Sorry for the absence.

Winter quarter hit me pretty hard with loads of school work and I got more hours at work so I had to sacrifice things I enjoy, such as this blog. In my absence, though, I did more work on my own bike, including replacing the chain and new brake cables and adding a combined cargo rack and side baskets and restored a bike my mom got in the '50s. This brings me to the point of this post: restoration. Bike companies are now selling remakes of old bikes because vintage-style bikes are coming back in style. As nice as these newer bikes are, they also come with a large price tag. Craigslist is full of cheap vintage bikes that just need some TLC and they'll be road worthy in no time. The first thing most of them will need is new tubes and tires which you can pick up almost anywhere. It's also a good idea to take it to a mechanic or look it over yourself to make sure it doesn't need any major repairs before you try riding it. After a good cleaning and look-over, it should be ready for the road. In your look-over, check the brakes and chain to make sure both are still good and safe to ride with. Even after replacing a bunch of parts, it'll probably still be cheaper than a new remake, and you get the satisfying feeling of having the real thing.