Originally Posted by
dailycommute
They all have two wheels and all are steel. But vary based on my must haves
1)bad weather commuter w/fenders
2)nice weather commuter (lighter, more lively)
3)fast pace/group ride
4)gravel grinder/dog workout
5)tour bike for when you just gotta say "take this job and shove it"
Trying to get rid of all else.
My '79 Peter Mooney was built to be that bike. All but the commuter part. (And it has done some of that too.) Designed to be the bike that I could ride for my sanity in the hard years after my head injury. Design criteria - that it be ride-able in the lower 48 states 12 months of the year. Hence clearance for any tire, 700c or 27" with fenders. (Maine was a real possibility for my next job location.) Touring, epic climbs and fast rides were all going to be on the menu. (It's done all three.) It has also done epic rain rides; down Alba Rd into Santa Cruz in a January storm off the Pacific, around Lake Washington, Seattle and through a downpour so hard the frogs were taking shelter (and the bike arrived home spotless clean).
Now the Mooney takes a back seat to bikes that do each job better, at least until/if I start touring again where it is a pretty super bike. It is one of the world's classiest farmers market bikes.
Edit: I stayed out of institutions and jails. It did its job. And in gratitude, it has a permanent place in my stable.
Ben