DJConspicuous, I have the same panniers. Do you have any issues with them swinging into your rear wheel a bit?

I've never posted pics before, so lets see how this goes. Sorry in advance if these are to big, I re-read the how-to's.


My bike: 2010 Kona ***** Inc. with a few swaped parts. I just changed out the stock 160mm avid disc rotor for a 203mm downhill. Yea it might be overkill, but looks pretty cool. The shock drop bar has been changed out for the WTB dirt drop bar. It's comfortable and I like the wider grip position. The original Selle-Italia saddle was kinda junky so I started using my old WTB Laser again.

I've been rinding this since December and have about 800 miles on it plus a 108 mile "century" ride from Long Beach to San Diego. I ride about 8 miles daily, sometimes more.

The ***** seems to come up a lot on "possible commuter lists", but I haven't seen too many on the forum. I thought it would be a good idea to post my own. I ride in Long Beach, CA. The goal with this bike was to create something fun and safe to ride on the busy streets of the city which consists of quick stops, fast sprints and generally trying say off cars and out from under buses.

On a side note, I feel that commuting is most often a solitary endevour. This forum/thread is great because it gives us all an opportunity to check each others bikes, which all seem to be very personalised machines.


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=152868

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=152869

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=152867

Bigger pix are nice, the better to see details with.

Looks like a really nice bike. Carbon fork & disc brakes, wow. I thought about discs, but was scared off by some comments about how they may be less durable than rim brakes, as far as getting hit from the side at the bike rack. Well, that and the extra cost, hehehe.

Dual rear blinkies? What's the rationale? Two points --> better depth perception for drivers or just twice the rearward light? When I'm driving behind a cyclist with even a basic LED blinky, I NEVER have any problem seeing him, even in pitch dark. They're visible for miles.

What all can you fit in the small seat bag? Can you get a tube & basic tools in there?

How do you carry your commuting luggage? Messenger bag?

DJ - Nice Varsity. They're re-using that name from the 60s or so, but they still look like nice bikes.

Last year I met this rider named Dave, who commutes between Anaheim and Long Beach, on major urban streets. He has been using duel lights for a while. His argument has really been about maximum visibilty. After that, I started to. It seems like every knucklehead in Southern California is either on a cell phone, texting or distracted in a hundred different ways. I often ride at night and am pretty paranoid about getting hit. I feel like the alternating stobes will draw a drivers attention toward me, therfore acknowledgement I exist as a human being. I'm not dead yet, so I guess they're working ok.

About the saddle bag, I carry a multi tool, patch kit, tire levers, a shop towel and $5 in $1's. My ride mostly follows a bus route so if I flat out mid-ride, I'll just take public transit. If I flat out at work or school, I can spend the time and fix it there.

I carry everything in a backpack. I've tried shoulder bags, they slip around to much. I have a set of panniers but removing them to carry stuff around during the day has not proven to be practical. I've worked to cut weight down, my best idea has just been to just leave a lock chained to the rack at school and one at work. That helped alot.

As for the discs, no problem at all. They are a little finicky to set up and to keep tuned but their stoping ability is second to none.

Is that fork rated for a disc that large? I highly doubt that it is. Discs put huge stress on the fork, I would swap back to the 160. YMMV, but I wouldn't do the swap for the bigger rotor.

Yea, I thought about that. I did the swap 2 days ago and am just having fun with it right now. I'll probably switch it out at some point down the road. Who knows, maybe the fork will shatter into a million pieces and I'll be forced into finding another one.

Here's my Sirrus commuter.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...8/af25169a.jpg

well i finished sort of i forgot to buy some bar tape but quite a big change ill see how she does on sunday before and after pics(note ive been running it in the first pic for a few years so its gonna be like a whole new bike)
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...y/DSC00114.jpg
</a>http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=152933

hi,

I recently bought a new bike to commute to work, its about 7km each way.


