Doohickie

Hybrids are a tough category to pin down; there are so many definitions. A lot of us use them because they are so versatile, and part of that versatility comes from the mods we do to them. Some bikes are bought new and stay in virtually the same configuration, but it seems like hybrid owners like to adapt their rides to their specific needs. I thought it would be a good thread idea to look at some of these evolutions.

I bought a NOS 1994 Nishiki Sport XRS to commute on in 2008. Note the store price tags on the handlebars:



Basic commuting accessories added- "be seen" lighting, a bell, bottle cage, saddle bag & trunk bag:



Additional "be seen" lighting added (for Christmas season only ). Also the trunk bag has been replaced by panniers for more carrying room.



Flat bars replaced by Origin8 Space Bar and clip-on fenders replaced by SKS full fenders. Also, the cranks were replaced under a Shimano recall:



I replaced my "be seen" lighting with "see" lighting- a CygoLite Rover II. I also went back to the straight bar but added bar ends.



Generic seat replaced by Wrights W.3N leather seat:

Doohickie

My most recent change was the addition of a SON 28 dynohub and Busch and Muller lighting:





Also, I'm now running Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires.

javal

Great bike. You seem to have a lot of fun upgrading and riding. Why new bikes?

Doohickie

Indeed. Surely, though, I'm not the only one who tinkers. Does anyone else want to show off the evolution of their bike?

gitarzan

No pics, I'm working on my Globe Vienna 1 Deluxe right now. I expect to wrap it up in a couple day and I am on vacation next week, and plan to ride.

I've just replaced the Revo-Shifts with a pair of Rapid-Fires. The twisters always bothered me. Also pulled the Altus RD and replaced it with a Deore M591 SGS, hoping for smoother shifts.

Also since I pulled the revos, I needed to replace the grips, staying with Specialized, and I added some end bars for a little more hand mobility.

Maybe pics next week.

gitarzan

I'm also considering hybridizing my Road Bike ala Sirrus style. Pop on a pair of Funn Fatboys...
But, and it's a big but, I'll need to invest in new shifters...
Ouch.
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...-for-flat-bars

gitarzan

Another project, not quite hybrid...
I bought a 1991-2 Sirrus Frame. Lugged Steel. Frame was identical to Allez that year.
Since then, I have accumulated:
♦Ultegra 6500 Triple crankset.
♦Dura Ace Triple BB.
♦Ultegra 6503 Front Derailer and Braze-on adapter.
♦Shimano braze on housing stops.
♦Shimano LX RD-M580 REAR Derailer Top normal.
♦11-34 8 speed Shimano Cassette.
♦Shimano ST-EF50 RapidFire brake lever/shifter

Need to get:
◊Seat -I can get an OK seat for cheap at Performance in town.
◊Handle bars -Handlebars will be determined. I was going to go Albatross or Northroads but the rapidfires may give me trouble on that, so I need to decide to keep the shifters and go flat bar or get some bar-ends and get the bar I want.
◊Wheelset - This is the killer. They get expensive quickly. I'll need to decide. I do want to run a wider tire, maybe 32 if it will fit.
◊Brakes - Shimano 6500 Ultegra or others on Ebay day in and day out for cheap. I need to get wheels and tires first so I know if I need to get longer or shorter ones.
◊Pedals of some sort.
I hope to finish it by next summer. It's would have been done this summer but life got in the way.

AdelaaR

Ok good idea.
Here's the story of my bike:

First, I got myself a frame, a fork, some wheels, brakes, drivetrain and a whole bunch of other stuff.



Then I put all of it together in my still very basic garage.



I loved it how it was then, but it needed some improvements still, so I added an aerobar and lights: dual electron nano 9's as headlights and electron blinking led lights for visibility.



Then I swapped the pedals for A530's, got myself some racewheels for doing high speed road riding and got a second bottlecage. I also changed the adjustable stem for a rigid 30° stem because the adjustable one creacked too much when really hitting it hard.



