nice!
i'm spending the next week in boston for work. thinking about bringing my 925 (see below) to tool around.

my GF is used to my head snapping when in NYC or Boston - i love checking out all the city bikes, esp. the sad ones that are mere remnants of their former glory attached to parking meters, fences, and trees.

Here's my cheap commuter that I got running for ~$20. The price then went up as I added things like fenders, rack, bag and lights, but the basic bike itself just sort of materialized as I asked around for parts. Frame, wheels, derailleurs, brakes, levers, bars - free. Campy crankset and rings $5 at a garage sale.

I'm proud of my bikes. Extra proud of them all. I spend $$ on this part of my life. I like the way they look, and sometimes my decisions are based on how I aesthetically react to varying philosophies of riding meshing with the what / where / and how of the actual "stuff" that I look at, handle, touch, and repair. I have a carbon-steel roadie machine, a touring rig with fenders, bags, lights, a mountain bike, an old Bridgestone under re-build, and my new 925. I love em all. Equal Opportunity Cyclist would work as a good definition.

If I ever see a cool 3 speed somewhere, I might add that to my stable. If I were the kind of guy who wanders garage and tag sales, I'd probably have more bikes... but alas, I can't stand sorting through other people's junk.

Bicycles Uber Alles, is something I agree with. Efficiency Uber Alles is a scary proposition, in cycling, politics, sex, and life in general.

Effectiveness, that is a life long goal.

I like the way you think, bmike.

Wow. I need to do some garage sale shopping in Ft Worth. Around here all the garage sales consist of broken furniture and lawn gnomes. Looks like Victory or Triomphe cranks.

Do they? all they say is "Brev Campagnolo" and the tooth count. I haven't been able to place them. Same sale, I also got a complete LeTour for 8 dollars and a pair of Assos arm warmers for a buck.

And that is the sum total of many months of tireless searching for good bike crap here. Recently, I was told I missed a complete Bruce Gordon bike for $45 dollars by no more than 30 minutes...

Forgive me if you already know this. One way to check is to measure BCD center to center between 2 of the chainring bolts a la Sheldon Browns instructions: https://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html#bcd A measurement of 68.2mm between chainrings will give a BCD of 116 which is generally Victory or Triomphe. Might be another 116 BCD make or Campy gruppo in there but yours looks like Vic/Tri.


Ouchy. Seller should keep info like that to themselves lest someone suffer. I'd buy that.

1985 Centurion Accordo, new cables and shifter upgrades were included. So far, I've added:

Kryptonite Lock - $60
Cateye LED taillight - $30
Serfas LED headlight - $30
Blackburn Airstick pump - $30
Bontrager Spare tube - $5

The bike itself? $45. Won from ebay with local pickup

Any pedals/shoes, fenders, or bike rack being considered for this commuting bike?

Lock it folded, or bring it with you.

Single speed, coaster brake. $200. Can be had as low as $125, not including eBay or craigslist.

Looks good to me. What is it? and Where can it be had for $125?

Cross posted this from another thread but here goes.




Here are some updated pic of my one and only commuter after I had new handlebar installed. It's a SC30 Raleigh(a comfort bike that is derived from the mtb family) with an electric assist kit installed and some Euro-inspired flair.

" Looks like Victory or Triomphe cranks"
I agree. Either way they were a real buy, seen them $35-$75 at swap meets. Victory & Triomphe cranks are hard to tell apart. The Triomphe is a bit lighter weight, the arms running out to the chain ring attachments are a bit thicker on the Victory (stiffer?). Both pretty beefy though & they will take down to a 35 tooth inner ring so you could make a compact crankset if you could find the rings. Don

It's a Dahon Boardwalk S1 - all steel, except for the hubs (though they might be steel too).

Damn, sorry about the mis-info. You have to be a member, and they now raised the price by $5:
Camping World

(I have no affiliation with Camping World, and actually bought mine at Calhoun Cycle BEFORE I found CW's ad.)

spambait11 that bike looks really fun to ride. What brand is it? How far do you ride? Is it any fast?

Chicbicyclist:

That is a very nice looking bike. To me, a useful bike has to have that utilitarian aspect. Toy bikes are great, but a tool can solve problems and fill a niche.

https://i1.tinypic.com/v43vih.jpg

Thanks JCM. I've been wanting an english 3-speed type, but since this bike came along and was only $60 from craigslist, I couldnt resius. And I already invested quite a bit in it so the 3-speed will have to wait. Besides, the 3-speed might be a bit too fragile for the electric assist kit.

She totally replaced my car on short to medium trips, errands and even recreational shopping. I only use my car on trips more than 20 miles or to go to work so I only use the car less than 40% of the time now. And since I live in a dense area, I don't really need to go too far.

Just a couple of question, what happened to your brooks, and what rear tire are you using?

Here is my cheap commuter. Its mostly a Chicago-built Schwinn Suburban. I loved the way it soaks up the rough stuff, but was a little put off with the weight (39 lbs) and steel wheels. I decided to see if I could keep the good qualities while shedding a few pounds, and still keeping it invisible to theives.

I put on a cheap 700C wheelset, 28mm kevlar belted tires, 8-speed cassette, single 44 tooth crank, and an 8-speed barcon shifter.
Bike-garage.jpg

The bike originally qualified as inexpensive, at $20 from Betty's Resale. However, the crank and chainwheel are where all the money is in this bike. Once I made the decision that the forged steel had to go to lighten the load, the one piece ashtabula crank was first on my list. There's an adapter in the bottom bracket shell from Harris Cyclery, a bottom bracket and a crank from ebay (and having spent a year on another bike), and a 44T chainwheel and shorty bolts from a LBS.
crank.jpg

Its worth it, though, to have just the right gearing. I was always hunting between the big and small rings on my double crankset, and wishing I had something in the middle. Now I do. Also, I swapped out the forged steel stem for alloy (ebay) and the steel handlebars for Nitto Randonneurs (ebay). I also took off the steel chain guard and kickstand. Taking off all of the steel bits lightened the bike by ten pounds.

Well, it kept its sweet ride, and I'm having a blast riding to work.

Walter.

Poor Hincapie.