Going to college required an upgrade from my then worn out Traveler. It just wasn't hip enough for the roaring 90s. The Karakoram filled that void by splitting shifts between a college commuter and a weekend warrior trail-blazer.
So with this in mind, I bought the Karakoram brand-spanking-new for $565 in 1991. For you young'uns out there, that was when five bucks was five bucks. Yes, I remember nearly crapping my pants while signing the single most largest check I had ever written. Five hundred and sixty-five dollars!!! Yowzah! That was a lot of tacos.
Buyer's remorse quickly faded for this CroMo beauty with the black widow paint job. In a short time, this GT with the "Alpha" package left me satisified. Hey Matt N: what does "Alpha Package" mean in LBS speak, anyway?
The Karakoram came with Shimano LX front and rear dérailleurs, rapid fire shifters, a 46-36-24 triple front chain ring, 7 speed cassette, internal cable housing and double-butted "triple triangle" frame. That triple triangle geometry was GT's claim to fame. It was stable and strong, riding like an Abrams M1-A1 tank and felt like it weighed nearly as much. 
Once, I escaped serious injury, possibly death itself, when I nearly launched off of a ten foot double retaining wall into a parking lot below. It was my lightening quick reflexes that saved me. I locked up both brakes when I saw that immanent catastrophe was upon me. The bike stopped with only inches to spare, but you see, I was left vertically opposed in a front wheelie while I peered down the precipice and the parking lot below.
I was like this for a fraction of a second before momentum and gravity began pulling the back tire over top of the front. I was going down, and it wasn't going to be pretty.
You know, when put to it, it's amazing how quickly you can sum up a bad situation and yet choose the best survival technique. Even though my dome had a helmet, I was astute enough to realize that I didn't want to land on my head.
In that moment of brilliance, I kicked out of the toe clips and simultaneously threw the handlebars beneath my legs to clear the bike and reverse the momentum of my fall. It worked. I came crashing through the brush hard but landed squarely on my feet.
"HOLY SHIT!!" exclaimed this voice from the parking lot below. It belonged to a guy still in full crouching mode with hands over his head. After the ruckus calmed down, he told me that he thought it was some sort of movie stunt. No autographs this time, partner.
Fast forward to the present, the Karakorum is still being ridden and now has a pair of Freddy Fenders, a Blackburn rack and saddle bags (thanks, Brendan!). It's been a sturdy bike, requiring very little maintenance. Perhaps I'll get it back on the trails again one day, but for now it makes for a great commuter.
Tomorrow, the GS250t.
Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
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Let's pick up the story in roughly the middle of the action.
... Goldilocks first sampled Papa Bear's porridge, "Holy shit, that's hot,"
she cried, toss...
2 years ago
Wow, impressive save! That would have been something to witness.
ReplyDeleteI have a similar bike to that GT. But mine is a Serengheti Mt. Shasta. (Upon looking up info on this bike, I've found it was made by GT. Imagine that.) I've had that bike for 18 years and it's still rockin the bells. I used it, like you, as a commuter through college in some pretty tough winters. It was also the bike I've had my one run-in with a car (it was a minor skirmish, but an eye-openning lesson none the less). After that incident, I started wearing a helmet consistently and riding on the street, instead of the sidewalk.
Dang - 18 years! You're either older than I thought, or you rode that thing with training wheels as your first bike. And I thought that a sixteen year old bike was something special...
ReplyDeleteIndeed, those old Cro-moly jobs are tough and serve well as a GP commuter. I plan to ride this one until the wheels fall off, at which point I'll likely have another story to share. But judging by how this bike was built, you might have wait until I'm 90 with no teeth.
Because you're the 'Alpha' male around here. It probably has something to do with the way GT wanted their bikes sold. By naming a package something with a strong name you were giving the customer the sense that they were getting more for less. It's an easier way to say, 'You're getting some cool shit.' Nice one on the wall, but you probably would have cleared it.
ReplyDeletemight have cleared it
ReplyDeleteWait, ok, more like....uh, I'm 30, that was 8th grade...um, I was 14 or 15...
ReplyDeleteOk, so it's a 15-ish year old bike. My parents bought it for me as a b-day/x-mas present so I could get around better. This was in between my skateboard time and driving a car time. I rode it downtown to my shoe shine job at a barber shop. Once I could drive, I used that transportation to get to school and to my job at Corndog On a Stick at Crossroads mall. Mmmm, how I miss the taste of that freshly dipped and fried dog with a huge cup of Lemonade I squeezed out that morning. That was a good summer.
Yep, I've been around.
you used to be a shoe-shine boy?
ReplyDeleteYup. Buck a foot, but usually hoped to get a dollar tip. This one guy who got his hair cut EVERY FRIDAY always gave me a 5 spot. That was the highlight of my week. I had all the tools and even did the snap thing with the buffing cloth. The thing I remember most was how hard it was to ask, "Would you like a shoe shine, sir?" It usually came out shoe sine shure. Hey, I was a dorky tweener, whatcha gonna do?
ReplyDeleteI saw that bike late last night. Hanging around the U.P. HQ. No one for company except an abandoned rusty old "Basso" road bike. It kind of reminded me of Marvin.
ReplyDeleteWhew! Thank goodness...you're still alive! Got me worried since I haven't seen a post from you for awhile, and was getting ready to search the morgues for you.
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteYou can leave a post like the one above just to let us know that you still check in from time to time. Plus, it adds to the comments counter.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I had a late meeting last night and had to ditch the GT for a ride to the track. Ran like a madman, though, which was nice. I plan to commute home on the GT again tonight. There. The comment whore inside of me is satiated.
ReplyDeleteYeah Fred, sure wish you would update your blog. Every time I visit there I get a nice view of tree bush. (this comment makes no sense until properly viewed with this post)
ReplyDeleteO.k. there. I posted something.
ReplyDelete