drummingpariah

Last year, I rode my mountain bike to the train/bus pretty much every day and loved multimodal commuting. Then that bike got stolen, and I couldn't really justify putting another $100 into another bike (plus fresh tires, a new chain, lubricants, etc) so I went without.

Last week, I broke down and bought an old Sovereign in this condition for $75:


After a week and a little money and some time in an AWESOME shop in Berkeley called the "Missing Link Cooperative" I have finally ridden my bike in to work. It looks like this now:


I'm not quite hardcore enough to go fixed gear yet, but I did get a Formula rear hub and a single-speed freewheel that's been treating me very well. The crank seems a little sticky and the forks are slightly bent, but my 5mile ride into the office went great!

I know I should get some lights (I leave for work before dawn) and probably get a helmet (even though traffic is light that early, I still have to ride home) but I am absolutely loving the idea of just bicycling. I've been wondering what aftermarket options are available for these older road bikes, though. Mine is sticky at one point, and I'm not sure it's going to be fixable. What should I be checking for? I'm not even sure if this is a single-piece crank or not (the arms bolt onto the crank and both are removable).

I should also decide upon a color. I went with yellow because it was cheap, I had a pair of full cans in my closet, and it's visible. I'm not sure I like the idea of owning a yellow bike, though. I've been through the galleries and it seems like most people keep the stock paint and stickers on their bikes. This sovereign was absolutely heinous from the factory, so I'm hoping to get away from that as soon as possible.

Also, the forks are just slightly mis-aligned from one another, leaving the front wheel at a slight angle (camber). Is there an easy way to re-align them or adjust them? I'm really excited just to be riding the bike, but I have a feeling it could perform a lot better with just a little more work/money.

CigTech

Nice Ride, Now get the lights on it ASAP

fearfeasog

you need to have a shop experienced in frame repairs tell you if the fork is fixable. if not its new fork time.

and definitely paint it a different shade of yellow, at least! and lights and a helmet are abs. required if you ride in the dim/dark, helmet all the time of course!

enjoy!

drummingpariah

Safety is the name of the game at this point. I'll be leaving here before 4pm every day, and have a lot of back roads (Berkeley is nice because of all the forced turns for cars, but they allow bicycles and emergency vehicles through... minimizes traffic congestion) that I can take, so it's not as bad as it could have been.

Wish me luck, I'm leaving work soon!

AngryScientist 

looks like that bike has cottered cranks, which are usually a bit** to work on, otherwise it looks pretty good though!

drummingpariah

Before I left the office, I broke out the big hammer and 10mm wrench to tighten down one of the crank arms which was loose and really scared me (it felt like the crankshaft was bent or something on one side). Works great for now, but I definitely want to replace it with a proper, modern crank once I know a thing or two about these bikes.

My ride home was worlds better than the ride to work, because it was longer and I found a MUCH better route. Now I just need a bike buddy to go out on rides with.

jyossarian

Welcome to the Happy Health Commuting Mutha F%#@ers club (HHCMF). We're a secret society that's been around millions of years, founded when dinosaurs roamed the earth on bicycles. We like jelly donuts and being ogled by the opposite sex, and about 10% of the same sex. Remember to keep the club secret by talking at length about your bicycle commute and how your rides are fueled by jelly donuts.

drummingpariah

That explains why I was so tired! No jelly donuts all day. Here I was mawing on fresh papayas and lamb, when really, it should have been jelly donuts.

I might just go for a ride to get some right now

*edit* and it's not the SUV's that worry me. It's the Prius' that concern me. It's not that they don't notice bicyclists, it's that they don't notice ANYTHING.

unterhausen

I have a Prius, but it sits at home all day while I commute by bike to work. I've never really had a run-in while riding. I have seen some Prius drivers that seem to have attention problems because they are trying to save gas.

drummingpariah

I had a feeling someone on here would have one (or two), and hope you don't take offense. It's obviously a generalization, and I'm sure there are exceptions, I just haven't seen any. Most of my run-ins have been while I was in a car (I have a loud, smelly, noxious-gas-producing, v8-powered Datsun 240z that I drive when I'm not biking) and out here at least, they're the most dangerous drivers around.

