Page 18 - CMA PROfiles Winter 2014

Vintage Bike … continued from page 16

and filed and we even went as far as to braze one of the dropouts on the
end of one of the fork blades (a dropout is where the axel sits).
We also raced every Tuesday and Thursday night at the local velo-
dromes and it was on a warm Tuesday in Kenosha that the bike build
would take a fateful turn. It was the last race of the night for me and I
was in 2nd place as we came to the finish line. As I was giving it my
all and getting ready to throw my bike across the line in an effort to
overtake my opponent I had a blowout on my front tire. This was a
blowout of epic proportions with an explosion that today would bring
every cop for 100 miles to the scene. The tire blew and then rolled off
the rim, I lost control of my steed, went up the banking of the track,
over a snow fence and landed on my head and right shoulder at the
concrete base of a light pole.
I’m told that I was out cold for a minute or two and when I came to I
started to try to get up. It was then that future Olympic Gold medalist
and a friend of mine Brent Emery leaned over and gently pushed me
back to the ground. He said in the calmest voice I can imagine, “It’s company as he had become a successful Architect. One day over a beer
OK Joe – the Ambulance is on the way.” My back and shoulder were he asked me if I still had the bike frame! Well, I’d moved a few times,
bloody but it appeared I was intact. It was then while I was laying in got married, had raised three kids and frankly I didn’t know if I did or
the grass that I noticed that my collarbone was protruding from my not. That weekend I went rummaging around my basement and in a dark
nylon racing jersey at a really odd and ugly angle. dusty corner, and there it was! The frame kit still in the box. The box was
a little worse for wear but the frame itself was in the same condition it
So, after a trip to the hospital to have the bone set and get fitted for a was in when it got put back in the box more than 30 years ago.
brace/sling, I ended my cycling career. That crash made me lose all
interest in racing at that point. The bike frame kit went into a closet So, over the winter, Bob and I set to filing, sanding, soldering and
and I moved on with my life in other directions. I did still ride recre- painting to see if we could recreate our youth. We debated the paint
ationally but never raced again. scheme and decided on British Racing Green with Cream accent
panels. It was going to be a beauty! We also scrounged around for
Fast forward more than 30 years to the fall of 2012. Bob Bleck and I had components that would be appropriate for the time period but also
reconnected through Facebook and we had also done some work for his provide some of the more modern conveniences that road bikes have
today. It ended up being a mix of both old and new components and, as
you can see from the pictures, it really is a beauty! It took us most of
the winter to get it all together and we applied the final clear coat just
in time for the weather to break in April. This bike really was a labor
of love and it was a great opportunity to reconnect with an old friend.
Bob and I spent the summer sharing the bike back and forth and by the
time it got put up in October, it had logged well over 1100 miles. We’re
planning another build soon, but it will never have the cache that this
one did. There is so much history and so many stories behind this that
the next build may be somewhat of a letdown. Stay tuned, I’ll let you
know how it goes and I’ll give you a hint… It’ll be red. ❖

18 PROFILES • Volume 14 • Issue 1, 2014 • www.cabinetmakers.org