# Post your bicycle pics



## Patriot

I thought it would be fun to start a discussion based on everyone's bike photos. 

My bike story starts at six years old but turned more serious when got into road racing at the age of 12. I raced steady for about 10 years and after that got back into the mountain biking. 15 years later I'm still enjoying the mountain biking as much as ever and ride 4 or 5 times a week. I was fortunate enough to meet up with a group of Wednesday riders who enjoy riding remote trails at night time which goes along closely with the flashlight hobby. 


The first two pictures are of my latest Voodoo build which I set up as a rigid 1x9. The front ring is a 32 and the cassette is a Dura-ace 12-27. It's a 29er or (29" wheeled bike) which I'm completely sold on now to the point that I don't even ride 26ers (the standard since the inception of mtn bikes) anymore. I've been riding 29ers for about a year now and love them. Some of the other parts are a Sram XO derailleur with XO grip shift, Truvativ bar, stem and crank. Bontrager X-lite wheel set with tubeless Jones ACX tires. The brakes are cable actuated Avid BB7's with Avid levers. The bike weighs in at just a hair over 21 lbs. The reason behind building this bike is because I had an extra set of good quality wheels and I wanted to see what kind of a bike I could build on a $1200 budget. All of my parts were purchased on ebay or other discount sources and I ended up with a nice machine for what was spent. This bike sees the brunt of my off roading now including my night rides. 














The next is my pride and joy Gary Fisher Superfly which I've had about a year now. It's also a 29er of coarse and the only stock components on it are the headset, Avid Ultimate brake levers & calipers. There isn't any steel on the bike other that a few ball bearings and everthing else has been exchanged for ti or alluminum in the case of non-stressed parts. The bike currently weighs in at 19.81 lbs which is very light for a 29er with front suspension and the lightest Superfly in existence to my knowledge.
































Finally is my Trek 7000 rigid. It still gets ridden occasionally but the small wheels and stretched out frame feels funny.


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## raggie33

if i hit lotto im going to get something like that


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## chaoss

Damn, Patriot, you really fired the big money gun at that G.F.
Nice rides BTW.

No pic of mine but it's a Spot 26'' rigid S.S. and it's a lot of fun to ride .


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## Patriot

chaoss said:


> Damn, Patriot, you really fired the big money gun at that G.F.
> Nice rides BTW.
> 
> No pic of mine but it's a Spot 26'' rigid S.S. and it's a lot of fun to ride .




Cool! The Spot is a great bike and I've always liked them.

The Superfly was just one of those things that worked out perfectly. I knew they were about to be released and on a whim I called the not so local store who was expecting them. They got the first one in AZ 15 minutes before I called, which just also happened to be my size and I bought it that same day. Since my brother used to work at that store and was also sponsored by them I was extended a wonderful family deal on it and the owner really went out of his way to take care of me. I didn't pay anything close to what they're retailing for now after a sucessful lauch and a 2009 $1200 price increase! I keep saying it was meant to be.


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## Patriot

raggie33 said:


> if i hit lotto im going to get something like that




Sounds great. I'll help to spec it out for you.


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## 270winchester

I've been riding since i was a kid, growing up in Santa Cruz county sure didn't hurt my cycling addiciton. These days I'm in graduate school but they keep me somewhat entertained. All of these bikes I built from ground up with cheap, sometimes 2nd hand parts. so they costed me a fraction of what it would run me from showroom floors.

05 Bullit, last batch to be made in Santa Cruz:





my 6-inch singe speed squishy bike:





and my single speed Chameleon.




life is good. it's still better than crack...


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## Robocop

Thanks to the help of many friends here I am the owner of a new LeMond Tourmalet 53cm double. I really have taken to the sport and thanks to all who helped me out. Photos are not the best quality and my picture program would only let me clear them up a small amount....love the black and white color scheme of this bike.


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## raggie33

Robocop said:


> Thanks to the help of many friends here I am the owner of a new LeMond Tourmalet 53cm double. I really have taken to the sport and thanks to all who helped me out. Photos are not the best quality and my picture program would only let me clear them up a small amount....love the black and white color scheme of this bike.



remind me not to ever **** you off youre like solid muscle dude


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## Flashanator

LOL Robocop!!!!!!!

I cant see your bike with your huge guns in the way. 

I shore wouldn't want to mess with you mate.


nice bike pics,


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## Robocop

I really must look funny in my spandex riding gear however I am actually getting much more comfortable with each ride. This sport really humbled me as I am easily bested by much smaller riders.

I was an athlete in school (1987) and always seemed to dominate in any sport I tried. State champion for 2 years (wrestling) made me feel like superman....Always very strong in the gym lifting weights....well then I discovered road bike riding. I really thought I would hit the road and quickly be able to keep up with any rider around. Holy smoke was I wrong about that one.

I have recently done 70 miles with maybe an 18 mph average and this was my best ride thus far. The going up hills kill me due to the added bulk but I can fly downhill... 

I quickly learned I am indeed an amateur and man was I shocked when the 125 lb guys beat me by at least 7 miles in maybe a 20 mile ride. I still very much enjoy the sport however will never be "competitive" in this sport even if I really tried. I like it best as it keeps me in shape without killing my knees from running.


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## Flashanator

270winchester, your bikes look bad *** :devil::devil::devil::devil:


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## Steve K

Robocop said:


> I quickly learned I am indeed an amateur and man was I shocked when the 125 lb guys beat me by at least 7 miles in maybe a 20 mile ride. I still very much enjoy the sport however will never be "competitive" in this sport even if I really tried. I like it best as it keeps me in shape without killing my knees from running.



hi Robocop,

hey, you need to try track racing! Some of the events are very short and emphasize brief sprints as well as sneaky tactics. Some of these guys look like power lifters, especially in the legs. 

One of the great track riders in recent US history was Nelson Vails. I saw him at a ride in Colorado, and his legs were bigger than my waist! There's a lot of info on the web about him, such as this:
http://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/nelsonvails.html

Going back to bike pictures, I've been working on a homemade headlight built with Cree XR-E LEDs for my new-ish Bacchetta recumbent. It's powered by a Schmidt hub dynamo, and is a big improvement over the lights that were available 5 years ago or so. I wanted to see how visible the light was, so I took this short video:

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=2dax40g&s=4

enjoy,
Steve


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## SnWnMe

My baby Charlotte the Harlot

She's kind of a rarity. Hardly anyone rides a Sycip


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## SnWnMe

My Singlespeed. I got me a cheap Raleigh and installed a Surly Singulator on it. My rear wheel has a flip flop hub. I have 18T and 16T cogs on it so I can pick my gearing based on the climbs expected. I also use a BMX chain so it never snaps.


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## RA40

Here is a recent bike buy:

Kuota Kharma: Ultegra 6600 components






Right after the fitting, going out for a test ride:







Vitus 979 with Shimano 600EX, my short errand bike.






Not pictured is a well aged Fisher HKII MTB.


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## RA40

Patriot36- nice rides!


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## kramer5150

Cool pics gents!!

IMHO some of the best athletes are wrestlers. More than just about any other sport it requires complete control of EVERY muscle, joint, ligament in the body. It involves principles of mass-leverage and finite positioning. I played tennis and volleyball through high school and college, and Some of the guys I played volleyball with were high school wrestlers... their coordination and natural athletic abilities were unbelievable. 

Heres my Fisher hoo-koo-e-koo. I've pounded the snot out of this thing and it just keeps on going. Its Chromoly, which is my preference over Al on the trails. Forks have been upgraded to Marzocchi since this pic. I dont have time to ride anymore with two little kids but I really enjoyed the sport for half a decade.
















Me and some friends goofing around, at my favorite park, Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz.... just an awesome place to ride.





Me on the right coaching some newer riders. My wife on the far left. I snapped a chain on this ride LOL!!


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## Patriot

Nice bikes everyone. I love seeing these rides! 

*270*, I take it you do a lot of down hill or is it just really heavy free ride?
Too bad about Santa Cruz going taiwan now but I guess that's a sign of the times. And hey....isn't building bikes just flat out fun! I love tracking down discount parts and watching the bike slowing come into being. 


*Robo*, nice Lemond. That's nothing but pure class and I'll bet you got a good deal on it since there is so much legal stuff going on with Greg and Trek. 

Cycling is an amazing sport and I know you'll get stronger and enjoy it more and more. Once your techniques are honed, you would make a great track rider because of your strength and build. You're built a lot like an track sprinter from about 15 years ago named Nelson Vails, who was quite successful. I met him several times.


*SnWnMe
*Great Sycip! People in the know understand that those are great bikes. There fairly popular on Mtbr too. I think there is a Sycip thread over there.
I like your single speed but I think I'd twist that crank right off the bike..lol. I'm kind of a sprinter and very hard on cranks. I already ruined a top of the line carbon bontrager and an older Shimano LX. Plus I hate flex in a crank...just one of my bicycle pet peeves.  Also it's cool that you've got a nice gal to go riding with you! 


*RA40 
*Thank you sir. As you can tell, I'm a pure Cross country guy and love climbing. The steeper and longer the better.
I like your road rides. The new Kuota is slick and the Vitus brings back some crazy racing memories for me. It was light back then but I refered to them as noodles because of the frame flex and high speed head shake! Still, I wish I still had mine for sentimental reasons. Great pics!


*Kramer
*I dig the hoo-koo. When I saw the pics I though to myself, "I'll bet he'd enjoy a better fork." Turns out that you took care of that already. Steel is real man and it will never die because of its unique ride qualities. I'll bet it's a very plush riding hard tail.




Keep 'em coming you guys!


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## light_emitting_dude

Me on the Schwinn Moab and the daughter. Phew! I did most of the peddling.


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## raggie33




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## Patriot

That GT doesn't look too bad raggie. What's the matter with the drive train? I recall you saying something about riding it as a single speed....


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## Patriot

light_emitting_dude said:


> Me on the Schwinn Moab and the daughter. Phew! I did most of the peddling.




That looks like some great rural fun with your little one and a perfect riding day too.  I noticed the half mast flag in the background...was this recent?


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## raggie33

Patriot36 said:


> That GT doesn't look too bad raggie. What's the matter with the drive train? I recall you saying something about riding it as a single speed....


the rear deralier was bent pretty bad and the gears had bad teeth i replaced the bad gears in the deralier with ones i found of some bike some one threw awayi the front sprockets apear to miss some teeth no front brakes at all that part from the junk bike didnt fit my bike .the main thing is the bike is a tad to big for me i have zero clearance from the bar


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## Patriot

raggie33 said:


> the rear deralier was bent pretty bad and the gears had bad teeth i replaced the bad gears in the deralier with ones i found of some bike some one threw awayi the front sprockets apear to miss some teeth no front brakes at all that part from the junk bike didnt fit my bike .the main thing is the bike is a tad to big for me i have zero clearance from the bar




It should still shift even if the idler wheels are worn, likewise if the front chainrings have some worn down teeth. One brake is ok and some urban and BMX riders only want one sometimes. It's appears that it's just missing the cable which any bike shop should have for $5. You shouldn't necessarily use "stand over" as a measure for how a bike fits. Some manufacturers back then had zero stand over but yet the top tube length ends up fitting just fine...which is the part that matters. Do you feel like your're streched out like superman over the bike or do you fit somewhat upright?


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## light_emitting_dude

Patriot36 said:


> That looks like some great rural fun with your little one and a perfect riding day too.  I noticed the half mast flag in the background...was this recent?



Good eye! That was taken in April 2007?? I just can't think of what it was half mast for? Anyone?


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## Coop

At the moment, I have 3 bikes

1st, a Challenge Hurricane Sport USS:




Not riding it a lot at the moment, because the drivetrain needs some maintenance.

2nd, A Cube SL Road:




Built this one from the ground up. A few changes have been made since the picture was taken. I put a Pro adjustable stem on it, replaced the flatbar with a shortened Bontrager Crowbar 5 degree low riser bar, the crankset has been replaced with a Raceface Ride XC crankset, the seat was replaced with a BBB anatomic saddle (seat in the pic has been traded with another CPF member for 2 bottles of Irn-bru) and the lighting is now done by a superflash on the rear and 2 Ultrafire P60 hosts on lockblocks on the front. This is my current daily commuter.

3rd, A 1999 Specialized Rockhopper, no pic available at the moment  Also, it looks kinda pathetic right now, as I borrowed a few parts to use on the Cube. Anyway, this bike isn't standard either, this bike also has a nice riserbar, Sram attack trigger shifters, Marzocchi suspension fork, Magura HS24 (limited special edition) hydraulic rimbrakes and a whole bunch of smaller mods.

I'm not going to count the 4 other bikes in parts that are spread over the backyard & shed


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## 270winchester

Flashanator 500mW said:


> 270winchester, your bikes look bad ***


thank you Sir. 



Patriot36 said:


> *270*, I take it you do a lot of down hill or is it just really heavy free ride?
> Too bad about Santa Cruz going taiwan now but I guess that's a sign of the times. And hey....isn't building bikes just flat out fun! I love tracking down discount parts and watching the bike slowing come into being.



yeah, used to a bit of gravity riding, but the bullit is my trail bike since it's my only bike at the moment with more than one gear:devil:. but I grew up climbing on 8 inch travel bikes to get to place so, slowly but surely i'll get there somehow. I throw on a lighter fork when I head out for a longer ride. But I found single speed to be nice if I just want to spin and hammer.


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## raggie33

i dont feel stretched out or anything when i ride it


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## Robocop

I never did consider sprinting however I was told by many of the advanced riders that I have strong legs and would do much better if I could find a "pace". In a few flat out sprints I did blast away from the other riders however again they all caught me at about the 10 mile mark.....To watch a seasoned rider is really amazing the pace they can keep.

On a side note can anyone say what a very fast speed would be in a sprint considering flat ground and a decent road bike? I am not talking about those exotic shaped salt flat bikes but more like the average road bike. I have done 47 mph downhill and have never really noticed how fast I can get on level ground. If I remember correct it seems as if I was at about 35 mph this last weekend on level ground.

My bike is 18 lbs and has a double chain ring with the rider at about 200 lbs....what would be considered a fast speed on a flat sprint? I tried a search on google however only came up with those cone shaped exotics that get close to 100mph. I could not find much on pro roadbike riders nor sprinters riding road bikes.


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## orbital

+

This is my trusted GT Zaskar LE.
Bought this _frame_ from a bike shop in Avon Colorado in '94 and built it off my old bike.
Since then parts have come and gone,, but this bike has been there and back.
It's always been there, like a good bro.

It would be tough to guess the number of off road hours (and on road for that matter) it has taken....LOTS!

By the way,* never* once have I needed to 'true' my Mavic CrossLink wheels, and I'm 185' {knock on wood}'}


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## Patriot

Robocop said:


> I never did consider sprinting however I was told by many of the advanced riders that I have strong legs and would do much better if I could find a "pace". In a few flat out sprints I did blast away from the other riders however again they all caught me at about the 10 mile mark.....To watch a seasoned rider is really amazing the pace they can keep.
> 
> On a side note can anyone say what a very fast speed would be in a sprint considering flat ground and a decent road bike? I am not talking about those exotic shaped salt flat bikes but more like the average road bike. I have done 47 mph downhill and have never really noticed how fast I can get on level ground. If I remember correct it seems as if I was at about 35 mph this last weekend on level ground.
> 
> My bike is 18 lbs and has a double chain ring with the rider at about 200 lbs....what would be considered a fast speed on a flat sprint? I tried a search on google however only came up with those cone shaped exotics that get close to 100mph. I could not find much on pro roadbike riders nor sprinters riding road bikes.





True sprinting is normally a very short burst of speed (200-500 meters) and is separate from pacing. In road racing the top sprinters come up from the midst of the pack and attack for intermediate goals or time bonuses. The main mission of a sprinter is to remain in the pack and hold on the best as they can with strategies like drafting and team support, in order to conserve energy until the end of the race. When the end nears they start to tactically position themselves for a sprint to the finish line. In races where the pack isn't divided as a result of break away riders, the top sprinters are almost guaranteed a win since the Lance Armstrong types don't have a chance against these powerhouse riders. Sprint specialist aren't really contenders for the overall in large multi-staged races like the Tour de France but do have a good chance of possibly capturing the leader's jersey during the early stages of a tour because of a stage victory or two. The fans also love these guys because they're exciting to watch. The top sprinter in a stage race even wears a special green jersey which tells everyone else that he's won the most sprint points.

Track sprints are different in that the duration of the race is measured in hundreds meters instead of miles or kilometers. This is sprinting at is purest form but normally these rideres aren't as popular or as recognized as world class road racing sprinters in huge world cup events. 

The top sprinters like Eric Zabel can push a 55-11 gears to around 47 mph on a flat road with no wind. I believe it's very close to 1500 watts. It's interesting though to note that it takes about 40% more power to go 45mph than it does 40mph and that's only maintaining the speed. You also have to factor in that a rider has to accelerate through that region which I think boarders on super human. Track sprinter Nelson Vails was once measured to produce nearly two horse power. These days everything is measured in watts since it's easier to track and measure.


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## DaFABRICATA

Heres my Klien that I bought new easily 10 years ago. I can olny guess about 10,000 mile have been logged on it, considering I have not had a drivers lisence in almost 8 years.

