General Bike Thread (Desiderata, Questions, Pics)

[thekunk07]

^pm me. sure that's not too big for him?

 

[Ozarks]

Originally Posted by DrZRM

That's lovely, who made the frame? I have a Bianchi Pista I ride around on, but I'd love a more interesting frame.

It's a Performance Scattante frame. I work in one of the shops for now so I just went with their frame/fork because it was damn near free. It's also why I bought unnecessarily nice things for a commuter, as at a certain point I just decided to spend a few extra for something I'd quite enjoy vs. something that would just get me by.

 

[niwawa]

This is cool. I saw it in GQ once (maybe Esquire, not sure).

Originally Posted by modern_leifeng

My ride, a Yongjiu ("Forever") city bike, I paid around $50 for it and have treated it like ****, which is why all the rust (its typically left outside), but still going strong. I'm not a bike freak, but you do tend to see some amazing looking Forevers from the 70s and 80s (virtually identical design to mine) that are still going strong today.

 

[Biscotti]

prob getting back into my sport (trials) so I may get this soon:

 

[chronoaug]

Still need to get a bike of some sorts. I'm sick of public transportation.

 

[Ludeykrus]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

Ok, i'm needing some help as i no next to nothing about bikes. A little about what i want. - Something $75-125 used (maybe $150 but that's the absolute cap) - I'm 6ft 160lb - Living in boston and mainly will be riding the bike around allston/brighton/cambridge/boston area. Mostly between my apt and bars, stores, and the max distance would be semi-commuting to work on occasion (weather permitting) which is like 3 miles. - Would be riding on the side of the road and occasionally sidewalk - Looking at road bikes as i rode one to undergrad some like 4 years ago and it was much easier than this mountain bike i had prior. I've been looking on craigslist for stuff and see a few things in my range. What kind of questions should i ask the seller before going to buy it? Also, what things should i look for when checking it out and test riding? I'm not looking for something super nice but just reliable enough and easy to ride. I know a lot of you have really high standards and wouldn't settle for something under $250 probably but i unfortunately just cannot afford that. Any help would be appreciated. I saw these on craigslist. Any thoughts on them? http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bik/1361294060.html http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bik/1353342291.html
I'm no expert, but I did buy a cheap road bike not long ago and did my research beforehand. My budget was the same as yours. Your best bet is to find a vintage steel-frame Schwinn with Tenax Columbus tubing. Good, strong, fairly light steel frame that will give a good comfortable ride. The bikes run around 23 lbs in running trim, and there were a few models. http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...10&postcount=2 Prices vary wildly, depending on location. I picked up my Prelude for $100; vintage steel-frame Schwinn's go for between $100-$150 around here. In bike-heavy cities, they can go for $250 or more. Check Craigslist. P.S. - When did you make the hike up to Boston? I thought you were in Gainesville last time I was on here...

 

[Gravitas]

My ride:

Built it up about a month ago. It's a single-speed (48x18) which is a pain on occasion, but at least it is really light so that isn't as much of a bother (I wouldn't have it any other way, I don't use gears). And no, that isn't duct tape on the bars. I've got clips (no straps though) on the pedals ATM (they are SPD/platform).

I've got a conversion fixie project going and I think i'm picking up a BMX bike once i've got some extra cash.

 

[zippyh]

How do you get the chain tension right with the vertical dropouts?

 

[Gravitas]

I wanted to avoid a tensioner for simplicity's sake, so I got a half-link chain and tried my luck with tension. In that picture there is an extra link (thought I needed it, removed it after the chain popped and just took off the wheel to get the chain on the cog). Tension seems perfect and so far so good. May not be advisable (as all of my cyclist friends have told me) but it seems I got lucky with the configuration.

 

[Ozarks]

That seems like quite an odd setup. The stem and seatpost are slammed all the way down, making it seem like the bike's too tall. Then you have the seat pushed all the way back in the rails making it look like the top tube isn't long enough. Are you really so oddly proportioned?

 

[Gravitas]

Haha, TBH, that picture is from the day I finished building it up. I was over my friend's and was more concerned with getting a ride in before going for coffee/bed. It has been tweaked somewhat since. The seat is a bit higher, and a bit farther forward. I don't know why, but i've always preferred standing. I may have been able to go a size smaller, but I like it as is.

 

[Gravitas]

Picked up this to mess around on (trying my hand at a bit of flatland):

Wheelset feels bombproof compared to my road bike. Should be fun!

 

[Jamorris011]

Does anyone know an effective way of getting dents out of a steel frame without damaging it?

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by Jamorris011

Does anyone know an effective way of getting dents out of a steel frame without damaging it?

There is none.

 

[The Swedish Chef]

Current steed, Gary Fisher Malin frame with various odds and ends, (inc some rather nice stuff). Great ride but stuck with V brakes so upgrading has stopped and a new Stumpjumper fund has been started.