n-1+1

I got a new (to me) commuter/utility bike today from the bike recycling place that I volunteer at.  They let me have it for nothing as long as I did the 'recycling' bit - essentially a thorough service and replacement of any dud parts, ideally with recycled stock.  As it turned out and in-between some high-pressure V-brake stress while a new owner was waiting to collect we only had about an hour before closing, so while I was faffing with tyres and tubes and their air-containing capabilities, Mark, one of the co-op members and expert mechanic, dusted off the cobwebs (literally), tweeted the brakes and fitted a co-ordinating bell!

It's a mystery plain black frame but I think it's actually quite a decent bike, albeit with a few rusty patches which I'm hoping will make it less desirable to thieves.  The steel frame is light and the components are good; I can never get my head around Shimano's naming system but the brakes are V with parallel linkages in which I've never experienced before.

It needs a bit of work but as long as it's ridable I can do that at my more local workshop Pedaller's Arms.  That stem is far too long, I need mud guards and a rack, and in time I will get a hub dynamo and rebuild the front wheel (and remove those hideous orange reflectors).

Having got a free bike I then spent £50 on a new lock.  That's only 12 bike-rather-than-bus trips so won't take long to pay for itself.