Good Things Come to Those Who Wait.

I bought my 1980's Dahon folding bicycle well over a year ago.  It did not have a rack with it, which I was disappointed about.  I've been looking for this darn thing ever since.  A couple of times I saw one of these same bikes for sale on craigslist that had the rack.  I emailed the seller and asked if they would sell just the rack, but they would not.  In this past week I've learned about two bike shops in my new locale that I did not know about yet.  I had an opportunity to get out of the house, and go visit them this afternoon.  I just wanted to check them out, but I got a couple of happy surprises.  The first one was the rack I've been waiting for for so long now.  As you can see I've already installed it, and now the bike is complete.  This will probably come in handy while I'm in Hong Kong.  Where did I finally find this elusive piece of equipment?  The shop that served as the pot at the end of the rainbow for this particular item is Tri County Bicycles in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.  John, the owner, has a couple of these vintage Dahon folders for sale in shop, and one had the rack.  Unlike the craigslist sellers, he was happy to sell me just the rack, for quite an excellent price too!  He even made sure to give me the hardware to ensure proper attachment.  He specializes in the vintage scene a bit, with a back room full of happy surprises for those of us who have a special place in our hearts for these special old bikes.  Not only was there a pristine looking, green fuji sports 10 sitting illuminated in the front window, but there was a 52cm fuji frame in the back that looked to be the finest model, one of the best fuji ever put out back in the day.  It has the beautiful chrome lug work that we all love so much.  If you're in the market you should check it out.  His prices are more than fair.  It is too small for me, otherwise I would be grabbing it.  And this isn't all for this shop.  He is involved with one of the most successful bike share programs in the country, Bike Pottstown.  It was started about 2 years ago, and is going strong.  Hopefully other communities in the area will model themselves after it realizing it's worth.  Please check it out.

The next shop I visited is Alan's Bicycles in Phoenixville, Pa.  Again, just going there to check it out, but I got another happy surprise.  A pair of Nitto noodle bars for my fuji touring bike.  I noticed a couple of months ago that the bars on it now are actually malformed.  The left drop is bent inwards.  Plus, they are a bit too narrow for my comfort.  Alan had a whole box of brand new noodle bars, the exact model I've been looking at and wanting to get plus he had plenty of sizes.  These are some of the most comfortable bars you can get.  Now I have them and can't wait to get them switched out.  The pics above are a list of some excellent bikes he has on sale right now, many of them beautiful classics.  He is working on getting his website up and running, so I'm posting this here to try and help get the word out a little bit.  One bike in particular on that list is more than pertinent to this blog in that it is a classic titanium fuji.  He has it sitting in the front window waiting for that right person to come along.  It is quite shiny and beautiful I have to say.  

I know there are more happy discoveries waiting for me at both of these shops.  I look forward to my future visits to them.  If you happen to ever be in the area, then be sure to check them out.  There may be something there just waiting for you too.