Love this beauty.Originally Posted by Dannihilator
Reminds me of one of my previous steeds!
Love this beauty.
Reminds me of one of my previous steeds!
You want to be a writer
But you don’t know how or when
Find a quiet place
Use a humble pen
It's the work horse of my bikes.
Spent all day going over my Univega with a fine tooth comb, as well as changing a couple of things.
Before:
After:
I never use the rear rack, so it was just adding unnecessary weight. The front rack was far more than needed just for a handlebar bag, and I've suspected it was stiffening up the front end quite a bit, sort of negating the rake of the fork. Well after a quick test ride with the new rack, I think my suspicions were correct. Compared to before, the bike practically glides over bumps. I also replaced the tires, so I'm sure that helps as much as anything, although they're the same tires I had before, only new.
I also chopped off about ten inches of unnecessary seat post. Apparently when I installed that one years ago, all the LBS had was a super long MTB post, and I must have been too lazy to cut it before. I've also come to terms with the fact that my rear fender line will never be quite right on this bike, due to the placement of the seat stay bridge and the horizontal dropouts necessitating extra clearance in the front to remove the wheel. However, when I replace the fenders I think I can at least get a little closer.
Lampy... That is one of my favourite bikes and agree that a front rack will kill a nice riding fork... so much so that we have been working on a suspended rack design to eliminate the effects they have on forks.
Interesting that you have a similar set up on your crank as I do on my touring bike with the closer stepped granny and middle ring...
I actually didn't realize how close in size those two rings were until I looked at these pictures.The bike originally came with a half step plus granny. I removed the large chainring, moved the middle one to the outside, and bought another middle ring. It works well enough for me, though sometimes I'd like something even smaller than that 26 tooth little ring. Either that or something larger than the 28 tooth freewheel in the rear. I have an old 34 tooth Shimano freewheel collecting dust, but the Suntour is just so much nicer. Plus it sounds infinitely better, not that that should matter.
I've seen some pictures and drawings of 40s and 50s bikes with a similar front rack to my old one, only instead of mounting at the fork dropouts, eyelets were brazed on just above the curve of the fork and the rack mounted there. It was a pretty elegant alternative, I think.
N+1
Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live. ~Mark Twain, "Taming the Bicycle"
The time has come, the Walrus said,
to speak of many things: ~ Lewis Carroll.
vBulletin 4: snafu
It is like a half step with an overdrive...I actually didn't realize how close in size those two rings were until I looked at these pictures.
I've seen some pictures and drawings of 40s and 50s bikes with a similar front rack to my old one, only instead of mounting at the fork dropouts, eyelets were brazed on just above the curve of the fork and the rack mounted there. It was a pretty elegant alternative, I think.
My Kuwahara runs a 50 tooth big with a 14-34 on 26 inch wheels so the top gear is not as high as it looks but sufficient to keep me going at a pretty comfortable speed... monster gearing on a touring bike just doesn't make sense to me and I keep pondering a half step but like the set up and also run a 26 low and a 38 middle. Original was a 28/38/48 but a little more top and bottom end was needed and the 14-34 megarange is a nice unit as it runs like a tighter 6 speed with a hail mary gear.
I have an LX compact triple that will run a 20 tooth low... have yet to need a gearing that low.
I prefer the internals on Suntour freewheels and the externals of the Shimano hyperglides... if only the HG freewheels were as long lasting as Suntours.
On another note, if you want to keep the Suntour freewheel and let me know what model it is, I have a nearly full board of cogs and would swap that 28 low to a 32 for the cost of shipping.
My ProFlex
My 53 Raleigh Sports hiding my Spezzotto
Our week end riders (the wife and I)
My Colsen Commander
My Maddy That I traded for my Spezzotto
My Voyageur
My Ross Apollo 5 speed
My Kuwahara that I had to sell. (needed the cash at the time) =0(
My Custom made Schwinn Grey Ghost trike. Sold it like a dick! =0(
Last edited by ilikebikes; 04-24-12 at 07:29 PM.
You see, their morals, their code...it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these...These "civilized" people...they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve
Those cranks are so clean I'd use them to eat off of...
