jetboy 

i failed this one- got way to busy with other things and needed to ride a bike that actually got me places quickly and efficiently! but I am looking forward to seeing the results of all you who made it!

fleslider 

Cut it close but made the deadline and the first snowfall!

I had a 1985 Nashbar Toure MT.
Total Miles: 82.05

Total Investment: $78.34

Cost Breakdown:
Initial Investment: $20.00
New Cables and Housing: $10.71
Shimano SPD pedals (Used): $16.13
Used Tektro Brake Levers:$5.00
Used Continental 27 x 1- 1/4" tire:$5.00
Tubes2@$5.00) = $10.00
New Bar tape:11.50


had to do the miles over a couple rides, and man i will have to say that is a nice riding bike. i guess its not much of a distance test to ride a touring bike. but again i did have fun! It just shows although it was a mass produced bike for a catalog sales company, it was still a good quality bike. i guess thats why it says

"The Finest Bicycles In The World"

Now for the things to fix now that it is done: new Chain, and some new Brake pads and True the wheels

here are some pics:

Murray Missile 

Put Big Bird on the trainer Sat. Any extra credit for pushing the beast up a flight of narrow stairs LOL?

rustystrings61 

I managed to get two out of three entries over the line, but I just couldn't find the motivation to get in the final mileage needed on the Centurion. My totals, recapped -

ONE - 191 km

$50.00 - 1991 Diamond Back Venture
$27.68 - tires & shipping
$ 7.53 - brake lever hoods & shipping
$ 1.00 - used saddle (assigned value, removed from a $10 total bike purchase)
$ 5.00 - used rear derailleur (assigned value, removed from a $20 total bike purchase)
$ 5.00 - used pedals (assigned value, amortized from 2005 purchase)
$ 1.00 - used 170mm SR left crank (assigned value, from a pile of old parts given to me when the LBS was cleaning stuff out)
$97.21 - total, $85.21 actual cash, $12.00 assigned value from the stash pile.

TWO - 46 km
$10.00 - 1985 Centurion Signet, purchased by its weight from Augusta Road Recycling Center as scrap metal
$ 5.00 - rear wheel (assigned value, believed to be from a stash of parts that were free for the cost of shipping on the iBOB list in 1998 or so)
$ 1.00 - rear skewer (assigned value, from the same stash of parts)
$ 1.00 - handlebar tape (arbitrary assigned value, one of three layers of tape on handlebars on a bike given to me in 2009)
$ 1.00 - used saddle (assigned value)
$18.00 - total, $10.00 actual cash and $8.00 assigned value from the stash pile.

THREE - 102 km
$ 9.99 - 197? Mercier 200 (?) purchased from Salvation Army of Greenwood with a bent frame, mismatched wheels and numerous issues
$ 1.00 - red bar tape (purchased years ago for $1 from LBS' discount bin)
$ 1.00 - saddle (assigned value, removed from a complete bike purchased for $10.00)
$ 1.00 - approximately 1 foot of blue cable housing left over from a long-forgotten project
$ 1.00 - 25.4mm steel seatpost scavenged from a junkpile being thrown out (assigned value)
$ 1.00 - 4 water bottle cage mounting bolts (scavenged from a $10.00 bike)
$10.00 - pedals, clips and straps, all salvaged from dead bikes (assigned value)
$ 5.00 - 1 pair Weinmann 610 calipers (assigned value, scavenged from long-forgotten dead bike boom machines)
$29.99 - total, or $9.99 actual cash and $20.00 assigned value from the stash pile.

GTBruiser

Just crossed the 100km on this thing! So cramped, scary, slow, yet, fun! I've lost the "as purchased" group of photos, but, it was a friend's abandoned project. Just a (tiny) frame, white hand grips, pedals, crank, chain + guard, inner tubes, and, 2-speed kick-back wheel.

