If you hold stock in me as a rider...

 ...it's time to sell! My marketable value has definitely plummeted, as evidenced by the bike given to me from the back, back room of Hampshire Bike Exchange, but that makes me no less appreciative of their generous "sponsorship", and happily, the frames used on otherwise semi-horrible bikes are now surprisingly nice, as in hydroformed tubesets, tapered headtubes (albeit with a straight steerer hidden inside, out of marketable view), and there's even a replaceable derailleur hanger, which handily bests the one-step-from-topline 1992 frame that was hit, with me aboard, last year.

Giving new meaning to Schwindle!

After my successful trip down the memory-testing lane of assymetrical lacing the other morning, I tensioned and trued the wheel this morning, dug out an old cassette from another box, and now I'm into a running bike for a bit of enjoyable time and a couple old parts that are no longer cluttering up my stockpile, and I'm even confident the bike will run with me atop it, not running along side.

So, are new "good" bikes even better than the frame on this department store special? I'll imagine yes, but whereas the toy store bikes of yore were genuinely awful enough that running along side was likely the better option, the gap has definitely shrunk, and after a test ride down my 700 foot long, dirt driveway, I suspect this pair of wheels will offer me good value, even without dividing by the cost of entry.

Did I mention, I like Hampshire Bike Exchange? I do, and mine was just one of two such bikes to past through their doors. Apropos of nearly nothing, early after my arrival there late last week, Alex had told me off his latest experiment: seeing what he could do with dressing up the frame of a piggish department store bike. And hey, there's another one still in back! Or was, now it graces my homestead. Once I have it fully sussed, we'll have to try some cliquey Schwinn Boundary rides together. My bike will be the one with "No" painted ahead of the model logo.