I bought a Cannondale "Lefty" last summer. 3 weeks ago today I was hit by some a$$hole that wasn't paying attention and have had to go back to the Klien for the time being....until all the legal crap is handled so I can get my bike fixed. Getting hit has made me reconsider getting my drivers license back....but listening to all my friends complain about gas makes me think twice:shakehead....oh but the freedom:naughty:


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## Patriot

I'm glad you're ok DaFAB. What happened to your bike.....just the front wheel? I can't see any other damage...


That old school Klien brings back some memories. I remember riding one when they were new. The massive frame, single pivot contact point and skinny crank arms are funny to see these days 


Speaking of funny, here is my old school trek rigid....


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## mechBgon

Daily driver, a rebuilt 1982 Trek 311. Currently racking up about 40 miles per day as a commuter.






Old winter bike on the same commuting route in winter:






New winter bike doing its thing:





With narrow road tires, it can go surprisingly fast, especially with a 12% grade and a tailwind...






The shelf queen, a '00 Paramount with Ultegra 10sp:






Not shown: custom StumpJumper hardtail


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## 2000xlt

I finally have pics, thanks again to those who helped in a earlier post, 

the only things i have added are, speedo: L&M arc: superflash: and road tires 85psi, i am occasionally considering a saddle, but thats another day


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## Patriot

*mechBgon
*Nice communters! I like the picture of the snow packed bike but I can't tell what kind it is. I love your Paramont too. I used to race a graphite grey one in 1989. That bike was ahead of it's time.



*2000xlt
*Your seat looks super low..... I was thinking that either you're not that tall or maybe it's just not as high as it should be.


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## cave dave

*Time for some refreshment:*


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## nitesky

That is a nice herd mechBgon!


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## turbodog

This is me on a 7 day trip through the san juan mountain range from colorado to utah.






The bike's a 2003 trek fuel 90. I've swapped to sram shifters since this pic was taken. Naturally, the racks are not everyday equipment.

For more info on the trip (and more pics) see my website  about the trip.


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## Robocop

That snow covered bike photo just amazes me every time I think about it. Just tonight I was thinking of how I could manage to ride in the coming winter months....and it only maybe snows here a few inches during the coldest months. We never have conditions here such as the ones in the photo and no way can I even imagine riding in that....very cool photo indeed.


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## Flashanator

While we don't get snow were I live.

I do prefer colder - very cold conditions to ride in.

I'm very warm blooded & believe Id do just fine in snow. After 5mins My body would adjust to it. But the heat just kills me.


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## matt0

I've got the same bike as 2000xlt.. Trek 4300





Everything's stock. Only additions are: bar ends, speedo, bike pump, TwoFish lockblock (G2 mounted in it for now) and a small bike tool zip-tied to where the rear disc brakes should be.


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## Flashanator

This is one of my older noob bikes. 
(I've keep this baby in as best condition since I got it back in early 2002)
All Original except new bearings in back wheel.


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## tricker

ibex 550, about 3 years old, mostly ridden to class


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## Bradlee

'05 Norco Havoc (single speed) dirt jumper. Purchased as a reliable bike for a short commute to campus. Pretty much stock, but it's fared me well the last few years.


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## 2000xlt

Yeah its low, I'm 5' 3"-4", the seat is adjusted right, it just appears low because of the fram design which as you can tell the top tube is sloped down, insteat of being straight from the head to the seat, i still wish i got the disc brakes though, i see the are mounting points, but from what i understand they wil not work with the hubs


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## guncollector

On a different note, here's my Time Trial (aka Tri Bike), a *2004 Cervelo P2K*. It's got mix of *Dura-Ace* and *Ultegra *components. On the front is an *HED 3* Carbon-fiber trispoke wheel (aero and bombproof) and on the rear is a *Zipp 404 *laced to *PowerTap SL *(powermeter and computer) hub.






Here's me riding to a 6:39 bike split (112 miles) at Ironman Kentucky just last month--not terribly fast I know, but hey you've got to run 26.2 miles after.


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## GhostReaction

A moment, my moment


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## Patriot

*Ghost*, very nice! Is that Fox just the smoothest thing ever or what!! 

How is the riding over there? ...and what kind of riding do you do mostly?





*Guncollector*, Nice Cervello! I always appreciated how stiff their frames have been and they seem to be one of the better values out there at the moment. They're not exclusive like a De Rosa or a Colnago, but they're not as generic as a Trek either. Very cool color too. You really got my attention with the Zipp wheel though. Their products have been my absolute favorites for 10 years. I think they're the finest manufacturer of fast, responsive wheels. You just need one on the front now too...


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## guncollector

Patriot36 said:


> *Guncollector*, Nice Cervello! I always appreciated how stiff their frames have been and they seem to be one of the better values out there at the moment. They're not exclusive like a De Rosa or a Colnago, but they're not as generic as a Trek either. Very cool color too. You really got my attention with the Zipp wheel though. Their products have been my absolute favorites for 10 years. I think they're the finest manufacturer of fast, responsive wheels. You just need one on the front now too...



Funny you should mention that. Originally, I had 2 HED 3's (front & rear) on my P2K. Then, I came across a great deal on the Powertap SL/Zipp 404 combo. If you think custom flashlights are expensive, try cycling powermeters and Zipp wheels on for size. Yikes! Anyway, I sold the rear HED 3 to defray the cost.


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## RA40

We have plenty of MTB's here...

I'd been a roadie since I started around '85. The guys at work back then were all buying MTB's so I picked one up also. This came home with me back in '89 and except for a few jaunts in 19 years, it has sub 150 miles. It spends most the years just hanging and waiting. End of last season, I replaced the canti brakes for V types and dumped the wide spaced cassette for 13-19 (7 spd) 






I was looking at building a MTB but felt a cross would be better suited. I'm kinda attracted to the Fisher Mendota: http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/mendota/bigimage


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## BobAsh

1950's Schwinn Phantom replica with Shimano Nexus 7-speed hub and coaster brake.


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## turbodog

Anyone got one of the new treks with the rear pivot actually ON the rear axle?


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## Patriot

BobAsh said:


> 1950's Schwinn Phantom replica with Shimano Nexus 7-speed hub and coaster brake.




Neat bike...and what a great application for the Nexus 7.


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## Tessaiga

GhostReaction said:


> A moment, my moment


 

I had a chance to touch and feel this over the weekend and I think GR must have had a hard time wiping the drool off his floor after I was done... 

Patriot... the Fox is unbelieveably smooth... :devil: 

Its really a sight to behold in person... :devil:

If I'm not wrong, GR does do some trail riding with this... gotta wait for him to chime n with the details...


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## Patriot

Tessaiga said:


> I had a chance to touch and feel this over the weekend and I think GR must have had a hard time wiping the drool off his floor after I was done...
> 
> Patriot... the Fox is unbelieveably smooth... :devil:
> 
> Its really a sight to behold in person... :devil:
> 
> If I'm not wrong, GR does do some trail riding with this... gotta wait for him to chime n with the details...




That's great that you got the chance to visit and drool on his bike...lol. It would have been great to have a pictorial record of you violating his machine....:nana:


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## Tessaiga

Patriot36 said:


> That's great that you got the chance to visit and drool on his bike...lol. It would have been great to have a pictorial record of you violating his machine....:nana:


 
mmm.... that wouldn't have been a pretty sight... of me getting me paws all over that beauty.....  :shakehead poking into all her nooks and crevices and riding her like a deranged man.... :huh: :huh: :huh: :shakehead :shakehead :shakehead


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## 2000xlt

Patriot36 said:


> Hey, that worked out really well for you then. At least it sounds to me like you made out. What an enormous training tool the powermeter is to!!!
> 
> There is just something about a high quality tensioned racing wheel that the full carbon wheels can't seem to match. Where I really notice the difference is at high speed and under load, like a swoopie mountain desent. The tensioned wheel talks back to you and tells you where the bikes needs to have your weight distributed while the full carbon designs I've ridden felt very dampened and didn't inspire confidence, from my perspective anyhow... Another thing that I like about the zipp is that they're pretty friendly in cross winds (for and aero wheel).
> 
> 
> 
> *RA40
> *I really like the Fisher Mendota that you've got your eye on. I looks like a very versatile bike and I especially like the geometry. I was looking at the angles and top tube length and it's very "road bike" like but with just enough touch of plushness. It has a great color scheme too.
> 
> The geometry of your old Fisher reminds me of my green trek 7000 with the long top tube and stretched out design. I sure don't miss the handling characteristics of that concept.
> 
> 
> 
> *2000xlt
> *Like you stated, I see that you have hubs without rotor mounting flanges, so you're kinda stuck rotorless without getting new wheels or at least hubs. And ya know, for general riding the disc really doesn't provide many noticable advantages. V-brakes are lighter, usually quieter and provide a suprising good feel when tuned properly. We just put a set of Avid Single Digit SL's on my brother's 2004 Fuel 98 and he is very pleased with them. We did a fairly serious ride this morning with a lot of climbing and decending among big grapefruit sized rocks and he was loving his new brakes.
> 
> With regards to your low seat and high bars, often...riders prefer having their seat and bars relatively close to the same height since it improves the weight distribution so much. Although it wouldn't be possible to get them at the same height on your bike, every little bit helps. It's very easy five minute task to lower your stem some if you're willing to try a more natural riding position. Simple take the spacers which are under your stem (between the bottom of the stem and the headset) and place them on top of the stem (between the top of the stem and the stem cap). It appears that you have several spacers there...at least three or four of them and they look like 10mm spacers, which afford you some good adjustment range. You can move as many or as few as you like. The other option is the flip the stem upside down so that it doesn't rise so much. That's usually done if the moving spacers doesn't give the desired effect. If you're interested and if you should need any help, just shoot me a PM and I'll walk you through it either by PM or phone.



patriot36 Thanks for the tips and help offering,I sure will ask if i have any questions.

Thanks Again


----------



## GhostReaction

Its been a while since I hit the trails and damn I m OLD! I even embarrassed myself trying out dirt jumps with younger chaps :nana:


Sadly not much trails in Singapore 

I ve setup the Moment as an All Mountain, pretty much to do everything. 

Nice to see a small group of bikers here.

Oh for night rides I got scolo duo on the cockpit. I ever tried mounting my Helios with a large twofish lock block but too huge and expensive in case I crash.


----------



## Jarl

Patriot36 said:


> *2000xlt
> *Like you stated, I see that you have hubs without rotor mounting flanges, so you're kinda stuck rotorless without getting new wheels or at least hubs. And ya know, for general riding the disc really doesn't provide many noticable advantages. V-brakes are lighter, usually quieter and provide a suprising good feel when tuned properly. We just put a set of Avid Single Digit SL's on my brother's 2004 Fuel 98 and he is very pleased with them. We did a fairly serious ride this morning with a lot of climbing and decending among big grapefruit sized rocks and he was loving his new brakes.



IMO you can't touch a well set-up hydro system, but it's surprising at how nice decent quality V brakes can be.

My bike is here. No small pics, sorry . Since that pic I've got some avid code 5's, 180 front, 160 rear. Suicide in a lever 

Seriously good fun to ride- off stuff, over stuff, through stuff. NEVER around stuff :devil:

Oh, and I've got one of these, too. Great for larking round, but rubbish for riding A to B!


----------



## Patriot

Jarl said:


> IMO you can't touch a well set-up hydro system, but it's surprising at how nice decent quality V brakes can be.
> 
> My bike is here. No small pics, sorry . Since that pic I've got some avid code 5's, 180 front, 160 rear. Suicide in a lever
> 
> Seriously good fun to ride- off stuff, over stuff, through stuff. NEVER around stuff :devil:
> 
> Oh, and I've got one of these, too. Great for larking round, but rubbish for riding A to B!




I saw your red Imbred Jarl....looks good. I'm unfamiliar with the ride above though. So what's the story.....same theory as big wheeled Razor scooter or something?


----------



## Patriot

guncollector said:


> Funny you should mention that. Originally, I had 2 HED 3's (front & rear) on my P2K. Then, I came across a great deal on the Powertap SL/Zipp 404 combo. If you think custom flashlights are expensive, try cycling powermeters and Zipp wheels on for size. Yikes! Anyway, I sold the rear HED 3 to defray the cost.




Hey, that worked out really well for you then. At least it sounds to me like you made out. What an enormous training tool the powermeter is to!!! 

There is just something about a high quality tensioned racing wheel that the full carbon wheels can't seem to match. Where I really notice the difference is at high speed and under load, like a swoopie mountain desent. The tensioned wheel talks back to you and tells you where the bikes needs to have your weight distributed while the full carbon designs I've ridden felt very dampened and didn't inspire confidence, from my perspective anyhow... Another thing that I like about the zipp is that they're pretty friendly in cross winds (for and aero wheel). 



*RA40
*I really like the Fisher Mendota that you've got your eye on. I looks like a very versatile bike and I especially like the geometry. I was looking at the angles and top tube length and it's very "road bike" like but with just enough touch of plushness. It has a great color scheme too. 

The geometry of your old Fisher reminds me of my green trek 7000 with the long top tube and stretched out design. I sure don't miss the handling characteristics of that concept.



*2000xlt
*Like you stated, I see that you have hubs without rotor mounting flanges, so you're kinda stuck rotorless without getting new wheels or at least hubs. And ya know, for general riding the disc really doesn't provide many noticable advantages. V-brakes are lighter, usually quieter and provide a suprising good feel when tuned properly. We just put a set of Avid Single Digit SL's on my brother's 2004 Fuel 98 and he is very pleased with them. We did a fairly serious ride this morning with a lot of climbing and decending among big grapefruit sized rocks and he was loving his new brakes.

With regards to your low seat and high bars, often...riders prefer having their seat and bars relatively close to the same height since it improves the weight distribution so much. Although it wouldn't be possible to get them at the same height on your bike, every little bit helps. It's very easy five minute task to lower your stem some if you're willing to try a more natural riding position. Simple take the spacers which are under your stem (between the bottom of the stem and the headset) and place them on top of the stem (between the top of the stem and the stem cap). It appears that you have several spacers there...at least three or four of them and they look like 10mm spacers, which afford you some good adjustment range. You can move as many or as few as you like. The other option is the flip the stem upside down so that it doesn't rise so much. That's usually done if the moving spacers doesn't give the desired effect. If you're interested and if you should need any help, just shoot me a PM and I'll walk you through it either by PM or phone.


----------



## SnWnMe

GhostReaction said:


> A moment, my moment


 
Oh Yes!


----------



## TONY M

mechBgon said:


> With narrow road tires, it can go surprisingly fast, especially with a 12% grade and a tailwind...


57.3mph . That must have been fun... And get rid of that da+n HRM!


----------



## HEY HEY ITS HENDO

.......... mmmmm Rocky Mountain RMX 






.... Me havin some fun in Castleton, Derbyshire


----------



## Jarl

Patriot36 said:


> I saw your red Imbred Jarl....looks good. I'm unfamiliar with the ride above though. So what's the story.....same theory as big wheeled Razor scooter or something?



Never heard of a razor scooter, but this is the video I use to show people who've never seen anything like it before!


----------



## Patriot

Looks like we've got a few real down hiller's hanging around CPF. 


*EDIT:*
Hendo, I was thinking about all the wet weather that you have over there and was looking at that slippery, snotty, rock strewn trail leading out from that gate. I was wondering what kind of tires you use to deal with those extremes.

Thanks.


----------



## Flashanator

Dam Hendo...

Great Bike, looks awesome.


----------



## offroadcmpr

I just got back from Moab for the 24 hours of moab bike race. It was pretty fun, I didn't race but my brother did as part of a 5 man team. I did do on lap around the course the day before on my dad's bike, a specialized stuntjumper expert. My other bike is too small, it was a 99 specialized S-Works stuntjumper hardtail. My brother used his gary fisher 29er hardtail.
There were a lot of really nice bikes there, it was very hard to not stare at every bike that came by us.

For those of you that like Gary Fisher bikes, have you ever cracked the frame? My brother did it to his after 6 months of using it. My dad's friend has gone through 3 or 4 of them by now. Luckly the warranty is great, they just send you a new one, but it seem to be a common trend.


----------



## GhostReaction

*Jarl*That is a very nice trial bike you got there. Ride safe my friend

*Hendo* I envy those great looking trails! I could smell the mud already  :thumbsup: oh nice bike too!


----------



## Patriot

offroadcmpr said:


> I just got back from Moab for the 24 hours of moab bike race. It was pretty fun, I didn't race but my brother did as part of a 5 man team. I did do on lap around the course the day before on my dad's bike, a specialized stuntjumper expert. My other bike is too small, it was a 99 specialized S-Works stuntjumper hardtail. My brother used his gary fisher 29er hardtail.
> There were a lot of really nice bikes there, it was very hard to not stare at every bike that came by us.
> 
> For those of you that like Gary Fisher bikes, have you ever cracked the frame? My brother did it to his after 6 months of using it. My dad's friend has gone through 3 or 4 of them by now. Luckly the warranty is great, they just send you a new one, but it seem to be a common trend.





