September Update

 "Be a free-thinker and don't accept everything you hear as truth.  Be critical and evaluate what you believe in." - Aristotle.

 I took a pause on the Centurion Le Mans refurbishment.  Initially I had thought that it would be nice to have some upgrades:  Higher-quality Shimano 600 Ultegra components, and ordered a nearly-complete set of used Shimano 6400-series components manufactured roughly in the 1993 time-frame.  The shifters are STI style - integrated brake and shift levers ("brifters") - which is what I was at first interested in putting on the bike.   This was really solid stuff back in the day.

After going through the box of goodies, I began to have second thoughts about putting very high quality components - even if they are vintage - on an entry-level bike frame...

So now I'm back at square one, thinking maybe I should just refurbish the old "Shimano Light Action" components - maybe replace the friction shifters that came with the Le Mans with indexed shift levers.  Then touch up the frame paint, grease the bearings and get some new tires.   

Yeah, I think that's the right path for the Le Mans. 

I picked up some new bottle cages and handlebar tape.  The bottle cages aren't quite a perfect match for the paint, but they'll do.

Which leaves me stuck with a box of very nice Shimano 6400 components.  I'm thinking that they need to be hung on a  Merlin or Litespeed Titanium frame, or maybe on a carbon-fiber (Specialized) or bonded aluminum (Vitus) vintage bike frame.  I have some hunting to do now.

 

 

Meanwhile all the water and time put into the tomato plants is beginning to show some results.  The tomatoes are small, but very tasty.  It's too bad that so many are ripening at the same time.  It's going to be impossible to eat them all.

We had a visitor out back that the husky went frantic over - a coyote came in for a drink.  I keep a trough full of water during the hottest months, so that the wildlife has a source to drink from.  The nearest natural water is a long ways off.

Lastly, I've managed to overcome my Monster Energy Drink addiction, with the help of plain old black sun tea.  It's great stuff, and has enough caffeine to get me rolling.

The days are getting short, so we will probably have to revert soon to making it with boiling water in the house, but right now the process is free!