Value Village Treasure

Value Village Treasure
Originally uploaded by mom2rays

A little over a year ago I started recreational cycling and got interested in bikes as transportation and for exercise. Right before Higher Ground camp we bought me a Schwinn off craigslist. It was a Hybrid and way too large of a frame, but I didn't know this at the time. It was nicer than my freecycle MTB that weighed a ton and had crappy gearing, but still wasn't a pleasure to ride. I still rode. I rode greenways, I road some park trails, I road around our neighborhood with Rocky and the kids. I gained confidence, I gained more interest, I learned about shifting and about saddles and all kinds of things.
For mother's day this year Rocky bought me a lovely Specialized Ariel Sport Disc and we put 29er tires onto her. I have a bike that can do all kinds of surfaces and is fun to ride for the type of riding I predominantly do.
From the beginning of my interest last year, I fantasized about a vintage Mixte that I custom build up to be a touring bike for road riding only. I looked around, and couldn't really find the perfect bike. I wasn't in a hurry so it wasn't an issue. I found a few but they were not in good condition and $$$. Evidently Mixte's are pretty popular.
Wednesday I stopped by my Value Village and found this Takara (Treasure in Japanese) Mixte. The price was very right, $18.18 to be exact. She came home!
She's the right size frame, and in very good condition, save cracks in the side walls of her tires.
She's going to need some work to get her to where I want her, but I am so excited to have her, and am looking forward to the project of turning her into what I dream in my mind.
She needs her bottom bracket pulled and overhauled to remove old grease, the handlebars, stem, shift levers and brake levers replaced to a different style and placement. I'm not a fan of drops, especially on this bike. The saddle will also need to be replaced and the tires. Oh and I am probably going to have her painted.
Even with all of that, she truly is a Treasure :)