Sounds like you had a wonderful time. It was probably a nice treat to ride the course on the S-works. Those are well engineered bikes. Cracked GF frames seem to be more and more common these days. I've wondered what's been going on and frankly I think they're just making them too thin. It seems that they really maxed out 7000 series aluminum years ago so they won't be getting any lighter. The Superfly was GF's first venture into Carbon which appears to be the only way they'll be able to shed any further weight in their frames. Some manufacturers like Salsa and Voodoo are using Scandium but I'm not sure we'll see GF go that way due to the cost. The weight seems to be about the same anyhow, it's just that the Scandium seems to be more resistant to cracking. No problems with the Superfly so far though. It's been great.


----------



## turbodog

offroadcmpr said:


> ...
> For those of you that like Gary Fisher bikes, have you ever cracked the frame? ...QUOTE]
> 
> Yup. Riding buddy has cracked 2 of them. Seat tune cracks where the rear pivot is welded in.
> 
> Makes me wonder about my fuel 90...... trek owns fisher you know.


----------



## kramer5150

offroadcmpr said:


> For those of you that like Gary Fisher bikes, have you ever cracked the frame? My brother did it to his after 6 months of using it. My dad's friend has gone through 3 or 4 of them by now. Luckly the warranty is great, they just send you a new one, but it seem to be a common trend.



I haven't cracked mine, But I've only had a hand full of serious crashes. Bike went flying/tumbling ~5-6 yards down the path. If it matters its chromoly and not Aluminum. My understanding is that steel is more ductile than aluminum, so it will bend but not crack (assuming the welds are all done right). In addition to a softer trail ride, the bend but don't break material properties were the main reason for my choice. When I was test riding, I immediately felt more comfortable on steel frames. I knew as a newer rider I'd be crashing a lot, and I have:thumbsup:. I was also looking at a couple Bontrager Chromoloy frames, but the fisher was a little cheaper and with long arms I like how the Fisher stretches me out so I am not so cramped in feeling. Its not the lightest frame, but I for one would take durability any day over weight reduction.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I took a Marin hard tail out for an afternoon test ride and it was a _really _ rigid frame. Hill climbs were a blast though... total piece of cake IIRC. Compared to my Fisher, which feels like a huffy & puffy by comparison. But it was a pretty rough ride on the downhills.

My fave bike shop...
http://www.chainreaction.com/


----------



## mechBgon

TONY M said:


> 57.3mph . That must have been fun... *And get rid of that da+n HRM!*


 
Hey, I had to go up that hill before I came down it  IIRC, I was hitting nearly 190bpm in an effort to make the climb in under 10:00 minutes. I ended up about 15-20 seconds off-target... but alive 

(yeah, it was a fun descent, ... if you're ever in Spokane, that's the Charles Road hill, about 18 miles south of Spokane itself)


----------



## orbital

mechBgon said:


> Daily driver, a rebuilt 1982 Trek 311. Currently racking up about 40 miles per day as a commuter.



+ 

That's a great bike pic.

mech... where the heck do you live as doing 12% climbs....:devil: & are you doing those in winter??


----------



## mechBgon

orbital said:


> +
> 
> That's a great bike pic.
> 
> mech... where the heck do you live as doing 12% climbs....:devil: & are you doing those in winter??


 
Spokane, Washington. That was Charles Road, which is southwest of the city quite a ways, and I haven't done it in the winter. But it sounds like a good challenge! 

I _have_ done our local White Road climb in the winter, and it's quite a "wall," with two sections that read *17%* on my inclinometer (the rest is about 12%-14%). It's also twisty with no shoulder, so even on dry pavement, you don't want to get much over 40mph due to the possibility of oncoming traffic, plus the need to stop at the bottom (which is one of the 17% sections).

Our best climb/descent is Mount Spokane. Some _bona fide_ professional road racers placed it between Cat 1 and HC for difficulty. If you're ever here in the summertime, park at the Mt. Spokane High School parking lot and head east to Mt. Spokane for an awesome climb to ~5900 feet. Be careful on the way down, especially when you hit the long straight stretch halfway down... it's got one nasty dip in it that can knock your hands right off your bars if you're not holding on tight. It's difficult to see, especially at warp speed.


----------



## HEY HEY ITS HENDO

Patriot36 said:


> Hendo, I was thinking about all the wet weather that you have over there and was looking at that slippery, snotty, rock strewn trail leading out from that gate. I was wondering what kind of tires you use to deal with those extremes.
> Thanks.



.... yes it had rained all that day and i was soaked and pi$$ed off, hence the glum face,
the rocky downhill section has running water fed by springs and is suprisingly grippy......
those tyres are IRC Missile, Downhill spec., kevlar reinforced and a chunky block tread, really great tyres, i love em, sadly they are no longer made since 2004 :sigh: http://www.irctire.com/index.html
Maxxis brand are very popular here in the uk
http://www.maxxis.com/Bicycle/Mountain.aspx


----------



## turbodog

If the missile's aren't available the maxxis wet scream is good, along with the medusa also.


----------



## Patriot

Intersting about the wet weather tires guys. Since we don't have much of that stuff out my way I was just curious how you water dogs dealt with it. Maybe Hendo can try out the Maxxis when his IRC tires wear out.


----------



## Jarl

A wet weather tyre a few guys I know use+gets good reports is the panaracer trailraker. Also good is the bontrager mud-X (nearly went for one on the back, but needed more width)


----------



## jessos1

*downhill bike pics*

Hi, 

I am buying a 2009 Norco Havoc for $1320 AU and I was just wondering if i could see what bike you have

Thanks :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Lite_me

*Re: downhill bike pics*

Have you see this bike thread? 
Edit: Link removed... no longer necessary.


----------



## PCC

I discovered these forums because of my need to mount lights on to my commuter bikes when I was working in San Francisco and the days kept getting shorter and shorter. Seems that I've been a closet flashaholic all these years and didn't realise it until I found this place.

Here are a few of my bikes:
My Cannondal Prophet 600. The only stock parts on it are the frame, Lefty, stem, and front hub. I've replaced/rebuilt the rest of the bike. Since this picture I have changed the pedals.






My Colnago International. It was purchased as a frame and fork and I built it up with almost period correct components. The wheels are modern, though. The brakes are terrible despite having Kool Stop salmon pads on it so it only comes out on nice days for easy rides. Since this picture I have replaced the buffalo leather one-piece handlebar wrap with Fizik synthetic tape. Much easier to keep clean and doesn't rip/scuff easily like the leather.





My Pedal Force RS. It was purchased through a group-buy as a frame and fork and I've built it up with '06 Campy Chorus components. The levers in the picture don't exactly look like typical Campy levers. This is because my buddy's bike fell off the rack after a long ride and, knowing him, the replacement levers that I directed him to buy were not perfect so I traded my 98% condition ones for the replacements. I decided that I could not do any more harm to these older, beat up levers so I stripped them down to bare carbon and refinished them.





I have two more bikes, both considered commuters. One is an old Guerciotti steel frame bike that has a mix of Campy Chorus and Centaur components that I ride all the way to the office and the other is a no-name eBay hard-tail frame I bought and cobbled together with parts I had laying around in the garage. It looks like crap, rides poorly, has cheap components on it, and doesn't rate a second look by would-be thieves when I lock it up at the subway or the local market.


----------



## kuksul08

Dang, some nice pics. It's awesome there are some bikers here who are also obsessed with lights 

Here's my fun bike















and riding it














and my commuter







Some videos I made too:

http://www.vimeo.com/1935275

http://www.vimeo.com/1029191


----------



## SureAddicted

For when I need to burn some calories.......


----------



## Patriot

PCC, nice Colnago man! That reminds me of my racing days. 



kuksu, nice pics! I really like the over the shoulder shot.


----------



## Norm

Now for something entirely different.
I'm past the stage of peddling to get places, but wanted to get around our small country town without using the car.






Runs on 4 X 12Volt 7Ah batteries and draws a maximum of 17Amps, top speed on the flat no peddling is 35KPH. From brushless hub motor.


----------



## Trashman

Robocop said:


> Thanks to the help of many friends here I am the owner of a new LeMond Tourmalet 53cm double. I really have taken to the sport and thanks to all who helped me out. Photos are not the best quality and my picture program would only let me clear them up a small amount....love the black and white color scheme of this bike.




Robo, I can see you've been doing A LOT of riding, but it appears you're a bit confused about just HOW a bicycle is ridden. Let me help point you in the right direction. Here it goes: Robo, you're supposed to pedal with your LEGS, not your arms!


----------



## Stromberg

Trek 6000 with studded snow tires and other necessary accessories for driving in city:


----------



## 65535

Kuk that looks a lot like the santiago hills area in socal.


----------



## Patriot

Cool electric Norm. Is that a custom battery box too?


Nice snow shot Stromberg. Ya have to lose the kickstand though...


----------



## benchmade_boy

Sorry to get off topic But can you guys recomend me a good bikke? I am looking for a mountain/trial bike. I was wondering a what a decent one would be.

Thanks:candle:


----------



## PCC

Patriot36 said:


> PCC, nice Colnago man! That reminds me of my racing days.


Thanks!



Norm said:


> Now for something entirely different.
> I'm past the stage of peddling to get places, but wanted to get around our small country town without using the car.
> 
> <took out picture>
> 
> Runs on 4 X 12Volt 7Ah batteries and draws a maximum of 17Amps, top speed on the flat no peddling is 35KPH. From brushless hub motor.


Cheater!

Man, the first time someone blew past me on one of those I was getting a little bit pissed until I realized that his bike was electric powered. I'm glad I still have the legs to be able to put in some decent miles on a bike!


----------



## Norm

Patriot36 said:


> Cool electric Norm. Is that a custom battery box too?
> 
> 
> Nice snow shot Stromberg. Ya have to lose the kickstand though...


I was very fortunate that a friend has a friend who owns the local sheet metal works, cost be a slab (box) of beer :drunk: a very common form of currency around here  .
Makes the bike much more stable the batteries were originaly mounted on the rack on the back making the centre of gravity very high and the weight was unbalanced (all at the back).
The box is nice and central and the weight is now very even between the wheels, I'm very happy with it.


PCC said:


> Thanks!
> 
> 
> Cheater!
> 
> Man, the first time someone blew past me on one of those I was getting a little bit pissed until I realized that his bike was electric powered. I'm glad I still have the legs to be able to put in some decent miles on a bike!



I'd love to be fit enough not to need the cheat but I'm 56 and not extremely well, at least this way I can get out in the fresh air without the car and I still peddle to drop the current draw up hills, so I'm getting exercise I wouldn't get otherwise. From home into our small town is only 4K so I have plenty of range to go there and back a couple of times without a charge, although I charge every time I get home.
Norm


----------



## PCC

Sorry about that, I forgot the smiley after the "Cheater!".


----------



## Norm

PCC said:


> Sorry about that, I forgot the smiley after the "Cheater!".


Don't worry I didn't take offence I understood were you were coming from. :nana:
Norm


----------



## Robocop

Hey Trashman good to hear from you again.....Believe it or not while I am not built like a rider at all I have learned to do pretty good. All of the shop guys told me it would be hard for me to keep up and it is however on a dead straight sprint or especially downhill I can beat most of the riders around here.

Now those 50 mile rides and long uphill rides the lighter riders kill me but I do finish. Having a good bike that does most of the work helps me very much.


----------



## TJx

Zoom, Zoom!


----------



## mechBgon

The Paramount got a new fork and stem. It's still relatively heavy at about 19.1 pounds (without accessories). I plan to knock another 1-1.5 pounds off it over the course of the summer with some Speedplay Zero Ti pedals, an extra-light wheelset, a Thomson Masterpiece seatpost and some KCNC skewers.


----------



## Steve K

what seatpost is on there now? kinda resembles an American Classic (a fav of mine.. affordable low weight).

I'm definitely a low tech retro guy, since 19 pounds sounds very light to me! My nice bike is an early 80's Raleigh Team with 753 tubing and a few titanium bits. Definitely no carbon.

Steve K.


----------



## mechBgon

Steve K said:


> what seatpost is on there now? kinda resembles an American Classic (a fav of mine.. affordable low weight).


 
That's right, it's a "real" American Classic (one-piece forged head & post, made in US, not the 2-piece bonded "Taiwanese Classic" they offered later. No offense meant to the Taiwanese, of course).



> I'm definitely a low tech retro guy, since 19 pounds sounds very light to me! My nice bike is an early 80's Raleigh Team with 753 tubing and a few titanium bits. Definitely no carbon.
> 
> Steve K.


 
I remember drooling at those 753 Raleighs back in the day :thumbsup: These days, there's sub-18-pound carbon bikes all over the place, so you and I will always have a 2-3 pound weight disadvantage, but our bikes have some unique character to make up for that.


----------



## Steve K

mechBgon said:


> That's right, it's a "real" American Classic (one-piece forged head & post, made in US, not the 2-piece bonded "Taiwanese Classic" they offered later. No offense meant to the Taiwanese, of course).
> 
> I remember drooling at those 753 Raleighs back in the day :thumbsup: These days, there's sub-18-pound carbon bikes all over the place, so you and I will always have a 2-3 pound weight disadvantage, but our bikes have some unique character to make up for that.



I've got one of the "real" American Classic posts, and a few of the later two-piece models. Both work fine, but the early one still seems nicer. The very latest Am. Classic posts look more like candy canes than seat posts. Haven't tried one myself.

re: Raleigh Team bikes.. I drooled over my Raleigh catalogs back in the 70's, so that's why I had to buy the Team frame when it became available about 5 years ago. The workmanship is quite remarkable for a semi-production frame. It's really very close to a custom frame, and has some unique features, like drilled out dropouts. 

what's your Schwinn made from? 853, I assume? 

Steve K.
(due to neck issues, I recently bought a steel recumbent. It weighs over 30 pounds, so I'll be buying a carbon fiber 'bent this summer. It's still going to be a tad over 20 pounds)


----------



## PCC

On my carbon fiber bike I "upgraded" from an American Classic seatpost to a Campy Chorus carbon fiber one and I added weight. The thing was that the Chorus post was lightly used and the condition for getting it free was that it was going onto that particular bike because the shiny silver just didn't look right on it.


----------



## mechBgon

Steve K said:


> what's your Schwinn made from? 853, I assume?


 
Yeah, but the weird thing is, it's _lugged_ 853 :shrug: Since 853 is air-hardening steel, they could've just welded it, but whatever. The downtube and seat tube are also swagged down most of their length, so they're quite large at the BB shell. I'm only 152 pounds, so I don't _need_ massive BB rigidity, but it's definitely got it!


----------



## Steve K

mechBgon said:


> Yeah, but the weird thing is, it's _lugged_ 853 :shrug: Since 853 is air-hardening steel, they could've just welded it, but whatever. The downtube and seat tube are also swagged down most of their length, so they're quite large at the BB shell. I'm only 152 pounds, so I don't _need_ massive BB rigidity, but it's definitely got it!



Lugged is nice and doesn't have to add much weight. Depends on if the builder picks tubing that isn't as heavily butted as you would need for tig'ing. In any case, lugs are cool! Of course, as someone who owns a Hetchins Magnum Opus with curly stays, I'm not an average person.

I'm about 155 pounds, so I'm in the same boat. My Raleigh Team has standard diameter tubes, and it rides pretty nice. However, if I'm making a serious attempt at sprinting, then it's really not stiff enough. For non-racing, I think that standard diameter tubes might be better for guys like us. Gotta pay attention to tube wall thicknesses too, so that makes it harder to make a proper comparison between frames.

Steve K.


----------



## kuksul08

65535 said:


> Kuk that looks a lot like the santiago hills area in socal.



San luis obispo


----------



## mosport

Speaking of Reynolds... 

Here's my old 853 Thin Blue Line hardtail, handbuilt locally and sold out of a shop that had the Toronto Police Services contract during the 1990's. Rear Mavic CrossLink had a defective hub and was replaced with the XC-717 in the picture, components are XT (XTR rear) and Avid V brakes with Arch Rivals - old stuff but still lots of fun to ride. Usually rolls on Maxxis MaxxLite 310's but those were swapped out for some late night laps on outdoor hockey rinks :devil:


----------



## parnass

My RANS Stratus LE.


----------



## BVH

Here's my occasional ride:


----------



## PCC

That is one tall bike. Let me guess, 6' 7"?


----------



## BVH

No, only 6'2" but my legs are proportionately longer than my torso. IIRC, it's a 63.5 CM


----------



## Flying Turtle

Got a couple oldies around here. The first is one I bought from a friend in about 1972. It's a mid '60's vintage 10-speed Raleigh Touring, complete with a Dyno Hub connected to a small light under the seat. It originally was hooked up to front and rear lights, but lost the ability to power them, so I added a cheap wheel generator. It's a tough bike, but really heavy. Haven't ridden it in almost twenty years.






My "new" bike is a '91 Trek 830, suitably pimped with bags and a rack. Got a couple old Cateye and Specialized lights from my pre-CPF days ready to mount when needed. Haven't done much riding in recent years, but I guess I've put around 5,000 miles on this one. It still rides like new, but I've always taken it pretty easy.






Geoff


----------



## PCC

BVH said:


> No, only 6'2" but my legs are proportionately longer than my torso. IIRC, it's a 63.5 CM


Considering that I ride 52.5cm bikes, that is one tall bike! Back when I was in junior high school a friend borrowed a bike from one of my teachers, who was 6' 7" and he was around 5' at the time. He sat on the top tube and was barely able to control it every time he rode it. He put a few hundred miles on that bike before he returned it.