Frame:Tommazini-Mundito in Aluminium
wheels Shimano WR500 28''
tyres Continental Sport contact
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/6153/dsc07036m.jpg

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1153/dsc07038aw.jpg

Shimano Nexus Inter-8 Geared Hub:
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/8152/dsc07037qg.jpg



I love my rides :)

Pedro

Pedro: Nice bike.

How come I only see about <10% of the pictures posted?

Matt

Here is my new commuter.http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...3/DSCN0021.jpg

For example: I do not see Stringbreaker's pic above.

A lot of the images are linked in from an external site; photobucket is a popular one. If you don't have access to photobucket.com for some reason (e.g., you're on BF at work, but your company's firewall blocks all traffic to photobucket.com) you won't see the pictures.

It is from Photobucket.

For those days when little girls need a lift...

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...extrabike1.JPG

Wow. Very nice. Do you have the geometry of your frame? I'm curious as to what your chainstay, top tube, and overall wheelbase measurements are. That bike really looks extended. I bet great for tall riders if offered in larger size.

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/6153/dsc07036m.jpg

Scott

Here is my ride.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vsGui_slXHE/TA..._3651136_n.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vsGui_slXHE/TA...0_253702_n.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vsGui_slXHE/TA...2009.58.05.jpg

Should really take some proper measurements as it is a custom DIY build I did a few years ago and seem to have nailed things right out of the box.

In combining what are really two bikes I dropped the rear dropouts of the front bike which gives it a slacker steering angle than it came with which really adds to the ride quality and stability as you don't want a bike like this to be twitchy at low speed and sometimes handling like a bus is a good thing.

I have done no handed descents at ludicrous speed and the bike stays straight as an arrow, even when I have front panniers loaded.

Chose a slightly smaller than usual front frame to lower the bike further and allow riders as small as 5 feet to ride it... my little sister loves it and I am building her one of her own.

The wheelbase is 64 inches which makes it as long as a tandem and it has an amazingly nice ride when it is loaded and is decently fast when it is not.

I work with a custom frame builder and am thinking that we should try and replicate this design and the only thing I would do is raise the bottom bracket a little as although pedal strikes have not been an issue for me but for the general riding population you have to go with a more generic set up.

The bike has seen more than 8000 km since it was built and has hauled, towed, and has been my go to winter bike when things have gotten really ugly as even without studs the bike is very stable on bad roads.

There is a whole thread devoted to DIY extracycles in the Utility form... it is very educational and I have drawn much inspiration from other builders on how to do this.

Uh, sixtyfiver, I don't think he was talking to you. :p

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs566...._7299199_n.jpg

this is my new commuter/townie ss. i took my old 2001 bianchi brava and removed the derailleurs, cassette, triple chainring, and drop bars. i turned it into a singlespeed, added velo orange milan bars, cork grips, city brake levers, rack, fenders, and chain guard. i plan to use it to do a 10 mile round-trip commute to work, and for running errands in town.

Hey guys!! I was willing to make my bike look cleaner, so I took off the "stem riser", the aluminum stem, and the old fork (which had a short steerer tube). So I bought a Surly Cross Check 1" fork, with a 300mm long steerer tube, and a 1" Cr-Mo stem. The new look is very nice and comfortable! The next upgrade will be a Brooks saddle, probably a B17.

Check out the pics:

New Cr-Mo stem, 130mm 15º, and new position for the computer.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...1/DSC00112.jpg

Also new position for the headlight.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...1/DSC00111.jpg

The bike looks much better now! =)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...1/DSC00110.jpg

And a full body picture, hehe.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...1/DSC00108.jpg

The new view of the cockpit.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...1/DSC00107.jpg

And finally, the brand new Surly CrossCheck 1" fork. Excellent fork!
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...1/DSC00104.jpg

See ya!

Here is one of my commuter bikes. A real classic, in my opinion.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...nl/gazelle.jpg

Indeed it is! How old is it? Are those rod-actuated drum brakes? I think the Netherlands is one of the few places where you see those. How well do they work?

Its somewhere in between 30 to 25 years old, I could ask my dad, he bought it brand new back in the day.
And yes those are rod-actuated drum brakes, surprisingly they work quiet well if the rod is not bend.