snapped

I got a big surprise on my ride in to work this morning. It was on the right side of the pavement on the Big Papio trail. I was looking around and off into the distance and then I noticed just before I was about to hit it. I made a quick swerve and it snapped out at me. It was a large snapping turtle. It was abut the size of a large frozen turkey. I stopped, went back and snapped this photo.

Lee's Schwinn Typhoon Deluxe

My friend Lee owns some classics. Most of these have four wheels and were built in the USA by Plymouth. He owns one with two wheels, no motor and also built in the USA by Schwinn. It's a Deluxe Typhoon cruiser bike. It has 3 speeds and a "nice rack".

Lee was not the original owner. He purchased it for $25 from a co-worker at Valmont who lived in Arlington. Lee has owned this bike since the 70's when his kids were little. It had previously been fitted with a child carrier. It's one of those bikes that could tell many stories about the places and people it's encountered in it's 45 years of life.

Based on the serial number (FA41930) it came off the Schwinn assembly line on June 14th, 1965. Lee did most of the cleanup on the bike. I took care of the mechanicals. The original black tires were hard and cracked so they were replaced with some classic white walls. The brakes are adjusted with new cables. The hubs and bottom bracket are lubed. A missing spoke was replaced and the wheels trued.

Lee's Schwinn Typhoon Deluxe Cruiser

New life has been breathed into this classic cruiser. It's ready to roll into the next 45 years. It's been a privilege and a pleasure to work on this bike.