...but completely awesome.

As pancom asked, here are my rides (or at least the bikes that are getting the most use right now)...

First is my 'urban explorer', a recycled mountain bike, that I still on occassion use as a mountain bike (I have a second set of wheels). It is light, has good front suspension, 27 speeds (3X9) and hydraulic disk brakes. Wheels are Formula disc hubs with 7 inch disc on front and a 6 inch disk on back. Tires are 26 x 1.125 slicks at 85 psi.






The second bike is my Kona Ute. This is my cargo bike, the bike when I want to go to the bech and want to haul all the 'stuff' needed to make it a day. The bike is very sturdy, rides nice, has 16 speeds (2x8) gearing. It was built to haul and built to last, not for speed.






Besides those bikes I have a few more.. a Scattante R330 road bike (2010), a K2 Zed 3.0 mountain bike (2001), a couple of smaller bikes (Specialized HardRock Sport 13.5" frame and a Scattante Roma 7 speed with a 15" frame) that were for someone else to use (she couldn't ride so now I'm selling them), another 1991 Specialized RockHopper Comp (commuter bike) and a 1959 Schwinn Cruiser w/ springer front fork, 3 speed hub, and a lot of rust.

Here are some baby pictures for pancom:


This is a 1986-ish Diamondback Fleetstreak, from back when they called MTBs "all-terrain bikes". I got it for $35 off Craigslist.


A rattlecan paintjob, some reflective engineering tape, and some Michelin City tires. I really need to get some of those fenders you mentioned pancom! I made the panniers from some $12 musette bags I found on Amazon.


Here's what the tape and the reflective sidewalls on those tires look like.

It's not sexy at all, but I'm coming up on 2000 miles for it!

It's been dead around here, so let's see if we can get some baby pictures going. Whatcha got in your stable these days? This is my new-to-me commuter, yet another twenty-something-year-old steel frame, dragged out of my boss' shed where it had been languishing and put back into service.



It's a '91-ish Specialized Hard Rock Cruz, which was all-stock with the original tractor tires when it came into my hands. I've added a set of Michelin City tires with the reflective sidewalls, a new pair of Planet Bike fenders in please-don't-hit-me yellow (which I had to order directly from PB because no one carries them in the stores around here), and the saddle, rack, panniers and bottle cages from my old commuter. By coincidence, the navy-and-yellow makes it the school colors of the campus where I work. Lighting is a Cat Eye Uno on the front and a Bontrager Flare 3 on the back of the rack. It ain't nothing to brag about, but it'll do for the beating of the commute.

It's replacing my old commuter, which broke its hip (left seat stay snapped just below the weld).



I'm kind of sad about losing that bike, because it served me well for thousands of miles. Lots and lots of training rides, my first couple of centuries, and a 500-mile ride across NC four autumns ago (all before getting pressed into service as a commuter). When I took the frame to a local bike shop for them to strip for brake and drive-train parts, I took off the neat old Raleigh head badge for a keepsake.

And yes, both of those bikes are technically too big for me. My boss is a tall fellow, and the Raleigh was bought on consignment for cheap.

I'm now back to two bikes in the stable. The Specialized and my "little red roadster," a Trek 1500-SLR. Also nothing to brag about, but it's fun to take out into the country for some tuck-in-and-go.



And last but not least, though only obliquely related, the commuter for when it's just too damned hot to ride, or when I'm just feeling fat and lazy, my eGo Cycle-2.



So…what are you folks riding around on these days?

*(cross-posted to cycling; sorry if I spammed ya!)

Well, it was cloudy and crappy out, so I'll have to wait for another day to bring the bike outside. I just hope it doesn't snow or I'm not going to get it out till spring. Ack. (I live in Minnesota)

Anyway, I'll just post these photos :)



I looked up the serial number: FF003360. According to this website the bike was made in June of 1970.

According to the date on the tires on the bike, my mom bought the bike used in 1977 (I used to ride on the back in a child seat when I was little!)


2 more behind the cut:

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Thanks to everyone who gave me lock advice in my last post! I'm thinking I'd be so completely crushed if this bike were stolen that I might want to get a second bike if I'm going to leave my bike anywhere for long periods of time. I would be crushed if anyone took it. This one might just be for cruising around the neighborhood or on a bike path. :)

Now to decide... what do I want for a second bike? My friend has a French blue Mixte from the 70s he's going to let me try out :D

Hello :) I'm new here and just jumping into the bike world.

My mother purchased a 1960s green Schwinn Hollywood in the 70s (used, but good condition) and rode it up till 2006. She took excellent care of it, and told me this year, when I enquired, that I could have it and ride it myself.

I'm having a friend at work (who restores vintage bikes) work on it for me, and I'll be getting it back next week.

I thought I would show you some pictures, and then once I get it back, I'll post the "after" photos :)



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Does anyone else ride vintage Schwinns?

Hi there,

So, last year in an effort to be more active and recapture the feeling of freedom I remembered from recreational bike riding when I was a kid, I bought a bike. $98 from Big W. Piece o' crap, or so I know now. It was a mountain bike, I think, and at the time I didn't know any better and figured a bike was a bike (I know, I know...). But riding it was HARD. I got no enjoyment out of it, and the brakes were dangerously unreliable. I left it to rust by my porch, from where it was eventually stolen by a douchebag/s.

I put the difficulty down to my poor fitness and forgot about it UNTIL I holidayed in Germany where we rented bikes and rode between our hotel and town regularly, and it was so fun! It was exactly like I remembered as a kid (with a little more grown up caution thrown in). So I'm putting my first failure down to it being a crappy, generic bike, not suited for casual road riding, but since I have no real idea about bikes I'm not sure what type I rode in Germany, or how much they'll cost. I don't want to throw money on a new, expensive bike only to find I have the same issues. I think the bike I rode was pretty standard, similar to what the bike-riding masses over there were using.

I'd appreciate any input or advice.

Thanks!

(mods, not sure how to tag this...)

I'm 5'5 with a 31 inch inseam, so my ideal bike frame size is 54cm. However, bikesdirect says that a 5'5 rider should purchase a 46cm frame, which seems way too tiny for me. Should I go with my math, or there's?

This is the bike in question: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/galaxy_al_xi_sc1.htm

CA Cyclists Call on Boxer to Respect Right to the Road

This also applies in other states, a sneaky provision in the new transportation funding bill that would prohibit bikes on federally funded highways with speed limits of more than 30 mph, and force you to use a bike path if there is one within 100 yards of the highway. Cyclists need to be able to use the road, if this passes, the next step might be banning cyclists from all roads.