Bikes of BBP & Their Humans: Meet Em
Well, as of today’s Bikes of BBP post, you’ve met almost all of our staff. That means it’s time for me to share the story of my bike. Thanks for reading!
Name: Emily Summerhays
Pronouns: She/Her
Role at BBP: Development Director
Bike Make & Model: 1987-ish Scott Boulder
When did you build your bike?: I celebrated my one-year anniversary at BBP and earned my 1-year build in February of 2019. It took me quite a while to find the frame I wanted. I think I found her around June, procrastinated for quite a while, and finally started and finished the build in September of 2019.
What’s your bike’s name?: This bike is named Birdie, after the Mad Men character Betty Draper. Inexplicably, I name all of my bikes after Mad Men characters.
What’s the story of your bike?: Yellow is my favorite color, and I had my heart set on a yellow bike. You don’t see a lot of yellow these days, but there are so many great yellow bikes from the 80s and 90s. When this one showed up at BBP, I knew it was perfect for me. It gives a nod to Scott’s Idaho roots (designed in Sun Valley!). Also, it has braze-ons for spoke storage on the chainstay, which I think is about the coolest feature a bike can have. This bike showed up to BBP with roller-cam brakes, which I do think look pretty cool. (Don’t tell me the cable hanger and roller-cams don’t look like a little guy with a mustache). But they were going to be problematic because, let’s be honest, it would take forever-slash-be-impossible for me to re-adjust them. Saxton helped me swap them out to BMX u brakes. Saxton was my guide for the entire build process, patiently letting me check in for each next step. But I worked hard to have the tools in my own hands and the work be mine for the entire build. I am not mechanically minded, so I was really proud of that. With pink accents and really pretty, honey colored grips and a saddle, she’s a beauty. I added a donated vintage-y rear rack, but I’m still working through the sorts of cargo storage I’ll want in the end. I also have new tires at home for a faster ride; but as of photo day, I haven’t had a chance to swap them.
What’s your favorite feature on your bike?: I mentioned the stow-away spokes, which I love. I also like the friction shifters. I like what Rivendell has to say about friction shifters: “Your shifts will be faster and more silent,” and “you have infinite freedom in mixing derailleurs, shifters and cassettes.”
What’s your favorite ice cream?: Graeter’s Black Cherry Chocolate Chip. Graeter’s is a Cincinnati brand. I lived briefly in Lexington, Kentucky (Cincy’s neighbor) and right around the corner from a Graeter’s storefront. Good, good stuff. The chocolate “chips” are giant chocolate chunks. You can buy Graeter’s at Boise’s Whole Foods (not this flavor, though). It’s wildly expensive, so I only treat myself about once a year and then try to eat it during visits back home to Michigan.
What have you been doing during BBP’s shop closure?: Well, as of Wednesday, the shop is back open under some limited operations. Before that, I did BBP’s Idaho Gives campaign, worked a lot behind the scenes on finances and the like, and tried to be as supportive as I could to the shop crew. On the home front, my husband and I spent the duration of “stay at home” searching for a new dog (our Linus died in February). Two weeks ago, we adopted sweet Buck. He’s younger (5 months!) and bigger than we were looking for, but we are in love with him already.
