An Easter Tale

The Schwinn Varsity was created in Chicago.  It was purchased at the City Cyclery in Painesville, OH by a woman that wanted a new, red bicycle in 1974.  The next 30 years are a mystery; at one point it encountered yellow latex paint.  Then, someone stopped loving it and it ended up at Marty's Bike Shop in Stow where it sat outside until it was picked up by a college kid for $35 in 2004. Then it was covered in electrical and masking tape to hide its identity in an environment where bikes were stolen every day.  It was jostled from apartment to apartment.  It sat outside for 5 straight months in 2006.  Rust grew anywhere it could.  The chain froze.  The tires and brake pads dry rotted.  Eventually, it ended up in a basement where dust and animal hair filled up it crevices.  It was ugly and unusable.  It was forgotten.

Then, it was sent away off on a truck with other old, unusable and forgotten things headed for the junk yard. It's fate was sealed.

But, it was was given a second thought.  Unlike the rest of the junk on the truck, it wasn't destined for scrap.  Why? There wasn't anything remarkable about it.  It wasn't pretty.  It wasn't rare.  It couldn't even serve its purpose.  But, the owner drove forty miles and dealt with some unsavory characters to get it back.  The Varsity doesn't knows why.

It sat back in the basement for a while.  Then, it was pulled into a room under a spot light.  It was the center of attention.  Its wheels were taken off.  Its was beaten with a mallet a couple of times.  Every single component was removed, taken apart and soaked in solvent.   Even its precious head badge was removed and scrubbed down to bare metal.  Thirty-seven year old gunk and grim doesn't strip away easily.  Neither does yellow latex paint.  For some reason, it was being restored, made new.  That process wasn't easy.  Not only was it rough on the Varsity, but it was a challenge for the owner.   After weeks and weeks, nothing was left but a frame and a fork. All the dings, dents, rust, uneven seams, burs, and flaws were laid bare.

Frankly, its quite embarrassing to just be hanging there all naked in the middle of the room.

It was sanded.  Every inch of that red paint was brushed and dulled.  All those flaws and rough spots were ground down with a Dremel.  It was tough.  Sparks flew.

Then, it was time to be repainted.  It was rubbed down in Acetone then carefully coated in primer so the new paint would go on even and easily.

Then came the next layer, the green.  Big green splotches were sprayed on here and there.  The Varsity wasn't so sure about it.  What would the other bikes in the stable think of it now?  Could this owner be trusted?  Do they even know what they're doing?

Next came the tape; all that tedious taping.  They had to get it just right.  The tape went on and then off and then back on until all the lines were even.  The Varsity still didn't know what to expect.  Now it had green splotches and blue tape all over it.  It didn't mind being red.  Maybe it would be better to forget the whole thing and go back to the way things were.

Finally, it was time for the final coat.  It took hours and hours.  The room filled with paint and it rested on all plastic that hung about the Varsity.  There was so much paint in the air, you couldn't see!

Then, the last coat dried.  The air cleared and the sun shone through the window again.  The Varsity had been purified.

All the 37 years of abuse and neglect were erased.  The worn red paint, the rust, and the dents were nothing but a memory.  All that hung in the room was a beautiful pure white bicycle frame, ready to start a new life.  The tape will soon be removed to reveal the carefully planned green stripes and the chrome accents. Then it will be ready for its clean, renewed components.  Brand new parts will also be added.  No more dry rotted tires and rusty saddle.

Its story isn't over.  We don't know exactly what it will look like when the process is through.  We don't know the journeys it will make.  We don't know the roads it will travel.  But, we know for the first time in a long time it will travel smooth and straight.

Never again will it be the old Varsity.  From now on it is New.

That is the beauty of salvation and rebirth.