Here's a picture I just took of my mountain bike. I finally put fenders on it so I took this picture. The fender had to be modified because of the fork design but I got it to work and it is pretty much rock solid. No more mud baths when riding in the mud! I still want to throw a small fender on the down tube above the bottom bracket but I'm happy with it the way it is now.


----------



## Patriot

BVH said:


> Here's my occasional ride:




Holy cow Bob!!! That steer tube looks like it's about a foot tall!! :laughing:

I would have guessed you to be 6'7" too, but I read that you've just got long legs.

Nice ride!


----------



## Patriot

mosport said:


> Usually rolls on Maxxis MaxxLite 310's but those were swapped out for some late night laps on outdoor hockey rinks :devil:




I would never ride in front of you for fear I'd crash and you steamroll me with those tires....


----------



## mechBgon

Here's my revised 3-season commuter and training bike. It's a Soma Smoothie ES with the IRD Mosaic 57 carbon/aluminum fork. The frame and fork are built for longer-reach brake calipers, leaving room for fenders and 700 x 28 tires. The frame also features rack eyelets.

Core bike weight is about 20.6 pounds, and it generally goes out the door at 26-30 pounds fully equipped (including LIGHTS :huh.


----------



## Patriot

Nice rice mechBgon. Soma have a very faithful following and I almost always only here good things about them. I considered one recently but things didn't work out. Nice niche bike though.


----------



## Steve K

mechBgon said:


> Here's my revised 3-season commuter and training bike. <....snip....>
> 
> Core bike weight is about 20.6 pounds, and it generally goes out the door at 26-30 pounds fully equipped (including LIGHTS :huh.



hey! hey! I'm pretty sure that there's a rule that says you can't show a bike light without describing it. So what's the story with the headlight? Homemade? or am I just painfully unaware of what's on the market nowadays? (or both??)

and am I the only person riding a heavy bike and packing a ton of stuff for my commute? My 'bent starts out at over 30 pounds (not unusual for a steel 'bent), and adding fenders, rack, saddlebag, hub dynamo, & lights bring it up to 45 pounkds.... lordy!

thanks for sharing, Mech!

Steve K.


----------



## Richie086

Hi folks,

I just came across this thread tonight and skimmed through it to see all the fantastic photos of some excellent looking bikes. I didn't notice any electric bikes, although it appeared Norm may have one, but I couldn't tell with his photo missing.

I purchased an Ezip Mountain Trailz electric bike in 2008 and added over 20 upgrades making it the most heavily modified, and original Ezip of it's kind in the USA. Here's a video on YouTube my wife shot for me. It can be viewed in HQ or standard. 

Sorry for the choppy narration, but it was difficult trying to remember all the mod's done to it. Since the time this was shot, numerous additional modifications have been made. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UB1x6qbIXE


_BTW...today my wife and I witnessed an 18 year old female hit by a car as she pedaled across the intersection. We called the police and waited with her until they arrived with the driver of the car. Fortunately she was in good shape and missed being run over by the left front tire, but the bike didn't fair nearly as well. With the warm weather just around the corner, let's all be careful out there and wear those helmets._


----------



## mechBgon

Steve K said:


> hey! hey! I'm pretty sure that there's a rule that says you can't show a bike light without describing it. So what's the story with the headlight? Homemade? or am I just painfully unaware of what's on the market nowadays? (or both??)
> 
> and am I the only person riding a heavy bike and packing a ton of stuff for my commute? My 'bent starts out at over 30 pounds (not unusual for a steel 'bent), and adding fenders, rack, saddlebag, hub dynamo, & lights bring it up to 45 pounkds.... lordy!
> 
> thanks for sharing, Mech!
> 
> Steve K.


 
The front light is a Light & Motion Seca 700, which uses six Rebel emitters with a custom reflector (upper row for throw, lower row for close-in flood). In the rear, it uses the DiNotte 140 as the primary taillight, with a Planet Bike SuperFlash on the rear rack as backup, and two Trek bar-plug taillights to give me visible width. I often use helmet lights too (SuperFlash rear, and one of my flashlights in the front).

My winter commuter would give your 'bent a run for its money in the weight department


----------



## Patriot

Richie, I watched your youtube vid...very cool rig! That thing has got everything on it. Now all you need is a mount for some of your HIDs. :twothumbs 

I'm afraid that if I had owned one I'd be doing super slaloms in vacant parking lots, handlebars crossed up and lifting the front wheel out of the corners. I have a bit of a speed addition on anything that moves.


----------



## Steve K

mechBgon said:


> The front light is a Light & Motion Seca 700, which uses six Rebel emitters with a custom reflector (upper row for throw, lower row for close-in flood). In the rear, it uses the DiNotte 140 as the primary taillight, with a Planet Bike SuperFlash on the rear rack as backup, and two Trek bar-plug taillights to give me visible width. I often use helmet lights too (SuperFlash rear, and one of my flashlights in the front).
> 
> My winter commuter would give your 'bent a run for its money in the weight department



The L&M Seca 700 is pretty impressive, and pretty pricey! It's probably overkill for a on-the-road commute like mine. A hub dynamo driving two XR-E's works surprisingly well for my commute. Of course, it won't melt the snow on the road in front of me like the L&M Seca appears to do. ;-)

I've drug my road bike/commuter thru the snow using Avocet Cross tires, but not through that much snow! Yikes! Are those studded Nokians on the bike? Ought to do pretty well, but it's just never easy getting a bike to move through a few inches of heavy snow. Or would a Surly Pugsley do the job?

Anyway, thanks for the picture and the description.

Steve K in Illinois, 
where heavy rains and flooding canceled the bike commute today.


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## greenlight

Steve K said:


> I've drug my road bike/commuter thru the snow.


I would *have to be* on drugs to bike in snow like that.


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## Patriot

mechBgon said:


> My winter commuter would give your 'bent a run for its money in the weight department




This is my favorite picture in the whole thread. This is a manly picture dude! Being from AZ, I can't imagine riding in that so you get a "warrior" badge from me....lol. :thumbsup:


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## Steve K

Patriot36 said:


> This is my favorite picture in the whole thread. This is a manly picture dude! Being from AZ, I can't imagine riding in that so you get a "warrior" badge from me....lol. :thumbsup:




My suspicion is that this is the spot where Mech got tired of pushing the bike through the snow, and got a ride from the next snowplow that came along. The photo was just so he could remember where he left the bike. 

My experience is that it's tough riding through this sort of stuff. If the snow isn't too thick to ride through, then the ice ruts caused by the cars keep shoving your wheels left and right trying to knock you over. A big PITA, for the most part.

I do love, however, riding in fresh snow of an inch or so, where cars haven't been yet. Our here in the Illinois hinterlands, I can ride the back roads where it is silent and the moon lights up the countryside. Very cool! 

in any case, congrats to Mech for being to tough (or dumb) to quit!

regards,
Steve K.


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## mechBgon

Steve K said:


> in any case, congrats to Mech for being to tough (or dumb) to quit!


 
I resemble that remark! :thumbsup: YouTube video of a similar commute. Obviously I have no dependents. This is not the sort of riding I recommend to people who are needed alive. The riding does get quite tricky due to the rutted snow and other unpredictable aspects. Oh, and yes they're Nokian studded tires, great on ice, and average in snow compared to other heavily-treaded tires.


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## ifor powell

Nice video, Nice light setup, but considering the trafic and conditions they are needed. Too bad we don't get snow like that in the UK I would get more use out of my Nikias...

Ifor


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## Patriot

MechBgon, great video work considering there's a lot to think about between the conditions and traffic. I smiled through the whole thing. I've only ridden on snow (far less that what you were in) one time while on a bicycle and it was hairy without tire studs. 

I noticed some clear plastic or something down around your bars toward the end of the video. I figured that it was either some make shift water proofing for your lights or equipment or perhaps just something around your hands to keep them dry...?

Thanks for posting that for us.


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## mechBgon

Patriot36 said:


> I noticed some clear plastic or something down around your bars toward the end of the video. I figured that it was either some make shift water proofing for your lights or equipment or perhaps just something around your hands to keep them dry...?


 
That's correct, they were some makeshift "pogies" (hand covers) I was trying out. They were a bit clumsy, but it was bitter cold at the time, and they were worth some hassle.


----------



## RA40

Snow...brrr.  You are one heck of a biker. :twothumbs

I did my loop to the beach and even though it was cloudy, there were a couple gals in bikini's.


----------



## ernsanada

I went Mountain Biking at the Santa Monica Mountains, Westridge Trail in California today. It was around 59 degrees F.


----------



## Patriot

ernsanada said:


> I went Mountain Biking at the Santa Monica Mountains, Westridge Trail in California today. It was around 59 degrees F.





I'll bet that kind of weather was hard to deal with huh? It probably wasn't very scenic either... Seriously, it looks like fun. Nice ride too. I've always liked Specialized


----------



## ernsanada

Patriot36 said:


> I'll bet that kind of weather was hard to deal with huh? It probably wasn't very scenic either... Seriously, it looks like fun. Nice ride too. I've always liked Specialized



Here's some of the "scenic views".

Looking towards San Fernando Valley, CA. Taken from Mulholland Drive.











Looking towards San Fernando Valley, CA.






I rode up to the Old Missle Tower.


----------



## Coop

Had some shoulderpains lately when riding, so I turned my roadbike into a fast tourer... 






As I also use it for my daily commute, so to improve reliability I got rid of the front derailleur setup and swapped the triple crank for a single. I don't need 27 speed anyway, as this country is flatter than a pancake and less parts on the bike = less parts to break...


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## Patriot

Very cool! The high stem and mary bars should give your shoulder some recovery time.


----------



## greenlight

*I've had this bike since 1992. It's a Specialized Stumpjumper M2. It has some flaws, and has been abused, but still serves me fine:

Obsolete components:





Bell doesn't work:





Elastomer shocks fully compressed. No travel. 





Component label covered to prevent coveting:








Bike light mount is missing a screw:





An alien protects the front wheel:





Another guards the rear:





She's a good ride:



*


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## Patriot

Ol'e reliable right Greenlight!


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## Coop

Patriot36 said:


> Very cool! The high stem and mary bars should give your shoulder some recovery time.



I rode it to work this morning, It's fast, it's smooth, yes aerodynamics are a bit different, but the more upright position does make breathing a little easier and at my regular cruising speed that more than compensates for the loss of aerodynamics. 
I still need to fiddle with the handlebar vs saddle position, because the current position kinda limits blood flow to certain parts of the male anatomy. Not much more than a slight discomfort while riding, but once I get off my bike the blood rushes to those parts and you get a massive hard... well, you get the picture... :laughing:


----------



## mosport

Springtime bump =)

Picked up this 20 year old bike last week, original owner was moving and had it sitting outside in a backyard snowbank all winter. Basically it was your average old bike: Paint was faded and covered in dirty grime, wheels were stained with rust from the forks and steel handlebars but hiding underneath it all was a solid ride!

Miele was a Toronto brand from the 80's that were brazed locally, from the tubing sticker and components it seems like a mid-level 'sporty' model (vs Columbus SL on the high end Miele racers from that era). Cleaned everything up myself, including polishing up all the rusty chrome bolts, new tubes, tires, pads, cables, and tape. Ditched the BioPace for some spare aluminum ones and slapped on new pedals with an old MTB saddle. 

Rides and looks like new again, it's going to be a present for a close friend


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## RA40

Nice work. Lots of nice vintage bikes to be found...you got one.


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## gsxrac

Robocop said:


> I really must look funny in my spandex riding gear however I am actually getting much more comfortable with each ride. This sport really humbled me as I am easily bested by much smaller riders.
> 
> I was an athlete in school (1987) and always seemed to dominate in any sport I tried. State champion for 2 years (wrestling) made me feel like superman....Always very strong in the gym lifting weights....well then I discovered road bike riding. I really thought I would hit the road and quickly be able to keep up with any rider around. Holy smoke was I wrong about that one.
> 
> I have recently done 70 miles with maybe an 18 mph average and this was my best ride thus far. The going up hills kill me due to the added bulk but I can fly downhill...
> 
> I quickly learned I am indeed an amateur and man was I shocked when the 125 lb guys beat me by at least 7 miles in maybe a 20 mile ride. I still very much enjoy the sport however will never be "competitive" in this sport even if I really tried. I like it best as it keeps me in shape without killing my knees from running.



Robocop ive just recently gotten into mountain biking and im no slouch in the muscle or size department (also nowhere near as built as you lol) but me and another buddy met a couple (young lady and her completly built SO) and they hit a 6 mile black diamond trail about 15 min before we started down it and funny thing was we all got to the end at about the same time and the guy looked like he was about to faint. My friend (a very knowledgeable guy and all of 140 pounds) informed me that the more muscle you have the harder your heart has to work to feed it all with blood to the constricted vessels (I think thats what he said, I may be wrong) therefore an awesome cardio workout such as biking may not allways mean the strongest guys has the advantage.


Well my first bike was at the age of 2 and before I hit 3 I had bent my training wheels all the way up but since I dont have any pic's of my old huffy's and such we will start with my first love, ahem, I mean my first real bike, A 1998 GT performer (SUN BFR's and a little brake work but thats about it, the Kenda Kutlas's were a very late addition after my stunting days were over)






Now my next bike which ive had for a little over a year is geared towards a different type of racing and tricks...




Lol and here is my newest addition and my bike that brought me back to the world of vehicles and sports that dont consume gas. Its a 07 Diamondback Response Comp, Avid brakes and levers, Marazoochi III front end, got a good deal on it from a friend.


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## AMD64Blondie

I'm having trouble finding any pictures.. but the bike I used to ride (I outgrew it about 10 or 12 years ago..) was a GT Little Timber with training wheels.(I have a problem with my balance,which is why I had training wheels at age 15.) Here's the most embarrassing part: it was pink.Yes,bright Barbie-doll pink. It was a 6-speed bike.(Even though I'm a guy,I got teased mercilessly about having a "girls' bike"-simply because my bike was pink.)


----------



## chmsam

I don't have any pictures of it but does it show my age if I say that I got my first ten speed in '64? (Holy Crap! That was 45 years ago!) oo:


----------



## Robocop

gsxrac believe me when I say I have learned the hard way that my frame is not the best for this sport....the thinner riders beat me by miles however I still enjoy the ride none the less.

I am not sure if it is the fact that my body requires more oxygen or just simple gravity however those hills still kill me. What goes up must come down and while my added muscle weight slows me going up I fly like a cruise missile going down....(49mph is my best so far)

The best part thus far for me is that this month I have actually paid off the bike which set me back about $1100.00 for the bike and $300 on accessories. With it paid for now it seems as if I can enjoy riding a little more however I am already wanting to upgrade....maybe next year.


----------



## mosport

Thanks RA40!

Bikes are way overpriced here in Toronto, last summer's oil prices caused an explosion of urban riders and the 2 summers before that it was the hipster fixed gear boom making road bikes scarce. Amazing how old steel keeps appearing from people's basements and it's always great to see bikes return to the streets 

Derek


----------



## Patriot

Anyone hitting the streets now that the weather is warming up? Here in AZ, this it typically the time when a lot of people stop riding. I rode Saturday with a small group and it was pushing 100 degrees pretty early in the day. On the slow, long, single track climbs it seemed that I had sweat running into my eye constantly. I should have taken some pics of the trail but somehow forgot I had a small camera stuffed in my pack. We did about 16 miles and I emptied my 100oz hydration pack and almost finished sucking down my water bottle. I can't imagine what it's going to be like in another two months.....:sweat:


----------



## DaFABRICATA

Patriot said:


> Anyone hitting the streets now that the weather is warming up?


 


I've been riding everyday (except for maybe 1 or 2 rainy days) since may 1st. 
Over the last week and a half I've been pushing myself hard. 
Done about 130 miles since last wednesday.:devil:

Got hit on my Cannondale last summer and just bought a new rim and have been back at it.
I had been riding my old Klein Mantra for a while until my new rim came in.
While it is lighter than my Cannondale, the Lefty is so much easier and MUCH more pleasant to ride.

I really need to find some new places to ride, I've been doing a lot of the same for too long and need new scenery and challenges.
I also need new shoes. I absolutely love clip-ins. I can't imagine riding without them.

I also mounted my P7 modded KT1 on my bars along with a modified X200 that accepts different E-series heads.
A "Fatty" SW01 with a McC2S switch is used so I can run the P7-KT1 on low so I'll be seen and use high for when I'm on a dark stretch.
The plug-in XT tailcap on the X200 is used with an SR07 preassure/constant-On switch mounted to the bars.
The X200 sports a KL4 with a P7 for when I need some flood.
My taillight was made using a DD L2 head with red filter on a single cell body with a tailcap that I modified with a cable and preasure switch as a brake light.
A rod welded to a washer was installed on the rear caliper. That presses on the pressure switch when the brake lever is pulled to activate the brake light.

Well off to sleep for a few hours so I can get out there and ride as much as possible during the nice weather this week.

Been craving a streetbike, but am holding off till later this summer.


