Touring - Eccentric Custom Touring bike

I saw this bike at Stinson Beach, CA, and was quite amazed at the extent of what this man had figured out he could make as custom accessories with a couple bits of scrap metal...

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7133/p1100218bm5.jpg

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/738/p1100221cw0.jpg

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/1/p1100223sb8.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/3967/p1100224bo7.jpg

My favorites are the handmade bar brakes and the front rack.

That is a really clever bike, I like the downtube bag, its no Carradice but I have to applaud the resolve.

Thanks for posting these. It's fascinating to see what people come up with.

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While on a tour, while going through Mill Valley, I crossed paths with a guy who had done some very similar things with his bike! I even wonder if it might be the same guy.

The front rack was similar. It seemed almost like a work of art -- something an art student might come up with as a project.

He wore those gray leather work gloves instead of cycling gloves. The leather was black instead of gray where the leather made contact with the bars.

The Jandd panniers he had were *very* faded -- like those in the pictures here, but more so. They had actually faded to a fairly uniform light gray. They looked good that way, though. I've never seen any (formerly) black panniers that far faded out.

He said the front rack was heavy, but he didn't mind.

He said the reason he built those racks was because he kept bending forks. His front racks are designed (in part at least) to strengthen against and prevent this.

I wonder if it's the same guy, or if they know each other?

Stinson isn't that far from Mill Valley, and he said he liked getting out on Mt. Tam, and had been doing so for years. He obviously did a lot of riding around Marin. He had a very interesting and very alive sense of aesthetics going on in his life (boots, clothes, music, inventions, other things) -- he was strongly engaged on that level.

He was conscious of the (somewhat unusual) aesthetic aspects and the genuine appeal (to him, and to some others who shared the engagement) of his designs.

He was creative, and was a very interesting guy; we had a quite lively and engaging discussion, and I'm glad I was able to meet him.

Thanks again for posting these.

Thanks for posting these. It's fascinating to see what people come up with.

****
While on a tour, while going through Mill Valley, I crossed paths with a guy who had done some very similar things with his bike! I even wonder if it might be the same guy.

The front rack was similar. It seemed almost like a work of art -- something an art student might come up with as a project.

He wore those gray leather work gloves instead of cycling gloves. The leather was black instead of gray where the leather made contact with the bars.

The Jandd panniers he had were *very* faded -- like those in the pictures here, but more so. They had actually faded to a fairly uniform light gray. They looked good that way, though. I've never seen any (formerly) black panniers that faded out.

He said the front rack was heavy, but he didn't mind.

He said the reason he did it was because he kept bending forks. The front racks are designed (in part at least) to strengthen against and prevent this.

I wonder if it's the same guy, or if they know each other?

Stinson isn't that far from Mill Valley, and he said he liked getting out on Mt. Tam, and had been doing so for years. He obviously did a lot of riding around Marin. He had a very interesting and very alive sense of aesthetics going on in his life -- he was strongly engaged on that level.

He was conscious of the (somewhat unusual) aesthetic aspects and the genuine appeal (to him, and to some others who shared the engagement) of his designs. He was a very interesting guy; we had a quite lively and engaging discussion, and I'm glad I was able to meet him.

Thanks again for posting these.

i am amazed that the frame and components can support all of that "stuff" without failing.

Looks like something out of Mad Max.

The frames too big for him which is why the saddle sits on the top tube. Can't be too comfortable. I was wondering if anyone still makes top tube shifters? I have them on my World Sport and prefer them to down tube shifters.

Steel is real--heavy. Good luck to him.

The new Xmart roadbikes have stem shifters on them, plastic, don't know how good they are. The only top tube shifters I've seen are either the gripshifter hotrod ones or the old tangent shifters for the three speed hubs.

I've seen racks made out of metal strap somewhere online, I'm sure someone has it bookmarked.

Definitely an interesting find and thanks for having the camera ready and sharing!

What the heck is that thing under the BB? is it a woodburning stove or toaster oven? or is it where the tinsnips and riveting tool are kept to keep a low CG...

I am admiring his work too. I couldn't see what frame he had, but the components are similar to my circa 1978 Sekai 2400 sport ten speed, made of Japanese Chromolly steel. It appears to have the same lugs too. However, I think this bike has a longer geometry than mine does, and was probably meant for touring to begin with. I didn't buy the Sekai bike myself. I took it over from my father when he became too old to ride it. (He continued to ride a less sporty bike for many years, and he passed away last summer.) I've been using it as a utility urban bike. It has only a double chain ring and a six-speed cassette.

Notice the stem-mounted analog shift levers! They only made them for a few years. The brakes and stem mount also seem to be the same as on my Sekai. This is a bike that has really been in use for a long time.

My guess is that he has the seat low because he is a bit too old for the sporty riding posture, and feels more comfortable sitting more upright. He probably has owned this bike for thirty years.

I wouldn't say that my frame is heavy. And it feels solid too.

Howard