jefnvk

Yeah @bikemig, the only one I occasionally hear mentioned being a better value than the Fuji is the Windsor Tourist on BD, and apparently it is (or very similar to) the old Fuji touring frame.

If I wouldn't have stumbled into an old Miyata project when I built my road touring, I'd have had to look real hard to justify more than the Fuji.

Will Wheeler

I am by in large finished. Just some small things left to add, like proper bar tape (inner tube right now), a couple of P-clamps for the rack and some nit picking here and there. I am asking the thread starter if we have to include shipping costs in the list of expenditures.

So here is the result:








Front derailleur friction shifter mounted on seat tube for simplicity:

bradtx

Will Wheeler, My first thought about the FD shifter is that it bridges the gap between modern and the old rod shifted FD. Congrats on a good build!

Brad

BigAura

Nice!! That FD shifter is very clever.

Will Wheeler

Maybe it does?
Thanks!

Will Wheeler

I just just have watch out so I don't pull the wrong lever when I reach down between my legs.
Thanks!

Happy Feet

Nice bike Will!

I too like the stem shifters as a mix of old school and new school. They are a cheap alternative for a dropbar conversion. I use them on my multitrack and find it very easy to shift with. Haven't tried the seat post variant though!

Inner tube bar tape - classic

jefnvk

Love the ingenuity on that seat post shifter!

indyfabz

Could spell real trouble if both levers are approximately the same size.


Seriously...Pretty nifty.

Happy Feet

Its the cold weather.. no really.. cold weather!

Will Wheeler

Well, the upper lever is much, MUCH smaller than the lower, so I always hit the right one.
Thanks, but I'm probably far from the only one who has done it this way.

Will Wheeler

Thanks all.
I don't think that the positioning of the lever is really unique. It can't be! Tons of people must have done this before.

Will Wheeler

My very cheesy bar tape arrived from China today and now I have wrapped my handle bar, too. Looks a bit like Roquefort(?)

zze86

I wouldn't sweat it. I think the consensus is that the price is more of a guideline rather than a hard and fast rule. Look at it this way, you have a tour-ready bike at less than half the cost of a new one. Still would be great to see the bike and tour!

zze86

Prize won't be awarded until ~end of October. Couple of reasons for that:

1) I won't finish the prize or award until after my tour
2) The bike build is only part of the contest
3) As fun and interesting as the bike builds are, the tour is probably the more important and entertaining part of the contest and so will probably be "weighted" more so we really can't judge until after all the stories are in

zze86

Bike looks great! Very interesting shifter setup!

And yes, I think it would be appropriate to include shipping costs in the total build cost. I feel like including the shipping costs would reflect the true out-of-pocket costs, especially since many of us are sourcing parts online and the shipping costs can sometimes outweigh the parts' costs.

Squeezebox

An estimate of hours spent on the project would be an interesting bit of data.

Happy Feet

If it were any other poster I would happily add time, unfortunately from past experience, I think you would just use that to start some sort of argument about the difference between rebuilding and buying new.

But anyway. You have entered a motobecane tandem and a Xmart road bike in the contest so far. How about you start off and list the time spent on your projects and go from there.

mdilthey

You could cut the tension on here with a knife these days.

Squeezebox

Fair enough!
The tandem I tried to improve with what I had lying around. Better derailleurs and shifters, also better wheels. change to 6 speed. I might have about 6 hrs in it, inc. a couple of trips to the LBS. The brakes are so poor that I would likely not tour on it, also the frame is too whippy. I'll leave it for poking around the park.
My son as of yet is not interested in putting together the Xmart road bicycle, I think he wants to wait until warmer weather. He is not a cyclist and does not want to pay for new.
Rebuilding is a worthy endeavor, it's just not my cup of tea. I'ld rather ride the bicycles that I have. And yes I do prefer new. But this thread has been an interesting read.
Thanks!

indyfabz

Mottled bar tape was the shizznit back in the 90s. My yellow Guerciotti frame was built up in 1993 with tape just like that, only in yellow and black.

saddlesores

what knife? crabon, steel or aluminium?

Snuts

Good morning:

Well that is that for now. Yesterday I finally got to ride my Bike Co-op project.
Photo's. . . . . .
1) The way it came out of the line-up in early December.
2) The way it came home, changed the bars (part of the deal)
3) The way I rode it down to the Co-op yesterday. Simply to do some service, ride and adjust.
4) Remove the bottom bearings and service (surprise there, ugly). Also re-pack wheel bearings.
5) Done, let's go!
6) This should be close to what it will look like leaving town.
7) Alternate view, this time it has the seat that came with it from the Co-op.

Break-down of cost

Original bike as it came out of the row of used, with the phony trekking bars (ha-ha) $90
New fenders, $50
Rear rack, found on the trail abused!, $0
Front low riders, new discounted 20% at time of purchase for my new Marin Touring build $38
The reversed rack on the front, and the Flack Jacket tires are take-offs from my winter beater. Fair is half the $100 for that bike so $50

I feel that this bike has cost me $228

Now the Panniers, Last spring I bought 2 full sets of racks, front Panniers, and these rear Saddle bags. for $75
I sold one set of front/rear racks with one saddle bag for $25.
The other Blackburn racks are on another bike here, light and fast.
The second set of front Panniers toured across the Canadian Prairies last summer. Now on my heavy bike sitting in Edmonton (sisters garage).
Therefore I value these front Panniers, and the matching rear saddle bag at $25, so 1/3 of the original cost.
The front rack trunk is my insulated lunch kit. I use it in place of a traditional bar bag. It has small drop down saddle type bags on each side. Very weather resistant good for groceries, snacks etc. The wings are a super place to baggie and hide my tablet/cell phone in crazy wet weather.

So bike, front Panniers, Saddle bag $253

Lets see if I can do a tent, bag, pad, tool set and pump with the remaining $100.



-Snuts-
(now go do laundry with the contents of the panniers/bag!)

Snuts

I will take a stab at this.
The build was easy, a day once you get the plan and parts.
In real world time, the past two months. I still used a lot of new off the shelf parts. But this was a challenge to all of us, and a fun project.

I can understand this point of view.
But I have no history with Squeezebox. I do get a chuckle occasionally at how his actions, or presence can alter the party.

Well it is cold again here at the Lakehead. Another day on the Forum, laundry, etc.



-Snuts-

Squeezebox

Congrats on the "new" bicycle.
I hope that my alternative opinions makes some folks think about what they are doing and why, and maybe seek alternatives, like this project for example. These projects have loosened me up about inexpensive bicycles, at least some.
Ride on !!