----------



## ElectronGuru

Cannondale Bad Boy 8, with a few visibility upgrades. Alfine 8 speed internal + hydraulic discs:


Reflective (normal lighting)






Reflective (light hitting it)


----------



## BVH

I'm getting a little lazy in my old age. My knees don't like too much pedaling load so I'm going to buy a full suspension mtn bike and make it electric with some hi-power electric components. My little titanium SEVEN shown in this thread is in the Marketplace.


----------



## Dreamer

My rides..

2009 Santa Cruz Superlight.





2002 Colnago Dream Lux.


----------



## mechBgon

Patriot said:


> Anyone hitting the streets now that the weather is warming up?


 
Yeah, road and trail riding here, with some road racing, although mountain cross-country racing is more in tune with my strengths.





Zooming downwind on a 2.5-mile automotive race circuit

Our weather's been fitful, but now we have some decent weather with highs around 75-80°F / 24-27C. I've been getting some 2-3 hour rides.


----------



## Coop

Went on a nice tour yesterday with the wife & dad in law... We did a lap through one of the Netherlands national parks (Loonse & Drunense Duinen) and the area around it. When we were having a little break I took this pic:






From left to right: Dad in laws' Koga Miyata, Wifes' Gazelle and my Cube. Pretty funny tho, dad in law bought his bike last year, I built my bike last year and we both crossed the 800KM mark on the same ride, me 2KM after the start, he 2KM before the finish...


----------



## Patriot

Nice pic Dreamer. I've always liked Colnago and my all time favorite De Rosa. I just like the Italian flair I suppose. I raced on Gios frames as a teenager, then raced on Paramounts through my 20's and never got back into an Italian frame. I miss them but I can't justify the expense for a road bike since I'm a mountain biker now.


----------



## orbital

Patriot said:


> Nice pic Dreamer. I've always liked Colnago and my all time favorite De Rosa. I just like the Italian flair I suppose. I raced on Gios frames as a teenager, then raced on Paramounts through my 20's and never got back into an Italian frame. I miss them but I can't justify the expense for a road bike since I'm a mountain biker now.



Although I'm from Trek country,..+1 for Italian bikes.

The feedback you feel when riding this bike is quick and decisive. 
It climbs and sprints unlike anything, it literally speaks to you when you ride. I can't believe I'v had it nearly 10 years now.

my '00 Bianchi Alloro


----------



## Steve K

orbital said:


> it literally speaks to you when you ride.



sorry, but now I've got this mental image of a bike saying "hey buddy, quit dripping that butt-sweat on my saddle!". 

Let me add that I've got a '82 Olmo (a big Italian brand, but not that well known in the States) that I just love. Columbus steel tubes, Campy Nuovo Record parts, tubular tires, and the "Olmo" name and logo pantographed into many of the components. Red flamboyant/candy paint that glows when it's in the sun. Very fun and flashy! I've had it since '97 and still love it.

Steve K.

(of course, I've got a few British bikes that I love too, but don't tell the Olmo)


----------



## 270winchester

I put the Ruckus on temp vacation and switched to this for light hucking duty


----------



## mechBgon

I went racing again last night. Here's the Paramount in the final sprint, at over 40mph / 64kph (we had a bit of a tailwind):






Tonight it's mountain-bike racing, if I can sneak out of work early :naughty:


----------



## Patriot

Well that's pretty darn neat getting to race on a drag strip! Is is built into a road course or do you guys just use the maze of pit roads and such? 

Cool pic btw. Did you win or was that a pream or something?


----------



## mechBgon

Patriot said:


> Well that's pretty darn neat getting to race on a drag strip! Is is built into a road course or do you guys just use the maze of pit roads and such?


 
Yeah, it's Spokane County Raceway, which has a 2.5-mile road course that incorporates a drag strip, and when we race there, we normally use the road course, which is the perimeter. I have a pic somewhere... lessee here...






The red arrow shows typical wind direction, and we were doing it counterclockwise. 



> Cool pic btw. Did you win or was that a pream or something?


 
That was the final sprint for the "B" pack. One of my teammates towed me to the sprint in his slipstream, so I had fresh legs. I launched rather early, but I made it stick.


----------



## Patriot

In my racing day's I never rode on any course that neat! The only thing it's lacking for me as a climber is some topography. Criteriums and short circuit races were always my favorite though.

Congrats on your victory which came down to a final sprint. Killer lead out or not...that's way cool!

:goodjob:


----------



## orbital

+

mech, way to go on your sprint finish, looks like you cranked out some 'shop frustrations' on the last 300m...:thumbsup:

Road America is just outside my back door, during the ALMS race weekend in August, they have the _Tour de Road America_ (Supports Lance Armstrong Foundation)
Its more of a charity event than flatout race,..

Road America is 4 miles & hilly.


----------



## Jaywalk3r

My primary transportation is a single speed Redline Monocog 29er. I don't have any pics, but it's just like this one:






The only changes I've made have been to replace the trail tires with a pair of Schwalbe Marathons and removal of the tensioners on the rear wheel. I do 99% of my riding on pavement, so the street tires are important. I rarely, if ever, use my rear brakes, so there isn't ever any significant force pushing the rear wheel away from the frame, making the tensioners wholly unnecessary weight.

The bike shop I bought it from added a quick release seat post clamp, but that will come off as soon as I get a nut & bolt replacement. They did the same to the front wheel. That one may or may not stay.

I also switched the brake levers to their proper position, so the front brake is controlled by the right brake lever. Why bikes are sold in the USA with the brake lever installed on the wrong sides I just don't understand.

I only had the bike for a few weeks before a cager decided to turn right at a red light without looking to see if there was any traffic on the sidewalk. (Cyclists have the option of riding on the street and following motor vehicle laws or riding on sidewalks and following pedestrian laws in Florida.) He pulled out in front of me and I collided with him, hitting his car broadside at about 10-12 miles per hour. I was sore for a couple weeks, but aside from some scratches on my fork's paint, the only thing that happened to the bike was the stem rotating on the fork about ten degrees. That was easy enough to readjust.

I was reluctant to get a single speed bike, but have mostly been happy with it. I never realized how much mental energy I was previously using just trying to stay in the correct gear. Right now the gearing is 32/16, but that's too low for Florida. I'm limited in speed only by how fast I can pedal, not by the resistance of the pedal against my foot.

I might upgrade to an internal gear hub at some point. I'll be leaving Florida soon, and might actually have to navigate some real hills. If I do get a wheel with a geared hub, I'll drop the rear brake completely so I can use the cable routing brackets for the shifter.

I did have an older road bike also, but gave it to a friend about a month ago after his bikes were stolen.

The one thing I'm going to miss about central Florida after I leave is the numerous paved biking/walking trails. (There's also a bunch of single track within a mile of my apartment, but riding in sand pretty much sucks, IMO.) The Rails To Trails program is great, and offers cyclists places to ride, away from motor traffic. Riding such trails has also allowed me to encounter wildlife I'm unlikely to see while riding on the street, such as gators and panthers. Plus, it's nice to get away from the noise of the city without having to leave the city.


----------



## Patriot

Another 29er fan, Woohoo! I've heard nothing but good stuff about the monocog other than it being a tiny bit weighty. Still depending on the frame size I'm guessing your around 24 lbs.


----------



## Jaywalk3r

Patriot said:


> Another 29er fan, Woohoo! I've heard nothing but good stuff about the monocog other than it being a tiny bit weighty. Still depending on the frame size I'm guessing your around 24 lbs.



I've been very happy with the Monocog. I was on a tight budget when I bought it, and it seemed to offer the best bang for the buck. I have no regrets about the purchase.

I honestly have never weighed it. The weight really doesn't concern me (within reason). I enjoy cycling for the sake of cycling, so a few extra pounds doesn't bother me too much. I also tend to have a backpack with a toolkit, spare tube, patches, water, maybe some snacks, some spare lights & batteries, a cable & lock (and/or a U lock), etc., which adds quite a bit of weight. I guess you could say I have more of a Boy Scout's mentality than a racer's mentality. Still, as I carry the bike up to my third floor apartment, I can't help but notice that it is a bit heavier than the (much more expensive) Cannondale I rode back in the 90's.

I love the 29 inch wheels. I'm not sure what it is about them, but they seem to inspire confidence. I can't see myself going back to the miniature wheels again. 

As soon as my iPod finishes charging, I'm going to take it out for a quick quarter century while it's cool and dark. Hopefully the police have better things to do than to enforce the _trail closed between sunset and sunrise_ law.


----------



## 270winchester

Jaywalk3r said:


> I also switched the brake levers to their proper position, so the front brake is controlled by the right brake lever. Why bikes are sold in the USA with the brake lever installed on the* wrong sides *I just don't understand.



well, there is no "wrong way", as the right-lever=front-brake is a convention some people carried over from motorcycle riding. For bikes with only one brake(BMX, DJ, etc) I find that most right-handed people prefer right side mounting. 



> I was reluctant to get a single speed bike, but have mostly been happy with it. I never realized how much mental energy I was previously using just trying to stay in the correct gear. Right now the gearing is 32/16, but that's too low for Florida. I'm limited in speed only by how fast I can pedal, not by the resistance of the pedal against my foot.


I run 36/16 on my single speed, which is good for any hill I encounter in city environment. I run 32/16 when I have to climb hills in the mountains.


----------



## Jaywalk3r

270winchester said:


> well, there is no "wrong way", as the right-lever=front-brake is a convention some people carried over from motorcycle riding. For bikes with only one brake(BMX, DJ, etc) I find that most right-handed people prefer right side mounting.



I wasn't really serious about it being wrong. Sometimes subtle attempts at poking fun in humor don't come across properly in text. That's my fault.

I had never seen a bike with the front brake lever on the right side until I rode a friend's mountain bike that was made and sold in New Zealand. Once I got used to it, I found that I liked the setup much better. We referred to that arrangement as _down under brakes_.

Since then, I've wondered why the front brake is typically mounted on the left in the USA. The best idea that I could come up with was one of the first people to put hand brakes on a bike in the US was probably left handed. I've never seen any evidence to support or disprove that idea. Your explanation seems plausible, as well.



> I run 36/16 on my single speed, which is good for any hill I encounter in city environment. I run 32/16 when I have to climb hills in the mountains.



I bought a 14 tooth cog and 12 tooth cog, but I haven't installed either one. I like the small front chain ring, as it adds a bit of extra clearance.


----------



## Patriot

Besides the bmx history, the rear brake has more internal cable drag due to being a longer run and thus takes/took more force to operate. Since most people are right handed they hook up the rear brake on the right. Now it's more of a tradition than a functional advantage since materials and design have advanced to the point that the difference in cable resistance is negligable. 


Last time I rode SS, I used a 32x19 and I needed it! Lots of steep mountain trails. I lost some speed on the downhills but running the lower gear sure beats walking. On the street I ran a 32x14.


----------



## DaFABRICATA

Heres my Cannondale with the Surefire Lighting System I made.

More details can be found here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2996785#post2996785


----------



## mechBgon

Nice light setup, *DeFABRICATA*! That's definitely mechBgon-approved! 


I raced in the State Master's Road Championship yesterday and squeaked out a win in the Masters C category:






Close, very close  (I'm on the right, on the blue Schwinn Paramount)


----------



## Changchung

This is my new ride...


----------



## Patriot

DaFab, thanks for the link. I posted in the other thread.


Mech, a big congrats on your Masters C win! The was very close but it looks like you timed the throw perfectly. :thumbsup:

Nice pictures everyone!

Keep 'em coming.


----------



## aussiebob

Ive enjoyed looking at all the bikes here.

Heres my ride, Mongoose Tyax. Ive had it about 2 years now, it gets alot of use, i ride it everywhere. Currently have Conti 1.3 Sport Contact tyres on it for commuting, and have a set of rims with off road tyres, that i throw on for adventures. This bike sees it all.

Lights i have on are 4x LD20 2x TK40 and A9 Aspheric on helmet. I dont often have the 40's mounted but when all the lights are on man this bike is bright. Ive had some strange comments from passers by thats for sure lol. Oh yeah, i have a superflash and L1D+Traffic cone for rear lights but there not on.


----------



## turbodog

Some pictures. http://turbodog99.googlepages.com/pictures

My bike is the pic labeled 'what'. 03 fuel 90. Racks are not on there anymore.

Still looking for riders for my next san juan hut to hut trip. www.sanjuanhuts.com

Might be later this year or next year for sure.


----------



## Patriot

turbodog said:


> Some pictures. http://turbodog99.googlepages.com/pictures




Holy cow turbodog.....I've seen these pictures before! How strange!

Any chance that you also posted them on the mountainbike forums?


----------



## RA40

Congrats Mech! 
Nice to see the Parmount still taking you to the line. :twothumbs

Found this shot of the Vitus 979 in almost original config before I converted it to a flatbar as an errand bike:


----------



## Patriot

Very nice RA40. It's a classic. Back in around 1984 we used to call them the flying noodles. They made good climbing bikes back then but during a sprint it used to feel like they were coming unglued....lol


----------



## turbodog

Patriot said:


> Holy cow turbodog.....I've seen these pictures before! How strange!
> 
> Any chance that you also posted them on the mountainbike forums?



Don't think so. Maybe someone linked to them? All members of our group swapped all photos so maybe another rider posted them.

You saw those exact ones? Or similar? Anyone who rides that route will come up with some of the same pics.


----------



## RA40

Patriot said:


> Very nice RA40. It's a classic. Back in around 1984 we used to call them the flying noodles. They made good climbing bikes back then but during a sprint it used to feel like they were coming unglued....lol



 It rides smooth almost like the CF bike. Maybe one day I'll put the drop bars back on. Most it sees now is the 2.5 mile run to the post office and back. Back in the day it was the century ride.


----------



## kaseri

deleted


----------



## Patriot

turbodog said:


> Don't think so. Maybe someone linked to them? All members of our group swapped all photos so maybe another rider posted them.
> 
> You saw those exact ones? Or similar? Anyone who rides that route will come up with some of the same pics.






Some if not all of the exact same photos including the one with the green and white jersey. That's actually the one that triggered the memory since I'm pretty good with faces and voices. Then I remembered some of the others. I have know idea about the original location but I'm 90% sure the site was mtbr.com


----------



## TacticalIndustries

Here's a pic of my beast..


----------



## Patriot

TacticalIndustries said:


> Here's a pic of my beast..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]






The image doesn't appear to be working.


----------



## ElectronGuru

The address is a bit garbled, here's a clean one:

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/45auto45auto/001.jpg


...and it is a beast!


----------



## 270winchester

ElectronGuru said:


> The address is a bit garbled, here's a clean one:
> 
> http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/45auto45auto/001.jpg
> 
> 
> ...and it is a beast!


Guru, on photobucket there should be 4 tabs below the thumb nail pics, copy the link in the tab labeled 
"IMG code". Like such:






speaking of beasts my pic in the p=original link was gone for some reason.


----------



## junmae

and i only thought you had a sexy flashlight collection lol . I only got a cheap walmart bike which was meant to take my dog for a good exercise...sadly she still goes nuts while on leash so I can't do that yet. Some of those seats look very uncomfy though. like the first 2 pics you posted. But indeed sexy collection


----------



## jake25

My bike when it was brand new 3 years ago. I'm getting some new wheels, saddle and maybe gruppo upgrade to SRAM Rival.


----------



## Patriot

Jake, please tell me that you took the, overshift spoke guard frisbie off...



:kiss::laughing:


Just giving you a hard time. Nice bike man.


----------



## jake25

Yes dork disk and reflectors came off lol.

That was when i JUST got it. After that shot I took them off.


----------



## Mjolnir

On a somewhat related note, who is watching the Tour de France this year?


----------



## Rothrandir

What is a "dork disk" and why is it bad?


----------



## Patriot

Rothrandir said:


> What is a "dork disk" and why is it bad?




It's the plastic "Frisbee" positioned between the spokes of the rear wheel and the cog set/freewheel assembly. It's there to prevent an over-upshift resulting in the chain riding up over the last large cog and wedging itself in the spokes. With properly tuned equipment it's completely unnecessary and amateurish thus the dork disk title.


----------



## jake25

Rothrandir said:


> What is a "dork disk" and why is it bad?


Fred:twothumbs


----------



## Rothrandir

Thanks, I figured that was the purpose behind it, but couldn't quite figure out why that would be a _bad_ thing, even if it didn't do a whole lot.


----------



## jake25

It just looks bad, takes away from the look of the bike.

There are other things when it comes to cycling road or mountain that you just do not do.


----------



## Patriot

Rothrandir said:


> Thanks, I figured that was the purpose behind it, but couldn't quite figure out why that would be a _bad_ thing, even if it didn't do a whole lot.





It's not bad for the average joe or jane. For people who are a bit more serious about riding they become a nuisance for various reasons. Some things are; dead weight, noise/rattling, can get in the way when changing the gearset, can cause rubbing with chain when in the largest cog, one more thing to clean back there, makes cleaning the hub more difficult, holds mud if you're mountain biking which packs between it and the large cog. And last but not least, it will get you ridiculed if you show up to your local club ride with it on. It's kinda like having a "stronglight" sticker on your favorite custom flashlight...lol.


----------



## RA40

It is a fun mental game to show up in that "Fred-ness" though. The guys pass you over but out on the road you show them the motor.  

The other day I was in turtle mode on the CF bike. College aged kiddie riding a well aged Centurion Ironman blows by, looks back and me with a smile. He's probably thinking..."heh-heh...blew past geezer with his fancy bike...more $ than ability." I got a good laugh at myself and continued the snail pace as he motored on.


