Art Swap

BreAnne Erickson is a local artist, here in Denver, and also happens to be one of my favorite baristas down at Kaladi Brothers Coffee. She had a showing of some of her art, this month, including one really cool painting she did of the house band at Dazzle.

Being the Jazz fan that I am, I really wanted this painting. But, I pretty much spent all of my available cash on the Campy tool kit. What to do? What to do?

Well, I mentioned this to Bre, and she told me she was looking for a cool old bike to cruise around on. Just so happens...I had a fuschia Schwinn Suburban 5-speed from the mid to late sixties (near as I can tell), and I sent her a picture of it.

It was covered up in Spruce sap, generally dirty, with rotten tires and rusty chrome rims. Oddly enough, Bre was very hip to swapping.

So, I cleaned and waxed the frame, took off the old wheels and replaced them with aluminum-rimmed 27-inchers, ditched the drop bar and replaced it with the stock bar and white grips from a 40 year old Western Flyer, stuck on a white seat to match, and overhauled the bearings and drivetrain, including installing a new chain. A Grinder Bikes sticker on the rear fender finished it off, nicely.

I think it came out to be a really cool bike. I've had it for almost a year, just waiting for someone to come along who likes the color as much as I do.

I took it down to Bre at the coffe shop, this morning. The color made it appropriate in an "Easter Egg" kind of way.

I get to bring the painting home in a week, or so. I'm very happy, and Bre seems to be, as well.