$15 - 1968 Schwinn Racer 2-speed, coaster brake
$3 - Avocet saddle
$10 - Schwinn Breeze parts donor: rear rack (broken by a large stranger thinking it would hold her weight!)
front brake setup including old pads
neck/stem and low handlebar w/black grips
seatpost
$5 - High handlebar
$3.50 - 2 non S5-S6 tires, a royal pain to mount
$5 - Set of fenders that don't quite fit, but, have clearance
$1.00 - Leather Tods lady's handbag to use as bar mounted bag. My niece says I completely ruined a $300
purse! What do I know? I got it from a thrift shop
$5 - set of Schwinn branded lights
$3 - cooler that straps to the rack for beer runs
Free - I found a slightly warped Schwinn front wheel in an abandoned mall carpark

$50.50 total

I carry the low rise bars to use during the rush hour commutes as I feel less stable amongst traffic and strong winds with the high rise bars and warped front wheel.

ollo_ollo

Today's 8 mile ride on the "Blue Beater Mixte" brought me to 101 kilometers, so thankfully I'm done with it. Most enjoyable part of its ride was "coasting", which it does well.

Grand-daughter had me repair the brakes and shifter on her Magna Mt. Bike and took it to ride at U of O, so I'll recycle this one. It really was theft proof, at least in our little farm community. I left it unlocked and unattended everywhere and no one gave a 2nd look.

Its hard to ride for very long on a bike that's too small, but there were many short rides with mileage entries of 1.8 miles(Safeway), 4 miles(covered bridge/river trail), 6 miles(Roth's), and 6 miles(Sublimity/Stayton). I only remembered to take this 1 picture.

My other entry, a Raleigh Super Sport is a keeper and will be upgraded this Winter. It now sports a U.S. Postal "Purple Heart" stamp on the top tube to commemorate my crash. Don
P.S. Cost: Blue Mixte $37.22, Super Course $59.75 for a total of $96.97, money well spent.

Mr. 66

Well the Falcon has been through many variations since getting it all to gether parts listing:

Frame 1984? Falcon Shane Sutton Special (not an Ernie Clemons) $0
Headset dura ace 7400 $5
Brake levers dura ace 7400 $10
Brake calipers dura ace 7400 $20
Bars Falcon branded England road champion Sakae $0
Gooseneck cinelli 105mm $0
Seat post sr la parade $0
Seat San Marco $0
Cranks first generation dura ace $0
Bottom bracket Phill Wood $0
Front derailleur Shimano arrow $3
Rear derailleur Shimano arrow $3
Shifters Campy Record $4
Hubs Campy Record
Front rim Martano? Sew-up $15
Back rim Super Champion sew-up $20
Tires wobler
Freewheel Shimano 600
Cable housing $9
Chain sedi sport $5
Pedals MKS pista $6

Well parts wise I spent about $95 before taxes, spent $5 for bb install

The frame was almost a throw away an after thought of buy for the Campy brake levers and headset for another build. The gooseneck and bars where on the frame when purchased(I spent $25 to get the parts off frame). My oldest freebees where put on the Falcon the cranks from bike a friend was going to trash and the bb from my brother 30 plus years ago. All the other parts came from street finds, goodwill, Recycled Cycles, and bike works.

obrentharris 

Sorry guys. I procrastinated too long on my mileage. My plans for last-minute miles went by the wayside when we had to evacuate my 93-year-old mother from her home in Santa Rosa.



Brent

Mr. 66

The maiden voyage, just here at home after the last nut of the brake cables tightened, I go out and I take a very moderate incline. All is well I get to the top and start the descent. It doesn't go well. It feels like I'm riding a potato in back.

I'm bummed, and I can't stop laughing at the same time, the back tire has slipped in it's self. The tire's adhesive between the band and the sewn thread has become viscous the cloth is still mostly in placebo the rim, tread and side wall still look good I don't know if this worth trying to rehab. Probably not. The front tire well that's the other end of the spectrum. All the glue from manufacture and mounting is good but the tread is about to peal off. A nice little walk back home.