----------



## Martin

Gitane Decouverte. 20 years of age but still one of the more stylish tandems out there. You can't see its style because of the basket and the trailer..
On weekends when we go to the city, it carries the whole family plus shopping. Without the trailer, this is a pretty fast ride.






Cockpit view:






Has no lights at all. Stoker makes sure we are back before nightfall.

Update: Shot a nicer photo today


----------



## Patriot

Very sweet tandem ride with character. I dig those mary bars. I'll bet the kids enjoy it.


----------



## kaseri

............


----------



## Patriot

Nice couple of rides you've got there kaseri. I like the handle bar style with bar in shifters on the first bike. I think I see the cycle-cross guys using those every so often. Hard to tell from the pics but it looks like you used leather bar wrap too. Between the Brooks saddle and upright geometry, I can tell that your all about the comfort factor. Thanks for posting those pictures.


----------



## kaseri

The Bar-end shifters work well. The tape I used is actually yellow cloth bar tape. After applying the tape I brushed on six coats of hand mixed amber shellac. The Moustache bars work well too. They allow for three or four different hand positions, more than enough for all types of riding.


----------



## iapyx

Planned a long time ago to post a pic of my bicycle.
Well, here it is. It's a race monster. Very fast.
custom made
company: Van Herwerden 
name: Roadmaster
material: steel
group: Shimano105 triple
brakes: Magura liquid

21st of August 2009 I biked to the top of the Albula pass
Location: Graubünden, Switzerland
Top: 2315 m
Length: 14 km long route from Bergün to the top.
Average 8% with 12% max.

Not on this bike though. I rented a mtb. Started with one malfunctioning shift. Returned to the shop after climbing 5 km since the chain kept sliding between the first 3 blades at the back wheel. So that day I climbed 14+5 = 19 km. Plan to go there again with my own bike.


----------



## iapyx

Martin said:


> Gitane Decouverte. 20 years of age but still one of the more stylish tandems out there. You can't see its style because of the basket and the trailer..
> On weekends when we go to the city, it carries the whole family plus shopping. Without the trailer, this is a pretty fast ride.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cockpit view:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Has no lights at all. Stoker makes sure we are back before nightfall.


 
Well well, a Gitane. You seldom see that brand. 
Really nice to see one.
My father has one of over 40 years old, coloured gold. 5-speed.
He just bought a new bike. Guess what .... a Gitane again.
Will post a pic of it soon.


----------



## Jesseri

Here's my first decent bike. 






Cube LTD Team -09

On this summer I got bitten by cycling bug, so for the next summer i'm probably going to buy a road bike.


----------



## Synch

There are some nice Bikes on here....


Here is my ride.





Already with a RS Totem (180mm Trvel / 40mm Stanchion Tubes). Soon i am going to take some Pics of it. Totem looks sick.


----------



## iapyx

Synch said:


> There are some nice Bikes on here....
> 
> 
> Here is my ride.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Already with a RS Totem (180mm Trvel / 40mm Stanchion Tubes). Soon i am going to take some Pics of it. Totem looks sick.


 
Synch, your pic doesn't show.


----------



## Patriot

Sweet rides everyone! The variety of bikes in this thread is amazing. :twothumbs


----------



## DimeRazorback

What "style" of bikes are the majority of these?

Jesseri's for example?

I am interested in getting a bike and I don't know much lol


----------



## iapyx

DimeRazorback said:


> What "style" of bikes are the majority of these?
> 
> Jesseri's for example?
> 
> I am interested in getting a bike and I don't know much lol


 
The store/company that custom made my bike puts it in the cattegory 'Trekking'. In fact it is a race frame only the steel of the tubes is a bit thicker. Not the tube diameter. I chose this since I want the bike to last a lifetime. (Titanium was way more expensive, at least when I had the bike made some 5 years ago) The extra weight of the thicker steel is not a problem here in the Netherlands as we don't have mountains. Preferred a straight steer above a race steer. It's a very fast bike. Riding it goes very lightly. See the website here and especially their custom made bikes here


----------



## Patriot

DimeRazorback said:


> What "style" of bikes are the majority of these?
> 
> Jesseri's for example?






Jesseri's would be considered a hard tail mountain bike, because it has front suspension and none in the rear. There are also "full suspension" which is what the name implies.... and "rigid" which have no suspension. If you're expecting to ride on the street mostly, you'll probably want a street type of bike and if you're going to do mostly trails you'll likely want a mountain type bike. There are also bikes that allow you to do a bit of either type of riding albeit with some comprimise.


----------



## ElectronGuru

Here's a better shot of mine




Sort of a hard tail mountain frame with street wheels/tires


----------



## DimeRazorback

Just another thing to add to the list of learning about!

Thanks for the replies guys!

It has already helped!

Any brands to avoid??


----------



## Patriot

DimeRazorback said:


> Any brands to avoid??






Not necessarily since even some "generic" brand have higher end models while some name brand models have inexpensive models. A bicycle's quality is really determined by the sum of it's parts and all the manufactures are using similar parts sets of varying level. When dealing with bikes from a reputable retailer, quality normally closely follows cost. What you spend on a bike should be related closely to how much riding you plan on doing. $200-400 dollars will be fine for a bike that's only going to be ridden a few times a month. Those planning to ride once per week might considering spending $400-800 and those planning to ride even more often might consider more expensive bikes. Of course, the dollar means something different to everyone and a person might spend more or less in these categories depending on how much income they have. If money is no option, then get the best. The point is, that you don't *have *to spend a lot of money for something that will be reliable and last you many years. It's just like the flashlight market in that you can get good basic equipment without spending a whole lot. When you start moving toward the more exotic or even custom equipment the price goes up substantially.


----------



## ElectronGuru

Heres a bit more info:

Bikes are frames + components. Ignoring mass market bikes, most of the frames in the world are made by one company (under contract): Giant (Taiwan). Most of the components in the world are made by Shimano (Japan). So in most cases, you are buying the design/style of the frame and then a level of componetry.

Most brands above mass market (those found in bike shops) are good. Within a given budget, the first question is usually which does the job with the style you like. My favorites are Cannondale (US) and Charge (UK).


----------



## DimeRazorback

Alright, thanks alot for that guys!

Now to save and start shopping :devil:

I have a bike shop about 2 minutes drive away, and they stock these brands:
Apollo, Avanti, Diamondback, Diora, Gemini, GT, Haro, Malvern Star, Mongoose, Norco, Raleigh, Ridley, Specialized, Trek.

So they have a failry large range!


----------



## Patriot

DimeRazorback said:


> Alright, thanks alot for that guys!
> 
> Now to save and start shopping :devil:
> 
> I have a bike shop about 2 minutes drive away, and they stock these brands:
> Apollo, Avanti, Diamondback, Diora, Gemini, GT, Haro, Malvern Star, Mongoose, Norco, Raleigh, Ridley, Specialized, Trek.
> 
> So they have a failry large range!




Have a close look at the Trek, Specialized and GT especially. Typically there's a lot of value in some of their less expensive models. Have fun!


----------



## DimeRazorback

Patriot said:


> Have a close look at the Trek, Specialized and GT especially. Typically there's a lot of value in some of their less expensive models. Have fun!



They're the ones I had in mind 
I use to be well into bikes when I was younger and GT jumped straight out at me, and I was looking at the other two's websites this morning :devil:

Thanks again!!


----------



## BentHeadTX

Out of those brands, I have a Norco. It is a Canadian "dirt jumper" 8-speed bike with mostly SRAM (TruVantiv, Rock Shox, Hussefelt etc) components and a Shimano derailluer/shifter combo. I have it setup to be a "swamper" with a 24x3.00 SAS Combat wheel and downhill tire on the front and a 26x2.00 tire on the rear. The rear gets changed out to 26x2.35 for snow use. 

The Norco One25 is a tank though, setup the way it is the scales bend at 35 pounds--heavy for a 7000 series hardtail aluminum frame, but what a frame! You won't break it but it will break you! Eventually, it will run a 1.5 HP electric motor for some bullet-proof "electri-cross" entertainment. 

All I know is my 16 year old son can't break it, the Nasty Norco just won't allow it even though he has tried.


----------



## bobisculous

Here is mine:
Ibex Ignition Super, Got it earlier this year and have been riding it a lot. Really happy with it. Before this all I have ever had was cheap garbage bikes. While I still own one to get me to and from class, this is one of the better purchases I have made.






-Cameron


----------



## Patriot

Very nice Ibex Cameron! The White looks really great. :thumbsup:


----------



## Martin

Here's my workhorse and travel bike: Merida Miami.
Not a bike of fascinating performance or appearance, it's a bike with a story.
Bought used in 2003, I use it to commute, for shopping, cross country riding on weekends, take it with me on adventure travel.
It has carried me and my luggage several thousand km over bad roads, took passengers on the rack, rode on airplanes, boats, trucks.
Most components have been replaced more than once, the only original parts that remain are the frame,
the seatpost and clamp, the front wheel.
I really like the frame for the way it handles with luggage and trailer, without that it is overly heavy.
The geometry with a rather long upper tube I like as well.
When in 2008 I had substantial damage on the drivetrain, I replaced the derailleur gear system with a Rohloff hubgear.
This made the bike a lot more reliable and fun to ride.
The light system is my sugar-caster triple-Rebel powered by a bottle dynamo.


----------



## Patriot

Martin, that's a really nice hub your running in back. It makes for a clean, although slightly heavier multi-gear but it fits that bike perfectly. I was looking at installing the Sram version on my single speed bike. 

I like those little alternate hand position bars mounted closer to the stem. I guess that brings your arms in a lot and gives a slightly more aero body position while allowing the hands a break from only a single position on the grips. Very cool.


----------



## Martin

I'm flattered you noticed the little details. Indeed, the bar ends are there to help aerodynamics and offer an alternative grip position. At least this was my intention when I put them. Meanwhile I found that there are other benefits: Particularly in a tropical climate, the cool aluminum bars are a nice change from the warm plastic grips. And the bar ends are excellent for tying a tent, a mat or shoes underneath, so I can make use of the space b/w the handlebar bag and the steering tube. Beyond this, the bar ends are also great for strapping a GPS to them. Unlike many other GPS mounts, these absolutely don't come loose. Maybe I should license that design before everyone has it...

The retro-handlebar admittedly looks pretty ugly but I haven't found an alternative. When using a straight bar, my fingers quickly go numb - even with ergo-grips.

The geared hub is definitely the best and most expensive piece of the bike. It may not look like it, but switching from a Shimano Deore gearing system to the Rohloff hub gear DECREASED the weight of the bike (now just below 16 kg). I'm not aware that SRAM or Shimano are building a hub gear like the Rohloff. Their hubs are heavier and just 9 / 8-speed, not 14-speed. I'm absolutely sold on the Rohloff.

To be able to adjust the chain tension on this standard frame with vertical dropouts, I had to use a special eccentric BB that fits standard frames. Now should my frame ever break, I would be able to substitute it with any standard mountainbike frame.

Another nice feature that's too small to see is the clamp ring just above the top headset bearing. This maintains tension on the bearing, making it easy to rotate or remove the stem for packing up the bike.

Finally the absence of any type of quick release is the answer to curious children.


----------



## Patriot

Nice details Martin. You're right, there is no equivalent to the Rohloff since the others have far few gears. I guess I just meant it generally. Regarding the weight I suppose switching from Deore could have saved a few grams but running a conventional system is still lighter. For example, using XTR and Dura-ace components you could still spend less money and have a lighter set-up.


rear der 200gr
front der 125gr
cassette 175gr
hub 175gr
two more front chain rings 125gr

Total = 800 grams

Rohloff = 1800 grams
+ the weight of the eccentric

With that said, you gained a lot of benefits with the internally geared hub. It' a much cleaner design and there's nothing externally to snag or lose adjustment. Fewer parts is always more reliable.


----------



## Coop

Added another bike to the collection... A Dahon Vitesse D7HG folding bike.






This bike (and some trains) will be my daily commute for a while. Immediately after I got the bike, I replaced the saddle with a Selle Royal Lookin gel seat, switched the stock flatbar for a shortened Bontrager Crowbar low-riser and added a set of PRO-brand bar ends. 

Pretty much everything on the bike is black, except for some small hardware and the rear Shimano Nexus 7 hub, brakelevers and the shifter. I'm looking for all black replacements for the shifter & levers... Hub is too much trouble to replace just because of the color.


----------



## Eugene

Giant Cypress DX. Bought one for the wife so it would be fitted for her as the used bike I bought her on craigslist wasn't a good fit. Then the bike store mailing list sent us a buy one get one 25% off so I went in and asked if I could get mine 25% off since we just bought hers.

We have went about 170 miles this summer
http://www.everytrail.com/my_trips.php?user_id=76636&order=trip_date


----------



## Martin

Since Coop started with folding bikes, now here comes mine.
Just a few weeks ago, I caught this 1991 Montague Biframe on EBAY.
It cost near nothing and the owner wasn't even aware it's a folding bike.
It was in a sad state when I got it, now mostly restored:











Sorry, got no photos how it's being folded. Basically the front wheel has to be removed and the frame unlocked, then the frame folds along the saddle tube so that the rear triangle fits into the front triangle.
The bike initially had quick release levers. Because I'm using this in the city, I've replaced them all with regular bolts.

It rides like a real bike (26" wheels) and fits into a small car, a train, on a bus.
Less than a minute to fold. I find myself using it more and more.
Montague no longer manufactures these frames, they've switched to a new style.
I wished they made folding bikes for kids.


----------



## DimeRazorback

My GT Avalanche 1.0 

Doesn't compare to many of the bikes in this thread but it is my first in about 11 years :twothumbs

In the second pic you can see the pearl in the white


----------



## turbodog

After a little race.

Flat pedals helped since the mud and pine straw kept clipless from working much at all.

This is AFTER a wash job.


----------



## Patriot

LOL!!! Turbo dog, you hammered your Fuel. That's great man. 

Say, you might want to remove that goofy overshift spoke guard on the rear. :kiss:





*Razor*, those Avalanche's have a very good reputation on MTBR Forum. It seems that you made great pick.


----------



## turbodog

Patriot said:


> LOL!!! Turbo dog, you hammered your Fuel. That's great man.
> 
> Say, you might want to remove that goofy overshift spoke guard on the rear. :kiss:



Think I will keep it after breaking a drive-side spoke over 100 miles away from civilization in the mountains of Utah.

The race was a little wet to say the least. Bike would not even roll downhill it had so much mud on it. Sucks having to pedal to go downhill.


----------



## BentHeadTX

turbodog said:


> Think I will keep it after breaking a drive-side spoke over 100 miles away from civilization in the mountains of Utah.



Nice Fuel, I went biking with a friend that had the 90. Nice bike although hers had that odd "loaded pair" wheels with around 18 spokes. Total PIA to true but she weighs 110 pounds so they hold up in her case. 

I love those spoke protector discs, ever have a derailluer get jammed in the spokes and get destroyed? I have and it was not any fun replacing damaged spokes, the derailluer and derailluer hanger. 

My bikes are a full suspension, short wheelbase recumbent and a full suspension Iron Horse XC bike with a lot of downhill components for durability. A rather odd looking beast to the purists but a Fenix L2D Q5 lights the way.


----------



## orbital

DimeRazorback said:


> My GT Avalanche 1.0
> 
> Doesn't compare to many of the bikes in this thread but it is my first in about 11 years :twothumbs
> 
> In the second pic you can see the pearl in the white



+

*Great to see your GT {Triple Triangle Design}*

I'v only ridden GT hardtails since '88 or '89,..no lie.
See post #30 in this thread

:thumbsup:


----------



## EV_007

Awesome bikes guys. 

Here's a recent shot of my weekend commuter.


----------



## Patriot

Nice ride EV007. That's a nice frame and I like the bar ends and disc brakes too. Comfortable ride I'll bet.


----------



## RA40

Some minor changes:

Kuota:






Cut the steerer tube to remove some spacers and installed a 17 degree, 100mm stem. Removed the 39 tooth small chain ring for a 41 tooth. 

Been thinking of getting a Fausto Coppi vintage frame...IDK. Would like to try titanium but in same a custom hand built frame appeals. Went to the San Diego custom bike show and really liked Bill Holland's Ti CF matrix frame. Lots of $$ but super sweet looking. Too many tempting choices.


----------



## Patriot

Sweet stuff Mike and a good call on the 41 front ring. Looks nice and probably feels good with the spacers removed. The front is nice and low now. With regards to the stem angle, did you perhaps mean 9 degree? It looks like a lot more to me, possibly 17/73 degrees but it's always hard to tell in pictures.


----------



## RA40

Dooh...my boo-boo...it is a 17/73 degree. Corrected now


----------



## Patriot

Mike, do you know what your carbon bike weighs in its current configuration? 17-ish perhaps?

Speedplay pedals?

Looks great btw. I'll bet I could hop right on that thing as it looks like it would be a close fit for me.


----------



## RA40

Haven't given much thought to weight...stock they listed it somewhere about 18.3#'s and with what has been swapped, 17.5X is possible. Wish I had a scale. 

