Originally Posted by caloso

I have a FG bike ('89 Trek 660 conversion). It's my commuter/rain training bike. Fenders, lights, blinkies, two brakes, two bottle cages. Not very fashionable, but one hell of a fun bike.



I also was intrigued by Sheldon's FG for the road article. And I've found that everything he says is true. Control on wet pavement is improved. It's a simple and very reliable commuter due to the lack of shifters and derailleurs. It was a fun and relatively cheap project. It appeals to my inner historian because it is essentially 1890s technology (Major Taylor could hop on this bike and ride it and the Wright Brothers could fix it). My gearing is fairly low (70 gear inches), which forces me to spin quickly to stay above 20 mph. And since you're nearly always in the wrong gear, it forces you to make do -- you attack the hills rather than sit and spin. And that's made me a stronger rider.

And did I mention that it's fun?