school racers that need better bikes. That deal was frustrating to say the least. The person with the bikes wanted them gone. He said to call him the next day. I did, and got no reply. I sent texts and used a different phone number, nothing. I called him from shop phone, no reply. I tried for a week. This was heavy on my mind as I drove south through some wind and rain.
I must have refreshed my email 200 times waiting for a reply. When I was an hour away I emailed again, then again when I was closer. Still nothing. I thought for sure this was a waste of time and I was failing to see what was happening because this was a deal that perhaps was too good to be true. I figured I should eat something and just wait for an hour and see what happens. As I was pulling into a Trader Joe's parking lot my phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize and I had been getting bombarded with political calls so reluctantly I answered. It was a nice lady saying she had the fixture and asked if was I close by. A wave of relief rolled through every inch of my body. A quick chat and she sent me her address and I was on the way.
As I pulled up to the house I could see the fixture. It was bigger in person than the photo led me to believe. The nice lady, Susan, came outside and her husband Rick was right behind her. After a warm greeting we talked about the sheer girth of the base he created that was supporting the fixture at a working height. There was no way we could lift the base into my truck, even with the fixture removed. It was simply too heavy and over built for the purpose at hand. I advised the wife that she could donate it to a metal recycler and it would be gone quickly. I started talking framebuilding with Rick and mentioned I want to a framebuilding class in Niles, Michigan in 2011. With a startled look he exclaimed "So did I!" The conversation continued and he relayed his love of bicycles and how he wanted to expand his knowledge and take up frame building as a hobby. I didn't see the two bikes he built with the fixture. He was liquidating all of his cycling stuff that wasn't being used, hence the low price for the fixture. He grabbed a fork blade bending tool and asked me if I wanted it, for free. I replied in the affirmative.
We got the fixture loaded up and he went back into the garage and grabbed a height gauge that is used with a surface plate to align frames. The gauge he had was very nice compared to my version which was made with a t-handled allen wrench and some JB Weld. He handed me the gauge and asked if I knew what it was, I said I sure do, he said take it. I handed him the payment he asked for with no inkling of haggling over the price. His generosity was off the charts already and to grind him now would be uncalled for.
A friendly handshake and I was on my way home. Immediately the creative juices started flowing. I could see a custom gravel frame or a randonneur in my near future. A text to Henry letting him know that I had scored an incredible deal was in order. This was the 'win' I needed to start off this coming springtime. As a writer and creative person with a million ideas in my head I feel weird calling myself an artist, but I think that is accurate. With this fixture I can take an idea and make it a reality which is exactly what art is. The result will propel me to places far and wide. A huge thank you to Henry for letting me know about the Craigslist ad. Now it's time to plan out a frame to build with this mighty fixture. Have a great week my friends. Maybe you'll get lucky too.

Peace,
Paul