This is sweet! If I stick with this commuting thing, I'd love a bike like this...

I'm scouring the Internets to find those panniers... I like 'em!

You can bolt down the front and leave the quick release bits on the stays and still get the wheel out. The fender is flexible enough to move out of the way once you've released it from the stays.

2008 Jamis Aurora. 15-20 mile (depending on route) commute 3-5 times a week. @ $4 per gallon for gasoline, saving about $5-$8 (in fuel) per commute.

We had our first commute today. The ride is smooth like butter compared to the same commute on the aluminum frame and skinny tires of the LeMond.

I love the paint on that Jamis.

I just did a quick conversion project on my commuter to turn it into a 1x9. I realized that I was absolutely never shifting off the middle ring, and I could benefit from having a bash guard / chain guard, if only to protect my pants. Most of all though, I am a chronic tinkerer, and I just had to take something apart. The highlights of my current setup are:

2005 Schwinn Mesa
Deore LX hubs w/ Sun Rhyno Lite rims
Deore LX 11-34 9-spd cassette
Truvativ ISOflow 1.0 SS crankset
Forte Campus pedals
Planet Bike Speedez fenders
Rock Shox Dart 3 fork w/ remote lockout
Deore brake/shift lever (right side); Deore brake lever (left side)
GT Brahma handlebars
Terry Fly Gel saddle
Axiom Journey rear rack
Axiom Typhoon panniers

Would be perfect minus two JAMIS logos.

Exactly what I ride. Excellent choice

Cleaned, lubed, and went to run errands. It looked so good sitting there I had to take a pic.
The Lotus Excelle [no idea what year]:

I took my 2006 Gary Fisher Opie and converted it to single speed for my daily commute. Its still a beast but it has always been reliable.

I'm quite a noob... what's with the derailleur-like single gear thingy?

Ha ha. Absolutely true.

My wife just picked up a jamis ventura sport. The paint is fantastic for an entry level bike. The red sparkly finish looks great on a sunny day. The only problem is Jamis is written at least nine times on varrious parts of the bike (including twice on the head tube). Jamis likes to go a little overkill on the brand identification on most of their bikes.

That's a chain tensioner.

Single-speed bikes (more like, bikes that don't use derailleurs) often use rear dropouts with a horizontal slot for mounting the wheel. You'd adjust the wheel fore or aft to put the right amount of tension on the chain.

A bike with vertical dropouts needs some sort of adjustment for chain tension. A few have an eccentric bottom bracket that can actually move the crank forward & back. In this case, it's an add-on pulley.

1977 Motobecane Mirage

So here we go! My in-process commuter in its natural habitat (my office). Still waiting on some wider tires and considering a pannier of some kind... Thanks to those who have been so helpful in my "getting started" thread! Though I posted a pic over there, I wanted to make sure to add it to this - the "official" bike pic thread!



Late '90s Bianchi Eros. I believe it's a '98, but I can't remember and don't know how to find out. Used to ride it regularly on weekend road rides when I lived in Florida, but since we had kids 4 years ago it's been hanging in my garage collecting dust. Since I work 3 miles from home, I figured I'd dust it off and get it in for a tune-up that ended up being a pretty major overhaul. The cables were in need of replacement and I ordered a more upright headset as well.

I hate carrying a back pack on my back, but I like the cleaner look, and I am looking for a good rack (aesthetically).

#1. Sock monkey is awesome.
#2. Are those Texas-shaped pavers that your bike is sitting on? Whoa.

Is that a gear lever?

yes it is. he already explained in the SS/FG Forum.

Love to know the year on this

ok...2.5 yrs commuting and I am finally posting pics!


on the rear 'night' pic, there is another PB SuperFlash near the wheel - I guess my camera did not get the flashing from the light at the right time.

Wish I could say I built this up, but I didn't. Bought this from a friend in Houston 2 weeks ago. Been riding it to work. Sweet rack with quick release basket.

My first single speed -- I'm blown away by how fast it is. Really fun ride too. Gonna ride my Townie to work tomorrow -- first time using gears in a couple of weeks.

Oh yeah -- this is Centurion mixte. Japanese built CrMo frame. All the moving parts rebuilt by Kirby the Zen Bike Mechanic -- the badge says "Texas Special", which is what Kirby puts on all his bikes. If you see one, buy it.

My daily ride to work and 50k weekend ride

The girlfriend's commuter I built up with the Pake C'Mute frame. I love those spoke reflectors, used the flash so you could see 'em, otherwise they're pretty invisible in normal light.



It's a fairly solid frame, though it had a few imperfections when I got it that were more frustrating than anything else. Get what you pay for, I suppose.

livingfortoday: How's the quality of the Pake frame? I've been considering one for awhile. Thnx

Pretty decent, though a bit heavier than similar frames. I actually got this frame because I really liked the Pake track frame I had built up (see here). It's held up great for its first two months of (ab)use so far, and I have no doubt it will continue to do so.