The last thing I changed were the grips ... they were too loose so I got myself some ritchey grips which can be secured with tiny bolts and I placed the old grips on my aerobar, which turned out to be a great addition to it.

xoxoxoxoLive

Very nice bikes, and great photo layouts. I built one from frame up also, but it was a MTB..I can not seem to find the exact words I'm
looking for, but it gives you some sort of different since of satisfaction when riding one you totally restored or created. Richard : )

qmsdc15

I don't have pictures of this bike when I bought it six years ago.

With original frame


New frame


Put wheels on for a quick photo op. Seat still lowered for the trailer ride.


The left barend was angled in too much because the bar was crimped from a crash. I had to shorten the bars, they are a little too narrow now. I swapped out the carbon barends for these time trial horns. They make sense on the narrow bars. I wouldn't be afraid to bring this bike to a triathlon. Maybe afraid to bring me, but not my bike...


I have some longer flat bars I'll probably use to evolve this bike further.

Stock:
fork
headset
stem
handlebar
Brake levers
Shift levers
Brakes
Front derailleur
crank
bottom bracket

Replaced:
frame
wheels
pedals
seatpost
saddle
rear derailleur
cogs, chain, chainrings, brake pads, tires, grips

Added:
Bottle cage
Bar ends

I also mounted a pump under the side of the water bottle cage and a patch kit under the bottom of the cage. The patch kit is held in place with a piece of inner tube.

Doohickie

Wow.

Siu Blue Wind

This is a cool thread idea! I love to see the transitions, this is great!



AdelaaR, How do you like your pedals? I was thinking about these but they seemed a bit big. Are they comfortable?

xoxoxoxoLive

I agree, could turn out be an awesome thread ! Richard

AdelaaR

Good question.
They are very light (lighter than M324's), very aerodynamic for what they are and sturdily made.
The clicking system is great.
The only problem with them is that the platform side isn't very grippy since it doesn't have any sharp pins ... i personally do not find this to a problem because I always use the clickside when going on rough terrain and only occasionally use the platform side when doing easy roadriding with my wife.
For casual riding the platforms are definately good enough and even very comfortable because they are long and give very good support on shoes with soft soles.
Do not go XC riding with the platforms though.

kaliayev

Here a couple of old pics of the 1st conversion of my 1990 Trek 750 with True Temper lugged frame. The frame geometry is the same as the 520 with the only difference being the chain stays are 445mm compared to 450mm of the 520. Used it as a commuter. Currently converting it to a more friendly town bike and grocery getter. Parts using are XTR shifter/brake levers and chain, LX crank, XT FD and RD, SLX cassette, Bontrager Satellite Plus bar w/Cane Creek grips, and a Profile Design stem. Remainder of components will be what is already on the bike. Hopefully it will be done this weekend and can post some pics. Should more closely resemble it's original look.

badger1

No pictures for now; I'll post some up when I figure it out ... but I have two bikes.

1. 2005 Giant Rainier mtb, bought new in '05. All that remains is the frame and (half of the!) headset. Currently set up as an on/off-road, all-weather fast commuter: SRAM X9 shifters and rear der; XT front; LX Hollowtech II crank; SRAM 990 12-25 road cassette; Mavic 717 on XT hubs with (currently) Vittoria 1.5" Randonneur (folding); 2006 Marz MX Comp Air fork; Shimano 520 pedals; carbon seatpost, Ergon grips etc. The fork was a great find: NOS at my LBS -- one of the 'made in Italy' ones with alloy steerer, no plasticky knobs, etc ... very light. This bike has served me very, very well and continues to do so.

2. 2010 Sirrus Comp: for now, all stock except XT pedals (I don't like 'road' pedals/shoes) and Specialized Avatar saddle. Anticipated upgrades for spring: carbon bar, Ergon grips (have those on the Rainier --love 'em), nicer v-brakes (thinking the TRP ones) and some better/lighter wheels (maybe Easton E70s) and tires. So far, love this bike; as is, about 21.5 pounds with pedals (LBS Park scale); could be a lot lighter.

Siu Blue Wind

No grip or pins....then I guess when wet, your foot may slip....Thanks for letting me know.

