When I bought my bike in 1999, I didn't really know what I
was buying, really. Even though I always loved cycling, I
was never knowledgable on bikes. So, the day I bought my
bike, in Borthrone (Fulahm Road), it was the good old days.
I was earning a [censored] load of money, paying very low rent, so
I had this spare cash, y'know? ;-). So anyway, as I was
walking towards the shop, I saw it from the corner, just
standing there. When I got to the shop, I saw the price-tag,
£229. There were other bikes there, cheaper, but I managed
to convice myself that I HAD TO BUY THIS ONE!! It's red, no
rack, no mudguards, nothing, just "naked". But it was
screaming at me: "buy me, buy me!!!". So I bought it. Best
money ever spent!
A few days later, I was telling a friend of mine that I had
bought this beautiful bicycle and she asked me what had I
bought and I said "diamond something". WHAAAAT??? YOU HAVE A
DIAMONDBACK??????
I was taken by surprise, obviously, and more surprised was I
when I was told that these bikes are not made anymore. I did
a search on the internet, and couldn't find anything. What I
got is a Diamondback, model Approach; it's a hybrid,
apparently!
I love this bike. I spend a fortune on it already. I'm on
the 3rd pair of mudguards (hopefully the last, from Brixton
Cycles), bought a bottle holder (or whatever they are
called), lights (I got quite a few of those), had the
original seat stolen (and that's another story that I'll
share with you another time) so I had to buy anotherone, a
rack, and a map-trap from CTC (I still get lost in London!).
So, my question is: am I the owner of a relic? Is it true
that Diamondbacks are not manufactured anymore? Where are
they from, anyway?
If you read up to here, you're a star!! And I'm a bit
[censored].... ;-)
To all the English cyclists out there, happy Saint George's
day, you limeys! ;-)
Vivian
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"We learned more from a three minute record than we ever
learned in school". No Surrender