Headline: After some thought-provoking questions, I realized that much of my passion for excellence came from working with a variety of bicycles of varying quality when I worked in a bike shop in Grand Junction, Colorado as a teenager.
The Thought-provoking Dinner
My wife and I had some friends over for dinner several nights ago. We had excellent food & wine (Chateaubriand, Cambium wine from Sequoia Grove, the best Crème Brulé I’ve had). I was asked, “You enjoy excellent things. Where did you get that passion?” That night I fumbled terribly to answer the question. I could not think of one person that instilled that. Perhaps the course, “The Study of Viticulture” (Study of Wines) at the Colorado School of Mines? I wasn’t sure.
We Do Have a Passion for Excellence
In 2007 my wife and I sat down with the idea that someday we might want to start a business. We spoke most about educating others. But then we asked ourselves, “What best represents our values?” It didn’t take long to settle on “The Joy of Excellence”. On the About page, you can see what we believe. But for me, where did that passion for excellence come from?
The Next Morning
The next morning after the question, “Where did you get the passion for excellence” I finally had clarity.
I worked a lot when I was young. Actually, I’ve worked a lot throughout my life. But I worked many jobs from the time I was 14 until I was 18. Enough that I no longer got an allowance at home. I could buy the things I wanted. I actually worked so much that I put myself through college without a single dime from my parents.
There were only two things I purchased (with my own money) that cost more than $100 (in 1976 dollars). One was a bicycle – a Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2, and the other was a Jan Sport external frame backpack with “angel wings”. They were about $220 and $110 respectively. I purchased the bicycle when I was 15 and the backpack when I was 17.
Here is an image of the model bicycle I purchased:
And here I am with my Jan Sport backpack:
The first purchase was my bicycle. Why did I buy that?
Discovering Campagnolo
When I was 13, I started to attend classes held by Dave’s Schwinn Cyclery in Grand Junction, Colorado. (At this time, the site of Old World Meat Company).
I attended almost every class and toward the end of the spring Dave asked me if I wanted a job during the summer. He said I really paid attention and knew a lot about fixing bicycles. I accepted and worked there for over two years.
Half my jobs were routine repairs (replace brake pads, true wheels, fix flats, etc.) and the other half was tune-ups or overhauls. I recall that there were two Schwinn Paramount Tandem and several Schwinn Paramount bikes. Each had Campagnolo Record components. There was nothing I enjoyed more than overhauling or tuning up those bicycles. The Campagnolo parts had the finest machining and tolerances I’d ever seen.
For example, when you would adjust the bearings of a wheel you usually tightened the hub too much so it would not spin smoothly, or, not enough and there was play in the hub. But with these parts you would get it just right – it would spin smoothly and there was NO play! I always felt so proud when the owners would return to pick up their Paramount bicycles.
Seeing Excellence Next to Mediocrity
When I look back, I realize that I got to compare excellence with mediocrity every week for several years. I learned the difference between, and that difference stuck in my mind.
Purchasing My Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2
I had a discount working at the bike shop which helped. But I wanted a much better bicycle than my Schwinn Continental that my parents purchased for me. I like that bicycle, because that got me hooked on cycling. But after working on the Paramount bicycles, I wanted excellence. Not something average.
I spent my own money which was about $220 for that bicycle. I would overhaul it about once a year. I was so sad when I finally had to part with it in about 2002. At that time, despite searching for over 2 years I could not find tires to fit it. It had Araya rims that were 27″ by 1-1/8″, not the 1-1/4″. Nor could I find new wheels that would fit. I sadly traded it in for a bicycle so that I could ride in the 2003 MS 150 with one of my sons. The person that took it as a trade in said, “Wow! This is why I’m glad they came up with mountain bikes. The mess those up every weekend and need new parts. This bicycle looks like you just bought it (except for the tires)! We would make no money off of you!”
Recalling Excellence
That was my first purchase of excellence that I remember. That purchase was made with my own money.
Ever since that time I now appreciate quality and chose quality over quantity and low cost.
Full Circle
I purchased a new bicycle in 2022. It has a Colnago frame and Campagnolo parts. I kept telling a friend of mine that “someday” I was going to purchase a bicycle that had Campagnolo parts. In 2022 he said, “You’ve been saying that for over a decade. What are you going to do? Wait until you can’t ride a bicycle anymore to buy that bike?”
Two months later I took delivery of my dream bicycle.
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