The Motobecane

When I was a freshman in college at ACU, I was a depraved child. My parents decided that it will not be necessary for their kids to have a car during their first year away from home. Oh the humanity! Of course this steadfast rule held true until our little sister went off to school... but that's another story. I gained something special as a result of that rule and this begins a documentation of an attempt to restore it to it's original luster.

I'm talking of my 1978 Motobecane Super Mirage. I put hundreds of miles on this beautiful piece of machinery. From trips around Abilene, all over College Station, riding with my older brother in Austin and a 500 mile 'vacation' he and I took from Houston to Corpus and back in May of '82. It even helped me win a coveted Intramural Championship shirt.

Dave picked this bike up for me in Austin in the Fall of '81 from an actor needing some cash. At least that's how I remember the story. I had been borrowing my roommate's Schwinn to get places and it was killing me. I had to do something. Abilene is a small enough town that you can ride a bike from campus to the mall in about 15 minutes but not on a Schwinn.

I've taken the wheels to a local bike shop to be rebuilt. The front will get new spokes, tube and tire. The rear will need a new hub and gear set as well.

I'm stripping the bike down to the frame but I'm not sure what I'll do about the paint. It's rather chipped and pealing in places.