Ok plan B, I loose the clunker challenge #3. Along the way I was able to scrap up another wheelset. First I found at coop a crusty oxidized c Record 36 hole hubbed front wheel on mavic open 4 cd with corroded brass nipples, that was still spinning like butter. Coop sold this for 15 took me a few hours cleaned up good the brass still needs work. Coincidentally a few weeks after that I was able to buy a 32 hole c Record back hub spaced for 8 speed on a wasted rim, for a whopping $20. Another week passes, coop had an outdoor sale woohoo! I find a pristine mavic open 4 cd on a 105hub for $7, and digging tough through all the #hit at the coop a small box of Campagnolo axels, washers, nuts and cone nuts. What a freaking score. I was successful on being able to reuse the spokes and nipples off the 105, so it cost about $30 total to build the back wheel.

This time I don't mind loosing.

I would like to add to the story, mounted are "decades old French tires" Michelins. Some nice lookin' tires fine, mighty fine decades old French tires.

66

Mr. 66

The build was a blast but the ride, simply put awesome.

My second voyage an early morning ride in the blue mountains wow this thing rides great, a very relaxed geometry, in comparison to the bikes I have of that time. The drop of the handle bars are a little more reach than I'm used to. This surprised me being only a 105 mm reach stem the set back of the saddle is pretty far back due to the angle slack. I get up on the pegs the position of handle bars is good may go forward a little, that would change the on saddle feel.

I decided to ride by the original site of Fort Walla Walla go up the hillside toward Oregon and in the rode is painted Lemond and then a few meters later Renault, lol, I'm going to paint me name after theirs. This thing rides great the 39 to the 24 climbs easier than I thought. Coming down the mountain, wicked, being on the saddle in tuck, this is not a critirium bike. The wheels feel tight, the brakes do what they should they work. My first ride was for 29 miles, I couldn't keep track after that.

Thanks guys!
66

bikemig 

There is nothing like reading a thread by a bunch of happy cheapskates with their lucky (and sometimes not so lucky) finds,

ollo_ollo

"Happy Cheapskates" I like it! Don

Murray Missile 

Must be a lot of Scots-Irish DNA on here, "Deep pockets and short arms".

Narhay

I've been busy but will review the entries when I have a few moments.

mangosalsa

Awesome builds!

Work sent me to Frankfurt 12 days ago, so I will have to wait until next time.
On the bright side .. I'm getting a TON of inspiration here; in terms of building
a sweet ride!

rustystrings61 

I miss seeing the latest creations and renovations from the junkpile ... any updates now that the contest is over?

Murray Missile 

Think I found next year's bike, co-worker has an '83 FUJI Royale II I'm going to look at this week, $50 "as is". A size small but I can make it work, it already has a longer stem and seat post. Been sitting in his attic for the past 8 years, his old boss gave it to him and he's not into bikes so he never rode it. It might need tires (might not) and a tune up but that's pretty much it to make it a rider from what I can see in the pics. Needs some other things to be a keeper but those can wait, if I get it and I'm 99.9999% sure I will, I won't touch it until next year's Challenge. I have plenty of other bikes to work on LOL.

ollo_ollo

Those are nice bikes. Once found 1 at Olympia, WA Goodwill. Should have kept but instead flipped it, and it went fast!

jetboy 

we could do another winter hardcore beater challenge 76 for those who missed out. its basically teh same but even cheaper bikes that one gets extra points for riding in ****ty weather...

bikemig 

This bike is a little too hot to be a clunker 100! I picked up an old bike-a mid 70s Sekine SHS 271--that will be perfect for this thread next year.

Narhay

I forgot to choose winners. I've been busy but I will make time to do so shortly.

Murray Missile 

Yeah... Don't think I can keep my hands off this one til the next challenge. I keep sneaking out to look at it and envisioning it with my brown Brooks B-67 and a set of moustache bars.

Update 12-23-17: Finally got a day off so I aired up the tires and took it for a quick spin. Tires have some weather cracks but I think it's good to go as is for the next challenge with just some fine tuning, no parts needed. As soon as it's over though this one is getting a makeover, even with old crappy tires it rode pretty nice, it's a keeper. I will be anxiously awaiting Challenge #4.

Murray Missile 

I'm quite confident I didn't win, place or show but did you ever decide who did?

ollo_ollo

Mentally reviewing the rides we got for very little $$, and enjoyment seen in this thread, I'd say we're all winners. Don

obrentharris