You're My Obsession, You're My Possession

So, have you ever considered the difference between obsession and passion? Is there a difference? Maybe the only difference is that passion is more likely to be healthy or at least positive, whereas obsession... Well, that's a word usually rife with negative connotations. And for those of you literal types, we're not talking about dictionary definitions here. We're exploring and taking literary license, as is my wont.

Here's a look at one of my obsessions, er, passions. You can decide.

I was coming up the stairs at the front of my apartment building, bike over my shoulder, and a woman on her way out kindly held the door for me.  We exchanged pleasantries, then I offered an unbidden explanation for the new wheels I was hauling inside. 

"I did something rash. I went to Goodwill to look for new pants and came home with this."

"So now you have two bikes," she smiled.

"Now I have five bikes," I confessed, a little embarrassed.

"Well, if that's your hobby," she smiled again, as if to say, it's OK, at least you're not murdering vagrants and boiling their skulls.

"I'll find a use for it," I assured her. 

Everyone who's seen me around the building knows I bike. Some have noted I have more than one bicycle. Indeed, this makes number five. I've written about the others previously. They are: a Trek 830 Mountain Track; a 1969 Robin Hood 3-speed; a Schwinn World 10-speed; a Public M3 Mixte 3-speed; and now the Sekai 1000 Royal 12-speed. Oh, I haven't bothered to count the Trek 820 in my storage locker because it doesn't have wheels and thus is not rideable.

The latest addition to the remuda is the Sekai, purchased this morning at Goodwill for the bargain price of $19.9 plus tax. It exemplifies my obsession because it was totally a whim. Do I need another bike? Yes. Wait, I mean, no. Not really. Most people who bother to bike get by with just one. I recognize that bikes are like tools: Each has a purpose. The Public is my daily commuter, perfect for tooling around town. The Trek 830 was my commuter when I succumbed to the mountain bike fervor. Robin Hood is a commuter, a classic English 3-speed that I refurbished this past winter. It's also sort of a family heirloom. The Schwinn is a road bike, meant for touring, fitness/exercise ... speed. 

She shows a little rust, but I think some scrubbing will
remove it. I have high hopes for the cleanup.

I liberated the Schwinn, a 1980s-era bike, from storage here in the Swing Leisure Apartments. It had malingered for years up on the top floor of the gymnasium, the track, its tires dry and crumbling and the drop bars bent from some accident. I've been riding it for fun despite its oversized frame (it's a 25-inch frame that I can barely stand over). My new-found Sekai is of similar quality and light weight, so the Schwinn will be returned to storage for some other lucky soul.

Proof of my obsession lies in the above verbal exchange between me and my fellow tenant. I went shopping for pants. I came home with a bike. A bike I really didn't need. I need pants. I've regained about two-thirds of the weight I took off in the first several months after I started running two years ago last month. Maybe if I put some serious miles on the Sekai the khakis I bought two summers ago won't feel so tight.

Oh, and as noted previously, I had biked to Goodwill on my Public M3. I briefly considered leaving the Sekai and returning for it with my car. The ride home with the Sekai alongside wasn't bad at all, though. Glad I didn't wait.

Well, there you have it. I have a new bike. Now I have to clean it up and make it rideable. It won't take much. I am excited. It's totally mine. I didn't steal it (like the Schwinn). It's of decent quality and it was dirt cheap. In Googling  the Sekai 1000 I found ads for a few, ranging from $150 to $275. They were older ads, but they point to the quality and value of the bike. Good buy.

Specs
Sekai 1000 "Royal"
Color: Royal blue, sliver and white decals with some color-stripe accents.
Wheels: Araya 27-inch, quick-release front
Hub: Suzue 3 E
Tires: 27x1.25
Cassette: 6 cogs
Chainwheel: Sugino, 2 cogs
Cranks: Sugino 165mm
Derailleurs: Suntour AR

Shifters: Suntour, downtube mount
Stem: Alps
Seatpost: Alps (Strong)
Brakes: Dia Compe
Pedals: Specialized, with toe-clips/straps

 Frame: 21-inch Chrome Moly by Tange, Seamless PG Tubes (Sticker at base of seat tube says Yamaguchi Sports Frame, Sakai Japan (Yeah, the Yamaguchi name kinda sold me)
Bike came from Vitesse Cycle Shop in East Peoria (now in Normal) -- via Goodwill in Galesburg for $20. Even came with a Specialized bottle cage.