Starting 2023

 

The year 2023 has arrived, hard to believe as that may be. Time to think about what I'd like to accomplish in the coming year...

There has been a somewhat unusual "mini riding" season here in southern New England for the past 10 days or so, with temperatures running a substantial 15-20 degrees (or even more) above normal. I have not been out riding because there is still some residual road salt around from when it was cold back in mid-December (the stuff lasts a long time on the roads here). But I have seen some people out riding because it is so unusually warm. Wish we had more daylight and less residual road salt...

The time has come to think about what I'd like to accomplish in 2023. These are not so much "resolutions" as they are some basic goals.

• First, the biggest goal is to complete another riding season safely and in one piece. This is the goal that goes unspoken usually, but is also the most important. I'd also like to average a solid 3 rides per week in once the season starts, weather permitting.
  

• Second, I would like to catch up on any leftover maintenance tasks from 2022. For example, I have a 1958 Raleigh Sports in need of brake adjustment, drive train cleaning, and overall clean up. I've gotten this work partially done but need to finish up cleaning the drive train and getting the brakes cleaned and adjusted. I've also got a rod brake roadster that could use a little help on the paint, and some basic cleaning to keep the surface rust away.

• Third, I aim to have one or two project bikes completed. I haven't decided whether these will be "builds" (an unrestored bike that needs a total going over), "rebuilds" (a partially done bike from another collector I finish), or just basic "set ups" (bike has been gone over by another enthusiast but needs finishing touches to make it fit me and my riding habits). But in any event, I'd like to focus on quality in 2022, looking mainly at only really nice condition or high-end three speed type bikes. I'm somewhat hurting for free space over the past year or so (accumulating bikes that I've rebuilt but never got around to selling), so quality over quantity is a "must". 

• Bonus item: I'd like to improve my paint mixing and matching skills even more. Matching vintage paint closely and getting it to fill-in with the rest of the finish is part science and part art form. I've gotten better over the years, but there is always room for improvement. A project from last fall where I had to match some subtly aged/faded white paint was a reminder that it can be very challenging, even after being in this hobby for 27 years...