Two nifty design ideas from my friend Dave Atkinson.
First: the mono-stay connecting the front of Blackburn rack to the frame of this old Schwinn mixte. It’s curved to match the shape of the wheel and painted to match the fender. It replaces a flat stainless steel mount that is usually bent in the process of installation–and never as cleanly as this piece.
Second: the rear reflector bracket doubling as a fender support. Note how the bracket allows the removal of two pairs of fender stays and assorted hardware. Fewer attachments mean fewer parts to come loose, rattle and/or fall off.
Are these homemade? Only in the sense that that they didn’t come from either Schwinn or Blackburn.
They are elegant answers to the question of how to remove complexity and keep a simple machine simple.
When he isn’t working on bicycles–and air compressors, pressure washers, lawn mowers and who knows what else–Dave repairs CityLink buses.
Click here to see how he rehabbed a three-speed bicycle that was headed for the dump.
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