Now that is unusual! What brand is it?
Nice bikes - geez Louise - do you guys all run 175mm cranks? My bikes all look so tiny...my friends tease me and say I should be wearing clown makeup and riding in oversized shoes....
God I love those wheels. Wish I had a set. Years ago I used to walk a mile or so from my office just to drool over this bike that used to be locked up outside an office building near Radio City Music hall:
Oh great, now my post makes no sense.
That bike has the Spins with alluminium brake walls, th Spins I have on my K2 have the ceramic coated alluminium brake walls. =0)
You see, their morals, their code...it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these...These "civilized" people...they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve
Now you can see why I freak over how clean some of your bikes are; this is my cleanest bike - and it's a mess! I'm still dialing in the fit (new set back seatpost and generic interim stem, I need to get a new wider bar and it will also get a new 31.8 stem then, it's still at 26mm right now).
I also just changed out the gearing from a 53/39 to 53/38 and swapped the 11-23 for a 12-27. Reality sets in when those hills meet my legs and lungs!
The commuter remains filthy and I love it so....had this one since I bought it new in '93. <3
Oh great, now my post makes no sense.
I had the worse "bike crush" on the Orbea Orca! :0)
You see, their morals, their code...it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these...These "civilized" people...they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve
New pedals for my Schwinn Cutter
Trying them out
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi
"However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
And one that I just took on my ride tonight. Moon in the triangle, Venus near the handlebars
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
2012 Gary Fisher Sawyer, an homage to the original Marin klunkers in chromoly 29er form.
For a big manufacturer's frame it is surprisingly versatile as it can be run geared, SS or belt. I needed a new light trail bike since I'm giving my Litespeed Pisgah to my son for transportation. He just turned 16 today and he's 5'-11"!
Dang they grow 'em tall in Pagosa Springs! Those are nice bikes.
I do remember the cruiser redux era - I wanted one of those Merlin Ti Cantilever frames but had to make do with a second-hand KHS Wedgewood (cro-mo main frame, hi-ten forks and stays, iirc) - I built it up as a SS commuter, with a coaster brake in back and a front V-brake, it came in at around 26-27 lbs, which was fine. Not a bad riding frame.
Oh great, now my post makes no sense.
Am going to see if red bikes actually go faster... just snagged this hand built Proctor.
I run 170 - 175mm cranks on my bikes... touring and utility bikes tend to get the longer 175 and the spinners get 170 or in the case of my Cooper road bike, a Sugino 172.5 does the job.
The Cascade got a little work over the winter... swapped the Vx for Cyclone Mk1 derailleurs as they haver an even lighter pull and changed my stem to bring the bars down. Have some custom Arvon touring hubs to build into wheels and some interrupter levers on the way too.
I must have more than 25,000 miles on this bike since I bought it 5 years ago and as a fixed gear it took me everywhere, nearly every day and as a tourer it is the reason I never have to look at a Surly LHT. I was offered one in a nearly straight up trade for my Cascade but declined that offer.
I tend to run whatever length comes on the bikes I buy. My preference is for 165s. I have one set of 150mm and several bikes with 170 - 172.5mm cranks though.
Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live. ~Mark Twain, "Taming the Bicycle"
The time has come, the Walrus said,
to speak of many things: ~ Lewis Carroll.
vBulletin 4: snafu
My geared bike is 172.5 and my SS is 175 and the mini-velo is 170. I am still trying to decide if 175 is too long for me, or if that's possible.
--Ben
2011 Motobecane Fantom Cross Uno, 2009 Motobecane Fantom CX, 2011 Windsor Shetland (prototype)
Previously: 2000 Trek 4500 (2000-2003), 2003 Novara Randonee (2003-2006), 2003 Giant Rainier (2003-2008), 2005 Xootr Swift (2005-2007), 2007 Nashbar 1x9 (NB-SF2 frame)
Since everyone in C&V is probably growing tired of this bike by now...
and a crappy shot of my heavily upgraded Cracknfail (and no, those pedal cages are not still on there. It either sports a white set of cages or white Crank Bros Candies):
Architorture Intern
-40° is the same in every language.
The Proctor redux...
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