Wanderer

You would like the PDM324s. They are like "normal" pedals (very slip resistant) when on the platform side, and not that unweildly when you take off in tennis shoes, on the wrong side....... LOL

GriddleCakes

@Doohickie: I love the Xmas lights! Where did you find battery powered ones?

This thread makes me wish I'd taken more pics of the bike. Here's what it looked like stock:



Not my pic, but definitely the same bike. Purchased during my brief residency in California, after my Novara Bonanza was stolen. Added clip on fenders for that first winter, and lights after being pulled over by the cops for riding lightless after dark. Upgraded to Planet Bike Superflash lights ('cause they're awesome) and full fenders (ditto). Bought semi-slick tires to replace the knobbies.

After moving back to Alaska, I changed out the shock fork for a rigid fork, and upsized the front wheel from 26" to 29", because why not (because it's a waste of money, that's why. Live and learn)? Got square with my inner geek and bought a mirror. Tried out a set of moustache bars and barcon shifters because I was bored of the old riser/bar end combo. Found that the new bars were too low, so I added a fugly stem riser to compensate:



Oh yeah, I also covered the bike in stickers and reflective tape in an attempt to make it so ugly as to be theft-resistant. And added Monkeylectric spoke lights, which are heavy, gaudy, suck in a crosswind, and are downright awesome. Now the bike was too ugly to steal. Unfortunately, it was also too ugly to ride.

So I stripped the stickers and paint, and ditched the stem riser and moustache bars for Nitto Albatross bars with cork grips. I also added racks, changed the tires to Schwalbe Big Apples (so fat! so smooth!), bought some panniers, and a Brooks saddle. Now the bike didn't look as goofy, and with the Albatross bars and Big Apples I was really enjoying the ride. Wore my original chainrings out, so I bought a new crankset, and ditched the granny ring that I never used.




Now I'm saving up for an Alfine 8 speed hub for the rear, so I can stop getting pissed about my cassette icing up whenever I ride in the slush or snow. Today I ditched the cork grips (they were clashing with the color scheme) and added cross levers (so that I can brake when I'm riding up in the bends). Here's the Pony with his winter shoes on:



So I've put more money into this bike than it was ever worth, but I don't care. It's a fun ride, and it's fun to tinker with. I like riding it more than when I first bought it, and upgrading has become kind of a hobby. I'm sure that I'll stop, once I have the ride perfected.

xoxoxoxoLive

Nice bike, and cool pictures...Richard : )

AdelaaR

Griddlecakes, are you serious about your cassette "icing up"?
At what temperatures do you ride when that happens?

GriddleCakes

Adelaar, it happens when I ride through deep soft snow or slush, at about 34F/1C and below. It's less a function of temperature, and more a matter of how much snow or slush is being thrown up into the cassette. "Icing up" isn't the best description, maybe "packing solid" is better. Basically, snow accumulates in the spaces between the cogs, sticks to the metal, and eventually packs solid. So when you attempt to shift, the chain can't settle fully onto the cog and instead skips.

It's not the end of the world, or even the end of the ride, when it happens. When riding through snow, I just leave the chain on an appropriate cog and don't bother shifting. I've got full fenders, so my chainrings stay clear, and I don't lose shifting in the front. If the roads have been cleared, or I'm riding on hardpacked snow or ice, then it's not a worry at all since nothing is being thrown up into the cassette. And at 35F/1.5C and above, slush doesn't stick to the cogs as well and the chain is able to clear the slush out of the cassette on its own.

It looks like we got about 3 inches of fresh snow overnight, so I'm going to have a slow, single geared ride to school today. I'll see if I can get a picture of the cassette packed with snow, so you can see what I'm talking about.

MidSouth

Was at the local LBS this weekend so the wife could start buying my Christmas presents and came across a new Orbea all carbon fiber hybrid/fitness bike. Has attachements for a rear reack and can be fitted with disc brakes. Only $2295!

AdelaaR

Only 2295 lolz.
Isn't that the "diem ice"?

MidSouth

I think it said Diem 105. Pretty pricey, but then again I built up a steel Niner MCR 29" mountain bike as mainly a rail-to-trail hybrid and ended up spending about $3800 by the time I got done LOL!