The Speedplays were the suggestion of the sports ortho who also cycles. I'd ridden Look since they first came out but after recurring knee issues much later in cycling, he felt a new system might help. Been riding them for 2 years now. I'm happy to have the absence of knee pain but now-then, it reminds me I'm not 20'ish...the accumulating years.  The system I didn't get to try is Time. 

Patriot, any road bikes in your stable? Your Fisher I drool over.


----------



## Patriot

I probably should have added more about the Speedplays since it may have sounded like I was questioning your choice. Not the case at all though, there's limited detail available in the picture so it was more of a game for me just to try and figure out what they were.  I've only tried Speedplays, never owned any. The mountain pedals that I ride now are similar in that they have a lot of lateral movement. They took a little bit of getting used to before I could do 100% sprints with them.....since obviously it's not a time that you'd want to unexpectedly come out of them.... 

I came from a road bike background and used to race in my teen years...that was a long time ago.  For while I only owned my Trek 7000 mountain bike and did a lot of street riding with it as well as off road. The traffic here has really gotten bad over the last 20+ years and I just didn't feel comfortable riding long distances on a road bike. My Superfly plays double duty and about half to 3/4 of my riding is on the street. It's fast, light, doesn't flex and is a real hot rod for cruising around my local area. With the mountain format, I'm not limited in that I can cross washes, hop curbs, take back alleys and foot trails and corners are taken like you're hooked up with velcro, which really puts the fun and freedom back into my riding. I almost purchased a Felt about 18 months ago but just couldn't justify the roadbike. Sure, I'd love to own one again but I have to balance the bike stuff with well, the other things. 

Too bad we're not in the same state. You'd probably fit the Fisher really well!


----------



## RA40

Nurries...
The Speedplays are quite small so it can be difficult to discern at that angle.  

Riding the road is definitely scary. The bike forums have constant posts about riders being hit or killed. Very sad. My road/traffic route totals about 4 miles then I'm on a MUT for the remaining 25 or so. I won't do it any other way. I've been contemplating a move and a bike trail is a high priority in location. Luckily our current city is reasonably bike friendly on the major roads so the #2 lane is double wide. Plenty of room for all but the lamest of drivers. 

This is a portion of the trail as it just intersects the 605 and 405 in So Cal....I'm thankful to be isolated from car traffic by it.  

http://www.michaelfongphotography.com/files/trail.jpg


----------



## EV_007

Patriot said:


> Nice ride EV007. That's a nice frame and I like the bar ends and disc brakes too. Comfortable ride I'll bet.




It is very comfy and fun to ride. I tried a bunch of bikes that cost 4x as much but liked this one. 

I can also load it up with bags and have a touring bike, which I used for a weekend camping trip. The panniers held the tent and sleeping bag and supplies and the rack held the Thermarest pad and tent poles and the front handlebar bag held snacks and gadgets, flashlights and a blade or two of course.


----------



## TJx

EV_007 said:


> Awesome bikes guys.
> 
> Here's a recent shot of my weekend commuter.



Valencia's are great commuters, here's my school commute...


----------



## Patriot

Another Valencia, this one with fenders. Those bikes have eye pleasing style to them. The handlebars look especially comfortable too with the rearward bend to them. 





*RA40*, it's nice to know that you are mindful of your road safety. One of the reasons I stopped road riding is because two people I knew got hit, and like you said, you hear about it on the forums as well. Some cities are fine for riding but the larger ones are risky. Looks like you've got at least a few decent places to ride though.

Just a "heads-up" on the picture, 1500 pixels wide won't fit on a 19" screen and may cause some to have to scroll sideways to read posts on this page.  Maybe you could cut an end off or something. 

Paul


----------



## greenpea76

*Bike from 8 years ago:*






*Became these two:*


----------



## SIMON LEONE

my daily workhorse ... 







and 1.5 hours later .... TESTRIDE


----------



## Patriot

Very cool but I wasn't able to ID the frame. Looks like a nice parts set though.


----------



## SIMON LEONE

oh and not to forget my Super Duper Santa Cruz Super 8 

damn those good old days were the days of shredding ... anyway Oldscool rulez at least to me :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## SIMON LEONE

@ Patriot - thank you kindly, it's supposed to be an unlabeled Merida frame :thinking: but to be hones I doubt that ... At least the dimensions and the weight are identical. And it served me well so far


----------



## BVH

Finally got my new ride.


----------



## jerryd

My 2002-3? Specialized Rock Hopper, hardtail. 

Shown with its off road tires that I ended up buying last year during road construction on my street. Normally it has a set of street tires due my very limited off trail use. (Ok, I will admit I had some fun in the mud, gravel and even sand going to get the mail.) 

Also shown is a Garmin GPS76 in a Ram mount on the handlebar, the other item is a mount for a handlebar bag.


----------



## Coop

Just changed my Dahon Vitesse D7HG folding bike (my current daily commuter) from its winter to summer setup:

Winter:




Summer:




What has changed:

Removed:
- Fenders
- Rear rack
- Bar ends
- Chainguard

Replaced:
- Rusty old factory standard chain with Shimano Ultegra super narrow
- Twist shifter with triggershifter
- Grips Ergon GP1 with something lightweight (temp. until Ergon GP1 Leichtbau arrives)
- Kickstand with lightweight 2-leg kickstand
- Schwalbe Jumpin jack tires with Kenda Kwest tires
- Rack mounted taillight with Planet Bike Superflash
- Suntour folding pedals with VP lightweight pedals

Also shortened the handlebars by 2cm per side, cleaned all the winter muck from all parts (so basicly took apart the whole damn bike ), lubed everything up and fine tuned everything...

The difference is day & night. From a fairly slow bike that would keep going under almost any circumstances, to a light (for a folding bike w. hubgear) pretty darn quick urban sprinter...


----------



## Patriot

BVH said:


> Finally got my new ride.




Nice Bob! Is this still your current machine?


----------



## Trashman

Well, this is exactly my bike (minus the fenders), only this is a stock photo. Eventually, I'll replace it with an actual photo. I usually have a Garmin Forerunner 101 mounted as my odometer/speedometer. It's a Dahon Mu-P24. It's got 24 speeds: 8 on the rear cassette and 3 in the rear hub. It's pretty fast for a 20" bike. I can probably do about 30mph on flat ground. If I was stronger, I could go faster, too, because 30mph in the highest gear doesn't even have the cranks turning very fast.


----------



## RA40

Came across this MTB vid thought you might enjoy it. Nice looking ride:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE792g55GUw


----------



## LED_Thrift

RA40 thanks for that link, that is some *great* riding combined with great camera work! Brought back some memories of some fun rides.


----------



## hartleymartin

I bought an old MTB a while ago, did it up with lots of new stuff and it looked like this - an excellent commuter/tourer.





Then I crashed it, and had to rebuilt it with some more new parts (brakes, handlebars, etc) and here I am riding Sydney-Wollongong - 86km charity ride





And for my general running about, going to/from university where I need to take a bicycle on and off the train, I use a 33-year-old Raleigh Twenty bicycle:





I also own a folding version of the same bicycle:





And what it looks like when folded up:





The folding version is only a single-speed that I built up out of odds and ends. It sometimes borrows the wheels, and other drive components off the non-folding brown Raleigh Twenty when I need gears (3 speed Sturmey-Archer hub) and the ability to stow in a car boot. It is going to receive drop handlebars and be kitted out with an 8 or 11-speed Shimano hub as a poor-man's bike-friday touring/commuting bicycle.

I recently bought a 2008 Fuji Touring Bicycle as a frameset only for the bargain price of $200 Australian dollars. (A complete Fuji Touring bicycle is about $1400 Australian dollars). And I'll be building that up as funds permit.


----------



## derangboy

Here's my trials bike of a few years. Fairly unique, serial number 000 and probably the only VRacing made for rear disc. It's rumored that team rider Vincent Hermance did not like the feel of the disc brake.






Wonder how it's ridden? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_lk9BoydNs&feature=related


----------



## rayman

This is my MTB:





rayman


----------



## Trashman

derangboy said:


> Here's my trials bike of a few years. Fairly unique, serial number 000 and probably the only VRacing made for rear disc. It's rumored that team rider Vincent Hermance did not like the feel of the disc brake.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wonder how it's ridden?
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_lk9BoydNs&feature=related



Cool video. It's even crazier when those guys ride on what appear to be elevated 2x4s, as part of the trials courses.


----------



## Eugene

Added a trailer bike to ours for this year

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn275/eugenenine/3d2f88f4.jpg

my 4 year old rides it, he's went on a 12 mile ride so far.


----------



## DaFABRICATA

RA40 said:


> Came across this MTB vid thought you might enjoy it. Nice looking ride:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE792g55GUw


 




Thank you for posting this!!!oo:

I ordered the DVD a day after watching it! :thumbsup:
Should be here sometime before the weekend.
Those guys are absolutely NUTS!!


----------



## 276

RA40 said:


> Came across this MTB vid thought you might enjoy it. Nice looking ride:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE792g55GUw



WOW that's a cool Vid


----------



## Per-Sev

This is a pic of my Sun recumbent EZ-3 USX HD. I got this after my doctor recommended that I try to get some exercise, I am disabled with a bad back injury from 10 years ago and its a problem to even walk around the block sometimes. She suggested one of these and I went on line and priced them and they were way out of my reach so one day I was on Craigslist and saw this used and did some research and found that it would support my weight and it was priced well below a new one. The owner said he only rode it once in a while and he was right it still had the nubs on the tires. So I bought it and I just love this thing I can finally get out of the house and it feels like I am free again.


----------



## Scuderia

These are some of my humble rides. Nothing fancy. ( Warning: Not to everyone's taste )


----------



## Hack On Wheels

Wow! Scuderia, you went all out with those builds. Some very nice parts on those bikes! What kind of riding do you do on that Pace?

I should really get around to posting my bikes. I'll see about digging up some photos of my mountain bikes. Once I've put my roadbike back together I'll have to take a photo of the whole fleet.


----------



## Hack On Wheels

The big bike which has been relatively unchanged since it was built up in 2006:





The hardtail in its penultimate configuration; I've gone to a Marz single-crown air fork that allows me to tweak the amount of travel via the air pressure. The front brake also blew up and was replaced by the new 4-piston Saint:


----------



## Hack On Wheels

Since I'm procrastinating, I might as well post up some riding shots too. 
















The last one is from a different area than the previous two and is a self-portrait.


----------



## Per-Sev

Looks like fun, I see why you need the full face helmet. How about some shots going up the mountain also. Can you out run a bear or a moose looks like you might need to someday, nice looking country.


----------



## RA40

Went to the San Diego Custom Bike Show Friday. Who-weee some nice bikes to be seen.  

http://www.sandiegocustombicycleshow.com/

Some other attendees pics from the '09 show:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157616397141678/
http://picasaweb.google.com/stephen.bryne/SanDiegoCustomBicycleShow#


----------



## Scuderia

Hack On Wheels said:


> Wow! Scuderia, you went all out with those builds. Some very nice parts on those bikes! What kind of riding do you do on that Pace?
> 
> I should really get around to posting my bikes. I'll see about digging up some photos of my mountain bikes. Once I've put my roadbike back together I'll have to take a photo of the whole fleet.




Thanks. Sorry to disappoint you, I mostly ride XC and commute on the Pace. I'm a big bloke, which explains why I chose build it with heavy duty components.

I wish I could ride the trails on your pics. In my country, its mostly flats. We have to travel to other countries to ride. :mecry:


----------



## Patriot

Really great pictures and videos being posted here! That FreeRide short vid was awesome.

Keep 'em coming guys.....


----------



## chelboed

Well...mine's gone through many phases of MTB life...

Got this GT free from a friend at church:



(gave it to my Father-in-law)

Got this Raleigh free from a friend when I broke the frame on my XLT. I still ride it now and then. My favorite story...I was riding a directional trail and some guy going the wrong way on a Motobecane Fly Alu hit me head on. I BROKE HIS FRAME IN HALF with the old rigid Raleigh. Tough steel beast:






Another free one...1978 Schwinn Le Tour 12.2...turned punk...(well SS at least):







My wife's ride:









My first build:





Built this up from a stocker back in '05:





Took all the good parts off it for my XLT build in '06 and turned it into a 1x9:





I built a 2005 XLT in '06:


----------



## chelboed

Built this after I broke the frame on my 2006 HKEK:







Got tired of the weight and inefficiency of the XLT...(suspension sucking up my NRG)...so I built a lighter 1x9 aggressive XC machine 2004 Jamis Komodo:





The 2004 frame was too flexy and caused the rear disc caliper to twist on the rotor...so they warrantied it out for a burly 2005 Freeride Hardtail version. So I sold the AggroXC componentry and got more into the AllMountain Freeride side of things:





The Marzocchi crapped out quickly...but I found a nice Domain Coil UT and Gravity dropper for it.





Got tired of the "hard work" pushing such a burly bike, so I sold the FR stuff and went way back over to the standard "trail bike" build:





And finally...the happy medium:






Still shredding the gnar "off trail" on the muddy days:








Latest rendition in artistic form:






I'm really liking the build now as it sets. It's burly enough to bomb stairgaps if need be yet nimble as anything and a great trail bike. I feel really comfortable tearing it up on this thang!!


----------



## chelboed

Oh yeah...forgot one:nana:






My 1998 Easton RAD tubed Jamis Komodo. (I really like Komodo's for some reason) I got this frame off ebay in 2008 for $5 and some change. Got the crankset for 2 cups of coffee. Pedals were $0.99...ebay. Saddle was free...(older WTB...and quite comfy)...got if from my father-in-law.

The only thing I paid decent money for was the Kona P2 "Tall Race" fork. Got it for $26 from an online vendor. It's an odd duck. Top of the crown to the crown race is like 2" extra. Gives it a more laid back "modern feel" versus the hunched over XC feel. I love it!!


stuff I had on the shelf:
wheels
tires
stem
headset (tall CaneCreek Tank Hit)
The rest of the drivetrain was a bunch of used stuff layin' around.


----------



## Hack On Wheels

Scuderia said:


> Thanks. Sorry to disappoint you, I mostly ride XC and commute on the Pace. I'm a big bloke, which explains why I chose build it with heavy duty components.
> 
> I wish I could ride the trails on your pics. In my country, its mostly flats. We have to travel to other countries to ride. :mecry:



Not disappointing, they are still sweet bikes! As long as they get ridden... and big blokes need burly bikes, no point having a light flexy bike that will break. Sorry to hear you don't have many local hills though! I had to do a lot of driving for the trails in my pics, but I do have enough local hills to occupy my as well.

Here is another video, nothing crazy but just some fun laid-back riding:
http://www.vimeo.com/5990948
(I wasn't sure how to embed it, so you'll have to follow the link!)


----------



## cityevader

Rockhopper on the way to Moab, Utah.

'79 Motobecane...technically still a bicycle. Fun!


----------



## chaoss

This jewel will be at my doorstep shortly, i can't wait .
Fixed gear, hipster goodness. All-City Big Block,


----------



## JCD

chaoss said:


> This jewel will be at my doorstep shortly, i can't wait .
> Fixed gear, hipster goodness. All-City Big Block,



Nice bike. I ride a single speed rigid 29er set up for urban riding, but I'm not quite ready to try fixed gear.


----------



## RepProdigious

I also have one of them mountainbikes (tho not as fancy as most bikes shown here) but the bike that currently has the highest mileage (3800km atm) is much more interesting to all you flashaholics:







Its got leds in the front and the back and .3kW PWM controlled 'engine' all supplied by a friggin huge bunch of NiMH cells!

So if you ever see an idiot who does 30kph everywhere he goes on one of those bikes in the Netherlands say hi! :wave:


----------



## JCD

RepProdigious said:


> I also have one of them mountainbikes (tho not as fancy as most bikes shown here) but the bike that currently has the highest mileage (3800km atm) is much more interesting to all you flashaholics:



Are those Schwalbes I see on your bike? I've got a pair of Marathon HS on my bike, and I can't say enough good things about them. I've pulled metal wires, glass, and even a fish hook out of them, but have yet to get a flat in over a year of heavy use. They were kind of expensive, but they were worth every penny.


----------



## Art

Here is mine:





Its from 2002 already 8 years old... it had more then 20k kms last time I checked it but its been 2 to 3 years since my last ride.. I miss the contact with the nature :mecry:

Have 3 more bikes and a lot of gear ... did not sold 1 part until now , I will keep it because I want to get back on the mountain


----------



## RepProdigious

JCD said:


> Are those Schwalbes I see on your bike? I've got a pair of Marathon HS on my bike, and I can't say enough good things about them. I've pulled metal wires, glass, and even a fish hook out of them, but have yet to get a flat in over a year of heavy use. They were kind of expensive, but they were worth every penny.



Yep, the bike came with a set of Schwalbe Advancers and they took 2000km of beating before the tire on the back sprung its first leak! By then the threads were also as good as gone (driving/braking like you stole it on a 25kg bike + my sweet little self @ 100kg is hard on the tires) so i had the tire replaced by a newer model (Schwalbe Marathon) but on the front im still running factory rubber, 3800km and counting without a leak or problem of any kind! 

I think that on my 4k service in a couple of weeks i need a brand new set, back and front, and i can promise you that those will be Schwalbes as well! Great tires, i can definitely recommend!


