But what Salado resident Tom Goldsmith sees is a group of people who aren’t enjoying the conversation with nature he has when he rides one of his restored vintage leisure-riding bicycles.

“We all need to slow down in our increasingly fast-paced society,” he said.

The bicycle fanatic’s beliefs have led him to spend the last 21 years restoring discarded and forgotten bicycles so his family and others can find the same joy he’s found.

To begin the restoration process, Goldsmith acquires bicycles from those who have heard about his hobby. He often receives old bikes no longer in use.

“People don’t mind tossing a bike, putting it out by the trash can, giving it away and not having interest in it,” he said. “Or having a bike and using it for a week or two, or a year, and then hanging it up in the garage.”

But Goldsmith believes bicycles don’t have to die, rusting next to minivans or collecting weeds in backyards. He takes these unloved two-wheelers others have left behind, dismantles them and puts them back together so they are in rideable condition.

“(I) restore them to the point where I haven’t made any modifications to its original condition such as repainting, redecaling or rechroming,” he said. “Not making it showroom quality gives (the bikes) their original flavor; their vintage credibility.”

Because of his love for refurbishing these lost vehicles of yesterday, Goldsmith’s home is often a waiting room for dismantled bikes waiting to be put back together again.

“My wife thinks it’s a great hobby for myself, and she actually rides one of these bikes - the whitewall with the basket,” he said. “But she says, ‘Tom, there’s no more room in the garage so you need to stop.’”

After hearing this plea from his better half more than once, he decided to take his bikes, at least the finished ones, to Roy T’s Bakery in Salado. Before long, he was selling them for a profit and the idea for Cruise Salado on a Classic was born.

“What I’ve done is taken my hobby and moved it into a small business,” Goldsmith said. “The setting of Salado is an opportunity for these bikes to fit in.”

While the bikes remain on display and for sale at the bakery, the next step for the bicycle entrepreneur is to start renting the vehicles out for those visiting the town.

“It would be something for the tourists who are staying in bed and breakfasts,” he said. “They could rent the bikes for a an hour, a full day or a weekend, and use them while they’re in town.”

He believes the rentals would be a great way to get to all of the local shops and restaurants, without spending a lot of money or having to fill up at the pump.

“And they will also be able to cruise the (town) at a leisurely pace.”

Bike rentals in tourist towns are not a novel idea, Goldsmith said. They have been offered at beach and vacation resorts for years.

“This is really just a thought process in development right now,” he said. “It’s a part of the next step in the business plan.”

Because of rising gas prices and the need for more affordable transportation, the bicycle enthusiast said that might be a positive for his business. However, he thinks better accommodations for bike riders on city streets will increase customers and bicyclists in general.

“The more bike lanes and bike paths throughout cities and communities to coincide with the main routes, the more that will take place,” Goldsmith said. “But unfortunately, the way society is, we live further and further away from our places of business, making bike riding less logical.”

Debbie Charbonneau, tourism director for the village of Salado, said that as of right now, there aren’t many places for bike riders to go.

“We don’t have any bike trails,” she said. “We have a lot of people walk because it’s a nice area to do so, and buses will come and park at the civic center. But bike riding doesn’t necessarily happen in Salado.”

Whatever the future holds for Goldsmith and Cruise Salado on a Classic, the category manager of Performance Food Group in Temple said he will continue to nurture his hobby and passion for vintage bicycles.

“I plan on doing this for a long time,” he said. “In some way or another it will speed up as the small business grows, or it will slow down as the small business doesn’t grow. But it will never stop.”