tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post2915039661246519033..comments2024-03-28T11:56:48.304-04:00Comments on The Retrogrouch: Getting Reacquainted With An Old FriendBrookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-75641502884992711232016-03-09T20:39:00.510-05:002016-03-09T20:39:00.510-05:00I had bought some touchup paint direct from Mercia...I had bought some touchup paint direct from Mercian once, but apparently that is no longer an option -- due to certain new regulations, they cannot ship the paint. Although I haven't tried to match this particular shade of green, I tend to do pretty well for minor touchups by mixing some colors of Testor's model paint. I'll buy a couple of shades, then mix them a little at a time on a small palette until I get something pretty close. For that shade of green, I'd probably start with a metallic green model paint, then add drops of yellow, and maybe a little metallic blue.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-70258447868044525282016-03-09T20:24:28.901-05:002016-03-09T20:24:28.901-05:00Hey there! I have a '77 King of Mercia that I...Hey there! I have a '77 King of Mercia that I think is the same shade of green. Have you found a good touchup paint that matches well enough? Doesn't have to be perfect, but close. Lovely bike!Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02091258691699601116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-19111690762275119882014-09-09T15:08:42.739-04:002014-09-09T15:08:42.739-04:00Interesting. I have a few bikes but the rule is - ...Interesting. I have a few bikes but the rule is - they are either riders or they are disassembled with frames hung on the wall and the bits in a box.. or sold.<br /><br />Sure, some will need air in the tires, but that's it - or they are decommissioned. Same with gadgets - they either work or are removed. If I don't care about it enough to fix it, then I should pass it on to someone who does.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-19637326423281127502014-09-09T09:35:49.212-04:002014-09-09T09:35:49.212-04:00I like your story -- and totally agreed. Thank you...I like your story -- and totally agreed. Thank you!Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-14127364342925754992014-09-09T09:32:54.907-04:002014-09-09T09:32:54.907-04:00I really like this bike. Might be one of my favor...I really like this bike. Might be one of my favorites of yours (at least from the pictures you've posted). Something about that beautiful green with the brown saddle/ wraps & hoods/ gumwalls, a very classy combination. I probably wouldn't have done much different, were it mine to tinker with.<br /><br /><br />Earlier this summer, I was sizing up my bikes before a ride, trying to decide what kind of mood I was in that day. For no real reason, I opted for a bike that I probably hadn't ridden for nearly a year. Meandering quite slowly along the path by the river, I happened to run into my parents (out for a walk in the nice weather). My father questioned me about the bike, as it was set-up a bit on the sporty side (for me, anyways...) and he knows that if I'm on this particular path I'm just tootling around. "It just asked to go out for a ride today" I quipped.<br /><br />I think that those of us that have the luxury of having a large stable of bikes, particularly if they are all "riders" and not "wall-hangers", almost always have some number that are out of commission due to some maintenance issue that we drag our feet getting to. As your post illustrates, it's a fun exercise to take a bike that hasn't had any attention in a long while, service the bearings or clean/ lube the chain or get some new tires on it, whatever has side-lined it, and re-discover the charms of that bike. If it has been a particularly long time since riding it, it can almost be more than becoming reacquainted, it can be like getting a "new" bike. And we all know the joy of that... <br /><br /><br />Wolf.N/Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14710395292374599493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-71059218938807567612014-09-08T23:29:04.866-04:002014-09-08T23:29:04.866-04:00Enjoyed reading about your old friend. I could rel...Enjoyed reading about your old friend. I could relate to much of what you wrote. Thanks. Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09710715433883677736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-58274018567558289242014-09-08T16:13:51.649-04:002014-09-08T16:13:51.649-04:00Thanks, Nathan. It's a 60 cm frame -- maybe 61...Thanks, Nathan. It's a 60 cm frame -- maybe 61 c-to-t. Not for sale, but you knew that.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-80897880601806329852014-09-08T14:31:29.460-04:002014-09-08T14:31:29.460-04:00Good thing you appear to be shorter than me, or I&...Good thing you appear to be shorter than me, or I'd be happy to relieve you of some of your excess Mercians :) That bikes in the upper 50's, right?<br /><br />Gorgeous bike. Reminds me I've got a Sekai hanging up that just needs a new tube to be up and rolling again.Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18289009784609315495noreply@blogger.com