I see lots of wandering between lanes, ignoring green lights, only coming to rolling stops (even when pedestrians are starting to cross in a crosswalk right in front of them)... I think a certain type of person is attracted to the Prius, and that's the type of person who wants to take an action and have that solve a problem definitively. They don't want to pay attention to that problem ever again, or have to think about it. The Prius solves the 'environmentally correct' problem, and they stop paying attention to their vehicles. That also explains why I've seen so many broken down lately. They simply aren't maintained.

Anyway, enough of that rant. Had a great ride in this morning, but I broke down and went multimodal. Still, great weather, just barely beat the sunrise to work, and followed that up with a bagel and orange juice. I'm going to start reading up on proper diets this week and see if I can get into a routine that's conducive to riding around all the time.

drummingpariah

Still no lights, but I haven't been riding at night. I leave my house JUST before dawn, and cars really can't come through my neighborhood, so by the time I'm out into the public it's light.

I really should get a new bag though. I've done a little research, and people generally favor panniers over backpacks, but I tend to go up/down stairs and in/out of buildings a lot so I think I'm going to get a good, solid wearable bag. I'd like suggestions for something that breathes nicely and doesn't cost a fortune. Anyone have some advice for me?

noglider 

drummingpariah, a suggestion: put some tape on those handlebars, and even more importantly, be sure there are plugs at the ends of the handlebars.

Nice to see your story unfold!

drummingpariah

Updated:


I put some new (cheapo) tape on them last week, and realized about halfway through that I was wrapping it too tightly. I'll redo it in a bit.

Just out of curiosity, why are the handlebar plugs so important?

noglider 

Unplugged handlebar ends are a dangerous weapon.

I suggest a rear brake, too. Toe clips would be nice, too.

The bike is coming along nicely. Thanks for the pictures. How much does it weigh?

mechanicalron

Injurys coused by unpluged bars can be, well,,, graffic. Plug the bars and you won't get plugged! 2nd you wont have a mad bee nest with you all the time.

drummingpariah

I have plugs so I don't really need to worry about that one.
I've never really seen a reason for a rear brake, and am strongly considering a fixed cog in the rear, which will give me enough braking to lock up that wheel.
As far as pedals/clips, I absolutely want something, but I'm not sure what yet. Clipless pedals and cleats seem to be the best option; I'm either at my desk at work or out riding around. I don't do too much walking. I've been looking at a few SPD sets, and I think those will be my next investment, hopefully with a new crank (it's shim-style, and the chainring is a bit bent).

Also, I still haven't decided upon paint yet. The yellow isn't too terrible, but I feel like I should do something else.

The last picture was actually taken with my phone, which I'm pretty impressed with so far. The G1 has its quirks, but I'd say it was a good purchase overall.

rumrunn6

Oh good - bar tape!

somedood

You have a V8 240Z? What motor did you put in that thing, i bet the wheels break traction incredibly easy!

Congrats on aquiring a new ride! The front forks are steel so it may be possible to 'gently' bend them back but like another poster said it may be a better idea to just replace it. Broken fork while riding == pain.

mechanicalron

OK but spend the money on a track wheel with a lock ring. Do not do the BB lock ring trick on a reg threaded hub as it WILL fail you when you need it!

drummingpariah

I actually just sold that one (had a 283, then a 350 SBC), and yes, it broke traction like nobody's business. The new one just has the stock l24 engine, but I have an l28et (bigger, badder, turbocharged engine) ready to drop in once I have the time to put into it. If you're interested in the project, I'm going to start tracking it here:
https://car.scrapper-site.net

and I have the photo galleries for the new one here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/madnessmanual/S30

and the old one here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/madnessmanual/540z02

Lots of plans, none of them are environmentally friendly.

So maybe I'll just skip on the fixed rear altogether, I've never had a situation where I didn't have enough traction in the front (and the rear was still on the ground). I might just go with a larger freewheel instead.

mechanicalron

A larger freewheel = faster spin and lower speed.

drummingpariah

Hills. I live right near Grizzly Peak, which would kick the crap out of me right now.