Page 16 - CMA PROfiles Winter 2014

Can You Really

Make Something

Vintage?

by Joe Knobbe My riding buddies and I hung out in the local bike shop and we
his is a story that really has nothing to do with the business of subscribed to the popular bike magazines. Just before I graduated high
woodworking but it is a fun personal story and I thought that school, my friend Bob Bleck and I decided it might be fun to actually
T since I know so many of you personally I would share. build a bike. Now, when I say build a bike I do mean build a bike –
from tubes. So, I went to the bank and got a money order and mailed
In another galaxy far, far away… The mid to late 70s to be exact, it off along with an order form to a place on the east coast and waited
I spent a significant amount of time riding a bike. I was active and for my bike kit to arrive. A couple of weeks later it came. It was a box
competitive in both track racing (I’m conveniently located half way about 3” wide and 2” tall and 3’ long and inside was all the things I
between two of the only velodromes in the US and neither is more would need to build my bike frame. Tubes, lugs, solder, flux, instruc-
than a 30 minute drive) and also in road racing as a member of the tions… What more could any red blooded 18 year old tinkerer need. So
Kenosha Wheelmen. Heck, I even had a USCF license to race. Bob and I set to putting this thing together. We sanded and fit and cut
continued on page 18
16 PROFILES • Volume 14 • Issue 1, 2014 • www.cabinetmakers.org