Saturday, July 12, 2008

Not a Bicycle Built for Two But Two Built For One


This afternoon the four of us headed out to my favorite local thrift store. Being that I had zero success garage sale-ing this morning, I was happy to be heading on over there.

The girl and I walked this morning to the garage sale. Though walking is good exercise and walking to a garage sale is killing two birds with one stone - it makes the walk back a whole lot harder when said garage sale was totally lame. Not so bad when you are driving - you can slip in and out in a few minutes if it's lame but if you walk there you still got the big walk back.

Anyway - we went to the thrift store. Dh and the kids ran in ahead of me b/c I had to pop into Aldi to pick up a few things. When I got to the thrift store, dh told me he had some bikes to show me.

A set of matching his and her Raleigh Sport bikes from England! Very cute and very vintage! Leather seats with springs.

The lady's bike was gray and the man's bike was kind of an olive green. Looked like all the original parts. Tires were pumped up. Some surface rust, dirt etc. The bikes were $25 each - but today all furniture was 50% off. Now where I come from a bike is not a piece of furniture - but the bikes are located in the furniture section so they were 50% off also.

Dh didn't need a bike b/c he just got a great thrift store bike a month or so ago - but we couldn't really separate the twins could we? Sure if they had been separated at birth that would be one thing - since they would not have known about each other and wouldn't know the other was missing (though some separated at birth twins claim that they always felt like part of them was missing) - but after they've been together for about 34 years - that would just be cruel!

So I bought them both. Two for $25.

I've always liked the vintage type bikes...bonus that this one is from England.

We haven't cleaned them up yet - but this evening the four of us went for a spin. We found a few things wrong with them - but hopefully dh will be able to fix them up.

Now I want to get a cute, vintage, wicker bicycle basket :)

"Raleigh was founded in 1888 by Sir Frank Bowden, who bought an interest in a small bike company in Raleigh Street in Nottingham.

At its heyday after World War II it employed some 8,000 people in the city.

Its "Raleigh, Nottingham, England" badge on brands such as the Chopper made it famous around the world.

Graham Allen MP told the BBC: "I go all around the world, I talk to people and once you've got over Robin Hood the thing they know about Nottingham is the Raleigh cycle.

"It's the thing that every kid wanted for Christmas. It was the thing that was really a badge of pride for the whole of Nottingham."

There is a flower within my heart
Daisy, Daisy
Planted one day by a glancing dart
Planted by Daisy Bell
Whether she loves me or loves me not
Sometimes it's hard to tell
Yet I am longing to share the lot
Of beautiful Daisy Bell
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.
We will go 'tandem' as man and wife
Daisy, Daisy
Wheeling away down the road of life
I and my Daisy Bell
When the nights dark, we can both despise
Policemen and lamps as well
There are bright lights in the dazzling eyes
Of beautiful Daisy Bell

(Ending of the Edward M. Favor version)

I will stand by you in "wheel" or woe
Daisy, Daisy
You'll be the bell(e) which I'll ring you know
Sweet little Daisy Bell
You'll take the lead in each trip we take
Then if I don't do well
I will permit you to use the brake
My beautiful Daisy Bell.

3 comments:

CanadianGrandma said...

I never had a Raleigh bike, but a friend of mine did. What a good deal you got! Makes up for the poor garage sales.

Beck said...

Oh, those are some AWESOME bikes! Lucky you!

Jennifer said...

Those bikes look really neat... and having a history to them makes it an even better find.

I'm sorry you missed 7-11 on Friday. it sounds like things really didn't go you way, until these bikes that is!