thyme

it’s been a month since Thyme, my pretty bike, lives in our house… and i haven’t made a proper introduction of her yet. so, here it is.

Thyme is a restored vintage Raleigh Caprice from — i think — early 1980’s.

she is probably around the same age as Finch. we bought her from the Vanguard Designs. her name was Heidi, but since all of my stuff are named after vegetables or shrubs, so we change it to Thyme, the herb.

i think Thyme is really pretty… i’ve been looking for a vintage Raleigh loop frame bicycle for a while, but most of them are waaaay too big for me. so when i saw Thyme, whose frame size is 19″/49cm, i just had to get her… she’s my size!
she is equipped with 3-speed vintage Sturmey Archer hub with its cute thumb shifter.

i fit in the Brooks saddle that i had for Negi. and she has a pair of elegant maple fenders.

she also has the cutest bell and a pretty vintage light casing that has been converted into a battery-powered LED light.

originally, Thyme came with a shallow wicker basket with lid. but since i usually carry groceries or large bag on the bike, i decided to skip the lidded basket. the plan was to find a wire basket isntead… yes, wire baskets are far less pretty than wicker baskets. but living in a tropical country, where everything gets moldy so easily, i think having a wire basket is just more practical.

it turns out, though, finding a wide wire basket is almost impossible in Singapore! so, we ended up attaching a MUJI basket (that is not meant for bicycle) on to Thyme, just because i need basket.

so, until i can find a large wire basket that i like, the Muji wicker basket will have to do for now.