Originally Posted by
andrew.ferrell
I've been into steel, lugs, and commuting for the last year or so. It all started when my $4000 dollar carbon bike was stolen from my garage. I wanted to find a replacement and discovered the beauty of lugged steel. I became quite influenced by Grant Peterson's ideas and pursued building what I thought would be the ultimate commuter/ utility bike. I found a lugged 1988 Panasonic MC3500 and put on albatross bars, city brakes, brook saddle, and a tubus rack, blah blah.
Just this last weekend I came across a 1996 Trek 970 SHX for $100 from Craigslist. It's in excellent condition with just some scratches on the frame. I fell in love with this bike immediately! I like that straight-bar leaned-over feel better than that albatross feel. Go figure.
Do you all think it's worth hitting up the trails with this vintage bike? I don't do anything crazy, just solid xc riding. I do most of my riding in Phoenix. I've invested so much into my "ultimate commuter" but I just wanna throw the slicks on my new Trek and make it my daily rider.
Also, has anyone come full circle with their preconceived notions of what biking is? You know- going from on extreme to another?
There must be millions of high end road bikes collecting dust. Eventually, most people come around when it comes to riding or they'll just quit. My high end Bianchi has been collecting dust for 3 years. However, my 3 speed with albatross bars gets used most of the time.