----------



## Patriot

chaoss said:


> This jewel will be at my doorstep shortly, i can't wait .
> Fixed gear, hipster goodness. All-City Big Block,





As a surfer would say, "dude! sweet!"

As Jim Carrey say, smokin'

Can't wait to hear your report after a couple of rides.


----------



## Archer-Ca

Great post!! Bikes are another passion of mine. Since I got tired of working up a sweat to pedal to work I modded my Downtube Folder to an Electric. And I'm not talking 'assisted' pedaling. Pimped out with a 1200watt motor, juiced with a 48v 20ah LifePo4 battery. 

 
I've only been brave enough to push it up to 54 km/h. Plenty more to go on the throttle.... 


 Upgraded with Front and Rear Disc brakes, hand built wheels, Carbon Fibre Suspension fork and rear dampened shock. 


 
Latest addition was a vintage styled Hairpin Leather saddle. Wow, is it ever smooth!! Like riding on a cloud.


 



Cheers!! 

Norman


----------



## iapyx

RepProdigious said:


> I also have one of them mountainbikes (tho not as fancy as most bikes shown here) but the bike that currently has the highest mileage (3800km atm) is much more interesting to all you flashaholics:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Its got leds in the front and the back and .3kW PWM controlled 'engine' all supplied by a friggin huge bunch of NiMH cells!
> 
> So if you ever see an idiot who does 30kph everywhere he goes on one of those bikes in the Netherlands say hi! :wave:



where in The NL are you to be found? N - E - W - S ? Will be looking for you.


----------



## RepProdigious

iapyx said:


> where in The NL are you to be found? N - E - W - S ? Will be looking for you.



Randstad! And last week i had a brand new motor installed (old one burned out to a crisp) and with the latest software upgrades and some tweaks i can now even go faster!! :nana:


----------



## 5.0Trunk

Here is my 2010 Cannondale F5 and a few upgrades. I have a WTB pure V saddle on the way.


----------



## V8TOYTRUCK

The big one is mine


----------



## Coop

Let's revive this thread again 

My new ride: 






And the specs:

Frameset:
- Frame: Surly Cross Check 56cm
- Fork: Surly Cross check

Seating: 
- Seatpost: Scorpo Oxygen
- Seatpost clamp: Surly Constrictor
- Saddle: Brooks B17

Steering:
- Headset: Cane Creek S2
- Headset spacers: Kalloy (5 & 10mm)
- Stem: BBB Highrise 90mm 35degree
- Handlebar: NC-17 Trekking Pro
- Grips: Ergon GP1
- Expander plug: Christopher Nies Cycles

Wheels:
- Rims: Mavic A319 28"
- Spokes: DT Swiss Champion 2mm silver
- Front hub: Shimano DH-3N72
- Rear hub: Shimano Nexus SG-8R36 Premium (Red Band)
- Rimtape: Schwalbe Super HP
- Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Racer 30-622
- Tubes: Schwalbe 17sv

Drivetrain:
- Bottom bracket: FSA Ultimax 68-103 JIS BSA
- Crankset:	Sugino RD2-Messenger 42t
- Pedals: BBB Fullride
- Rear cog: Shimano Nexus 16t
- Chain: Shimano HG CN-7701
- Shifter: Shimano Alfine Rapidfire SL-S500

Brakes:
- Brakes F+R: Avid Single Digit 7
- Levers F+R: Avid Speed Dial 7
- Pads: Avid RW2
- Cables: SRAM MTB/Trekking

Lighting:
- Front Light: B+M Lumotec IQ Cyo senso plus
- Rear Light: Planet Bike Superflash

Miscellaneous:
- Rear rack: Tubus Vega
- Fenders: SKS Bluemels 35mm
- Kickstand: Modified Dahon 2-leg
- Computer: Sigma sport 1606L DTS
- GPS: Garmin eTrex Vista


----------



## Patriot

Gosh....there are some amazing rides here! Surly, Specialized, Cannondale and so many other sweet and unique machines just recently posted.

I always get a kick out of seeing what others here are riding. 

Great stuff you guys!

:twothumbs


----------



## Scuderia

Flashaholic's handlebar.







This is how it looks like at night






:devil: 

Sorry, its just for fun for the time being. :laughing:


----------



## PCC

Here's my old Colnago International, bought as a NOS frame/fork from eBay and assembled as a neo-retro ride:

First generation Campy Chorus derailleurs/bottom bracket/shifters/brake levers/brakes (Monoplanar!)
Campy Chorus headset
Cinelli 1R stem
Cinelli Mod 64 handlebars

(modern stuff below)
Campy Centaur compact cranks (the engine isn't strong enough for the hills around here - I have the original Chorus cranks in case I want to put them back on)
American Classic seatpost
Fizik Carbon Aliante Twinflex sadle
Cane Creek Volos Ti wheels (titanium straight-pull spokes)
Shimano Dura-Ace 12-25 cassette (with friction shifting I can use anything here!)
Look Keo Classic pedals


----------



## RA40

This video from You Tube about the upcoming Mario Cipollini frame: 
Nice vid. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2CjJqFdBdM


----------



## etherealshade

Mine's a Ribble Audax:





The picture's just the stock one from their website (rehosted of course!). Mine is only different in that I run Campag Khamsin wheels, and a different saddle. Only tiny blinky lights at the moment, but once it gets dark again this winter, I'll be breaking out the big guns. :rock:


----------



## RepProdigious

Does anybody here have a set of these on his bike? I'd really like to know how these hold up.....


----------



## Patriot

RA40 said:


> This video from You Tube about the upcoming Mario Cipollini frame:
> Nice vid.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2CjJqFdBdM





Great marketing! He's got the name and the race history to make it big. The dude is a sprinting beast.


----------



## RA40

Nice looking frame...will be interesting what the prices will be if they get distributed stateside.


----------



## Bloke

Ok I'll join in. I luuuurve 2 wheels!!! 

I'm a mad keen motorcyclist, AND cyclist

Just some of the bikes I've owned (scroll to the bottom to see my 2 current push bikes)

http://members.dcsi.net.au/gronk62/gronkos_stuff/Bike_Pics.html


----------



## koala

My carbon Freeride bike. Custom made 16" frame from Scott. Still waiting for KMC chain and a headset spacer when the pictures were taken. Upgraded Al & Ti nuts and bolts. No brake hoses for me thank you, Avid BB7 rocks. Sorry about the gladwrap seat, that's to keep my oily hands away. Nothing beats pedaling a lightweight bike.


----------



## 65535

So what does something like that run you? 

It's a very nice bike for sure, looks beautiful.


----------



## tx101

I'm no bike rider (too fat and lazy) but I did see this cool bike
it was all that Carbon fibre that does it for me 













I used the camera on my Blackberry so please excuse the quality

Can anyone tell me what kind of bike this is ?


----------



## RepProdigious

Now that's the only thing cooler than a full carbon frame; A full carbon frame in clear coat! :thumbsup: Looks expensive!!


----------



## TONY M

tx101 said:


> I'm no bike rider (too fat and lazy) but I did see this cool bike
> it was all that Carbon fibre that does it for me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I used the camera on my Blackberry so please excuse the quality
> 
> Can anyone tell me what kind of bike this is ?



I thought it might have been an Orbea TT bike but after a quick google it seems not to be. http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=e...UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1195&bih=1102

Nice TT bike but I'm not a timetrialist so road bikes only for me. :devil:


----------



## 5.0Trunk

Here is my 2010 Trek Fuel EX8.


----------



## BryDaddy

WOW flashlights AND bikes all in one place??? LOL......anyway i love all the bikes here.......i come from a VERY HEAVY downhill riding family......unfortunately being 38 now, and having the knees of a 93 year old.....i have gone from having 5 different trail/downhill bikes, to having just one bike. a cruiser bike i have made a few modifications to, such as Brooks saddle, Brooks grips, Brooks tool bag, some bear trap pedals, upgraded the crappy disk brakes to some Avid BB7's, and a nice little "custom painted to match the frame" rear LED light just above the rear disk.....

what do you think?


----------



## RBR

.....


----------



## subwoofer

I can't compete with the machinery on show here, but here is my old-school Diamond Back Camarillo






which has custom seat post, stem extension, upgraded brakes and the unusual JD suspension stem which I bought as I couldn't afford suspension forks at the time and this saved my hyper-mobile wrists from pain on the bumpy bits.


----------



## neal71

Here is my baby... 






Once you ride BMC you are hooked.


----------



## mr_maurice

A friend built this custom height-enhanced bike. It is really easy to ride when you don't have to stop frequently.
I should have included a normal bike in the picture to make the difference more obvious, but if you have already seen a smart cart you'll get the idea


----------



## ryguy24000

Here is my bike and my riding partner Vanilla Bean. Pictures are taken at "cyncline" Last spring.








https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TwLXXT1CH8WnCEa08SzSuuagb8Sw-nSqmcaTF0TWKw0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BxcY7k2MyzFGl_FsMpoMpuagb8Sw-nSqmcaTF0TWKw0?feat=directlink


----------



## Patriot

Really neat ride ya got there Koala! Do you know what it weighs?


----------



## FrogmanM

Here is my Electra Townie I use for errands and exploration on the weekends. (I live on a nice hill, so the e-bike conversion helps out).





I recently got this Motobecane for my B-day, I wouldn't say I'm particularly quick, but this lightweight bike is sure fun flying down PCH!





Nothing too far for me, mostly the local 14 mile trek down to Dana Point Harbor for fish and chips or clam chowder. Farthest treks so far this year have been a visit to my college (dunno the distance, but its 50 miles round trip on I5) that took all day and a windy march to Oceanside through Camp Pendleton. 

I'll be finishing my BA at Humboldt State starting this spring, so I'll be surprised if I'll be biking much the next few years.  I'd love to get up to Balboa Island and make my way to Huntington Beach before X-mas break and try out the Motobecane.

-Mayo


----------



## Amandous

I love to ride bike and never skip my sunday with out riding a bike.
These picture of the bikes are really cool, but I can't my share bike pic right now.

Workout San Diego


----------



## chaoss

Been throwing a leg over this one for over two years now.
Look mom, no brakes!!


----------



## kaichu dento

I come to this thread looking to see how ubiquitous disc brakes have become and you've got no brakes at all!


----------



## 127.0.0.1

I ride the heck out of all these bikes

single speed road bike for hill and high cadence work,
fast road bike for gp hammering,
spinbike for focused work






fatbike, and in lower right corner, a Brompton L3 folded up and in it's bag






geared 26'er






cx bike doing fender duty






TT bike with sipderwebs, haven't ridden this one yet this year






geared 29'er






SS 26'er






GreatGranny, wood hauler






racing my Yeti ARC






IceBike DeLuxe






Chopper... parking at RedBones






other pics of my chopper


----------



## orbital

127.0.0.1 said:


> cx bike doing fender duty
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> racing my Yeti ARC



+

Very cool to see your Yeti >> old school
...although your cross bike wins!! :thumbsup:


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## TONY M

VERY nice bikes 127!



I love the Surly Pugsley, that must be awesome!

Here is one of mine minus carbon wheels. Still toying with the positioning as you can see. Strange pedal choice some may think but I now only use Time ATAC pedals for security - road and MTB variety, MTB in this case for some reason. I haven't been able to ride it as often as I would like.






Pity that there is not a decent track in this country, the curse of the Olympics put an end to that for us...


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## orbital

^^

*The heart of my road bike*

...really, the only high end part is my *King *BB.
FSA 36/50 chainrings 

My frame was built in the Spring of 2000 
Looks a bit dirty in the pic.:devil:


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## Chauncey Gardiner

BryDaddy said:


> WOW flashlights AND bikes all in one place??? LOL......anyway i love all the bikes here.......i come from a VERY HEAVY downhill riding family......unfortunately being 38 now, and having the knees of a 93 year old.....i have gone from having 5 different trail/downhill bikes, to having just one bike. a cruiser bike i have made a few modifications to, such as Brooks saddle, Brooks grips, Brooks tool bag, some bear trap pedals, upgraded the crappy disk brakes to some Avid BB7's, and a nice little "custom painted to match the frame" rear LED light just above the rear disk.....
> 
> what do you think?


 

_I think this picture is going to be my new_ desktop background for a week or so. Very cool!  

~ Chance


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## Chauncey Gardiner

_
I fell so hard for BryDaddy's Electra I had to go out and buy my own. It's no where near as cool, but the time spent yesterday (and in the future) riding with my 15 year old son was so worth the $$$$. 

Thanks to everyone in this thread for reminding me how much fun riding a bike can be. 

Happy Fathers Day!

~ Chance_


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## chaoss

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> _
> I fell so hard for BryDaddy's Electra I had to go out and buy my own. It's no where near as cool, but the time spent yesterday (and in the future) riding with my 15 year old son was so worth the $$$$.
> 
> Thanks to everyone in this thread for reminding me how much fun riding a bike can be.
> 
> Happy Fathers Day!
> 
> ~ Chance_



Nice and enjoy that quality time with your son.


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## Chauncey Gardiner

_Thanks chaoss, will do. 

~ Chance
_


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## sabre7

Very impressive bikes and bike knowledge on here. Hope it is not inappropriate to ask in this thread , but I am thinking of getting a Trek 7.2 FX for getting back into shape, and general entry level touring on city streets/neighborhood. Any sage thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated!


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## baxtrom

My humble FireMountain


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## trigger858

Nice bike.Im still figuring out how to post pics and stuff.
I have a specialized enduro pro. 2006 model. having fun and getting my 
cardio at same time. as soon as get some lights i'll be doing some night riding.
gotta read more of the bike lights forum.


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## Toaster79




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## Norm

Please keep in mind the rule for posting pictures on CPF, quite a number of images in this sub forum exceed the maximum allowable image size of 800 X 800 Pixels.


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## Patriot

BryDaddy said:


> WOW flashlights AND bikes all in one place??? LOL......anyway i love all the bikes here.......i come from a VERY HEAVY downhill riding family......unfortunately being 38 now, and having the knees of a 93 year old.....i have gone from having 5 different trail/downhill bikes, to having just one bike. a cruiser bike i have made a few modifications to, such as Brooks saddle, Brooks grips, Brooks tool bag, some bear trap pedals, upgraded the crappy disk brakes to some Avid BB7's, and a nice little "custom painted to match the frame" rear LED light just above the rear disk.....
> 
> what do you think?



I sure like that Electra! I can't quote with picture however, because it exceeds 800x600.


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## raptechnician

1997 Kona Hahanna in mint condition...chromoly frame...super light.


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## lightcycle1

My Trek 3900 Aluminum mountain bike with headligjt and taillight going.






Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2


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## Foot Hill

[



custom steel frame with force group. 
Road




mtn Santa Cruz xc carbon blur.
..Now trying to figure out how to install my tm26 onto Mtb. Stem (24 hr team race  kind of puts my Ayup lights to shame.


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## [email protected]

TONY M said:


> 57.3mph . That must have been fun... And get rid of that da+n HRM!


Where.........do...........you..get...........a......%...meter.like...this


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## roger-roger

I have a bunch of pics...


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## bykfixer

1975 Schwinn Collegiate Camel Back.
In 1974 they made 500. It was a limited edition run. 



This is the only known 75 model in existance.




Speaking of only one...
This one is a custom made number by a guy who works at Worksman Bicycles in New York. Chain stays, top tube length, seat stay angle, head tube angle and fork rake were all built to my requested numbers. The rear wheel is a 2 speed hi/lo coaster brake number. Custom made chromed annodized alluminum wheels with 10 guage spokes, OEM Goodyear 1940's tires, period correct leather grips and saddle all went into the build.




2011 meets 1911.
This Schwinn Wayfarer was converted into a light weight racer. The pic is before it was completed. Hollow axles, carbon fiber fenders, lightweight alluminum parts galore, carbon forks, foam grips, 25mm kevlar sidewall hard compound racing tires and a custom set of 7 cogs make this one scary fast on the street. I shaved off grams everywhere I could while providing a stable and sturdy platform. 




A 24" wheel'd John Purse Redline. 
Once owned by multi time champ John himself this racer was auctioned off after he won a local race on it. It still has the 3rd place qualifier tag on the brake cable. We put a more comfy seat and S&M handle bars on it. 




Aaaaaaand a few more I had sitting around.
All but the red bike were disassembled and stashed to make room in the garage for...



This car. 
A 1991 Honda Prelude SI ALB. It had been garaged all but 1 year of its life. It lived under a high end car cover in my driveway awaiting a motor swap that 1 year. Soon after it was back indoors and getting a full on restore. 

I now have a few bikes in my shed awaiting restorations.


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## roger-roger




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## orbital

+

For Chance 2.0


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## vicv

Peugeot uo-18 from around ‘74. All original as far as I can tell aside from the new tires and tubes I put on it. Even the original chain I believe. Is a bit small for me, and a road bike is completely unsuitable, but it sure is pretty


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## Chauncey Gardiner

vicv said:


> Peugeot uo-18 from around ‘74. All original as far as I can tell aside from the new tires and tubes I put on it. Even the original chain I believe. Is a bit small for me, and a road bike is completely unsuitable, but it sure is pretty
> View attachment 28586
> View attachment 28587
> View attachment 28588
> View attachment 28589


 
Yep, she's a beauty! 👍


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