My Ratty bikes.
 

I have a growing collection of either stuff no one wants or that are in a condition no one else wants to touch . . I love rusty bikes.
So I wanted to know what you all think, you may be shocked a bit here!?

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I'm guessing the Gary Fisher is a keeper; it's one of the few that are complete and it has the best saddle :)

Oh man, your collection is certainly a mixed bag!

That said, I'd be all over the Brooks saddle on your Fisher in the 10th photo... I'd run that Brooks with a collection of other parts robbed from various bikes and install everything on your e-stay Boss in the first photo. I'm digging the geometry of the e-stay Boss with the shorter than normal seat stays.

I think I need to take more pictures of the ratty bikes I see being used around town here. They'd put your ratty bikes to shame!

Love the Phillips. What's the red thing next to it?

I don't get it, but I don't have to. If it makes you happy that's all that counts.

I also like ratty bikes but I have started trying to avoid them because once I acquire them I usually feel need to clean them up/restore them which amounts to spending money on them, and often it's just not worth it. Can't get the money back in a resale for many low end old bikes.

As much as I love bicycles in general, I avoid getting involved w/ any that I would not enjoy riding. Even though I live in a beach town, I am not a beach cruiser person. Likewise, my first bike was a 2-speed Schwinn middleweight, and six months later I got my first 10-speed, a bottom-of-the-line Bianchi, and never looked back.

I don't have room for it, but the one bike I regret giving away years ago was my Armstrong 3-speed, which had drop bars and a 14-16-18-20 Cyclo cog cluster. With the 3-speed Sturmey-Archer trigger tucked under the left brake handle and a downtube lever controlling an early Campagnolo Gran Sport derailleur, that was a fun bike for commuting and general transportation. I had painted it a theft-resistant amalgam of blotches and used to secure it with a big case-hardened chain and an Abus diskus lock. Our motto at Earth Action Council was, "On campus, always park next to a better-looking bike with a flimsier lock."

I spy some great SSMTB potential in that pile :) With some spacers, two passes of the dremel, a shortened chain and some short stack bolts that blue Marin or that Giant is a beast of a SS after a evening of wrenching.

None of them looks particularly ratty, though some do need to be completed (usual consumables).

What Aaron said applies here.

I as you guys see have a lot of unfinished projects as these have been put on the back burner because of a few flippers needing to be finished for sale, I put them on here to find some motivation to finish said bikes, nothing to get really guys, purely for motivation.
I live in a city with an ever increasing rate of bicycle thefts, so my beautiful bikes got sold, so I did not have to deal with losing them.
I am not a road biker and prefer bikes that are more utilitarian than beautiful, I see 1 at most single speed in my fleet, although maybe not in this lot.
I want to save dead bikes that are going to serve someones needs and nice paint is not really going to make them ride better, most of these bikes will get an upgrade of components, most of which I already have, if they are not right for me they will be gifted to friends or sold.

I've always liked how a drop bar and a pair of knobbies transforms the look of an old hybrid like that Giant Innova.

Makes sense. I live in a city as well where bike theft is a fact of life, but with some great roadie paths leading out of it. I just keep one or two nice road bikes in the shed and a changing coterie of city bikes in the rack out front. Lately, I've been pleasantly surprised with how well a fat tired single speed MTB works for city use, much better than a fixie or a road bike converted to single speed.

I still have a Jamis Commuter with a nexus 7 and my Claud Butler Majestic, if I want ride a nice bike.
I do not see a need for anything more, it would just become a carpet queen, as I would be too scared to lock it anywhere.
There are some nice riding bikes in that lot,
The Carlton in pic 3 will do up very nicely, I think I will go for Suntour or maybe a full Shimano 600 gear set up and stay with the brakes on it.
The 2 Marins do not need much work the blue Bolinas Ridge on is nearly all XT, the gold Palisades trail is mostly STX.
The Giant Innova is flat bar again with a full Black LX group waiting and the Trek Multi Track will wear the drops and knobblys.
The Gary Fisher is a favorite it will get a retro Mountain LX group, and thumb shifters possibly.
The gold one with the blue forks is an Extreme Chaos and was my first 90's MTB converted to commuter, love that bike it has carried a lot of groceries.
The gold Marin Palisades Trail is waiting for me in Wellington I am planning to give it a tickle and ride it out to Pencarrow head which is the site of NZ's oldest light house. A very nice coastal gravel track with no car access.
Thanks for the replies guys. Paul

I also like the e-stay Boss. That's a nice quality tubeset...Tange DB MTB Tubing.
That Trek makes a great drop bar hybrid conversion.

I pick up diamonds in the rough. These are only ratty in appearance. But are worth riding based on quality foundations and components.

Gah! trying to view this thread on a phone sucks looking forward to seeing your bikes when I get to the computer

Hey,

What's the bike in pic #3 ? The red one with the bolt hole in the fork and shorty fenders ?

Nice collection, so many directions to go !

I get quite a buzz when I get a bike like this, I have wanted a ECS frame for a while. It will be one of the last built as I know I want to keep it.
I do not like the way the fork rides and may change it out
Thanks WING. Paul

RaleighSport, Thank you, I like the motley crew too.

3speedslow Thanks for the reply, the bike in pic 3 is the Carlton Corsa 5 I originally posted in a typo as bike 2.
With not spending too much on bikes I am able to play around with different ideas with relative ease. I like the work horse touring type thing and will have all my keepers set up accordingly.

Thanks Guys. Paul

Many of them don't look ratty at all and would make great urban bikes.

I don't see anything in that collection that I would throw in the scrap pile... in fact many of them are nicer than what is in my current pile.

Aaron :)

any for sale?

I traded for a stock Trek 720 to use as a commuter when I went back to school. Great little city bike until it got stolen.

"Ratty" is relative and can be a virtue.