Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Goodbye Sawyer

 Yesterday I said goodbye to Sawyer. No......not a person. The bike. The cruiser style hard tail masterpiece that should have been a Gary Fisher branded bike, but was one of the victims of the timing of Trek's absorption of the Gary Fisher brand. While it was hoped that elements of the Gary Fisher brand, then called the Gary Fisher Collection, would survive, it disappeared a few years later, never to be heard from again. To my way of thinking, this is still one of the strangest, and biggest, mistakes Trek ever made. 

Well, back in the day, I was sent one of these Sawyers and I have had it around since then. I often enjoyed the bike, but with so many single speeds, it just didn't get used as it should have. 

I've written a few posts dedicated to the lines of this swoopy cruiser. I've talked about how Trek screwed up the marketing for this bike, how it was a big failure at retail, and how there has been a cultish following for Sawyers since then. I won't cover that old ground again. I'll just say that after three years, maybe more, of wondering what to do with this bike, I finally pulled the trigger on selling it. Then "Mr. W" answered my sales page ad and asked if he could be the bike's next caretaker. Well, the exchange happened, and now the Sawyer is all his to ride into the Sunset.

And that is exactly what should happen. Bicycles weren't made to be collected and sat in rooms to be ogled by bike nerds until they die and relatives have to dispose of them. They were made to be ridden. They were made to be scratched, beat up, and eventually worn out. I often think about what Mike Varley, of Black Mountain Cycles, told me once when I asked for touch up paint codes for my "Orange Crush" rig. He said something to the effect that he'd rather I let the scratches be and they would be "character marks", scratches that invoked stories and memories of adventures had with that bike. He's right, you know.

I don't think you've had a successful time with a bike unless you've ridden it so much you've worn out parts, dinged it up, and somehow kept it going for years and years. Bikes with character marks, and maybe more importantly, stories to tell. That should be the goal. Not having some pristine garage queen parked on a pedestal. But to each their own. This is only my view.

And getting back to the Sawyer- I was happy to hear "Mr W" say to me, as he wheeled the bike out the door, that he'd "definitely be riding this bike a lot". More than anything else, those words were music to my ears. 

I grinned to myself later, long after the Sawyer was gone, thinking about "Mr W" and his new-to-him Sawyer, blasting some single track somewhere, making memories, and gaining a few of those "character marks" in the process. It made me glad I decided to let that bike have a new lease on life. It made me happy to know that I could, at least one time, let a bike go I really liked, but wasn't utilizing, and let someone else experience the joy of riding a bike that a person cherished and loved on terrain that made for good times. 

Be well, Sawyer! May you and "Mr W" have miles of smiles with each other!

6 comments:

MG said...

Sounds like the Sawyer went to a good home. Good job, Brother!

Relationships with individual bikes are much like relationships with people: some last forever and go through constant evolution, while others are are shorter-term and and less cerebral. We both have 'forever' bikes that have stood the test of time, but we both also have bikes that fulfill a role now, but could go away tomorrow if needed (or not needed, as it were).

Ben W said...

The Sawyer will be visiting many areas of Wisconsin this fall, and possibly the UP. I'm excited to get it out there. Thanks for making it available and I'm proud to take it on upcoming biking trips. I also have a homemade bamboo 29er though so it gets to split time with another bike that starts a lot of discussions. Take care!

Guitar Ted said...

@MG- Hey Brother! Thanks for the comments. I agree with you on all.

@Ben W- Thank you for chiming in here. I am sincere in my thoughts about you getting this bike. Glad it all worked out. Enjoy!

ENB said...

As a Sawyer owner and regular follower of your blog (but not until well after you acquired/modded the Sawyer), I had to chime in and say that I'm both sad and impressed that you passed the bike on to someone who will ride it, expecially after your years of internal struggles as to whether or not to actually go through with it.

However it came to be, and then retreated into history, it is a beautiful yet very understated bike, especially in the original primer-gray color. Riding it around town, all walks and flavors of people stare and I have to assume that's the bike because I don't get those stares riding my Surly.

My dilemma, which will soon be a Covid reality, will be which of my other bikes will I let go in order to keep the Sawyer? Happy trails to the new owner

Guitar Ted said...

@ENB - Thank you. It was not easy to make the decision, but in the end, it was the right thing to do.

teamdarb said...

Still one of my top unicorn bikes! They are so rare to find in the 17 size, which still barely fits me. I seen the 17s sized down to 27.5 wheel for those 5'4 to negative infinity. Any body remember the Gary Fisher Klunker that came before the Sawyer? I think it only came in one size.... gigantic.