Specialized Sirrus model? Looks good. I bought one last year. Pretty happy with it overall.

Ann Arbor

I have five bikes, four of which I use for commuting, shopping, and running errands. This elderly, very battered Trek 7000 gets used the most. It is heavy but stout.

The taillight is the Clipbrite Bike Beamer Turn Signal System, also sold by Eurolight (probably the OEM) and under the Avenir brand. I posted a question about it here. Would be interesting to know if it's easy to take apart, if so I'd think about replacing the turn signal LED's with these high-power 10mm 40° 32.000mcd LED's, or these yellow 100° 14.000mcd Superflux LED's.

I'm new to commuting, as of last Saturday where my car decided to die. I've had this Balance mountain bike, added slicks, fenders and lights. I usually carry a Timbuk II bag, so I've opted not to put a rack on it. Kind of difficult anyways because of the unusually thick tubing.

Thanks for the info. It's not as expensive as I thought.

had to finally replace this old single speed DJ frame with something that fit my height a little better.
Specialized Hardrock GX, I'm unsure of the year.... trying to find a serial number database for Specialized bikes (my guess it's from around '96 or '97). I found it abandoned in front of my work, missing seat post, bent and twisted chainrings, plastic gripshifters were cracked and seized. When I tipped it upright off the ground bright orange rusty water came pouring out of the drain holes in the frame. both wheels were so badly out of true they couldn't clear the breaks, so I had to carry it home on the subway. I've always wanted to try drop bars on a mountain bike frame...so I installed larger chain rings, different stem, oversized drop bars, brake levers and bar end shifters cleaned and re-greased all the bearings. Full coverage fenders and the ugliest bar tape ever seen (it was only $3 though). So far I like it, the fork rake is pretty relaxed compared to my previous commuter and I'm finding and I can't flick through traffic as easily now... but it's growing on me. It's a heavy beast though...... very heavy.

i think the bar tape is cooool.goood rided to you and the bike.

My winter commute bike:

Gary Fisher 229 with the following changes:
Surly Karate Monkey Forks
Schmidt SON dynamo hub
Schmidt E6 headlight (Cateye EL500 backup)
D Toplight Plus taillight
Tubus Cargo Rack
Nokian 106 700x45C Studded tires
beartrap pedals with Powergrips
SKS Fenders

My commute:
12 miles each way -- 8 miles on country roads and 4 miles in town. Mostly dark both ways.

Good looking bike. Is it the angle of the photo or my eyes or is the saddle pointed up a bit much?

Ouch! Yeah -- I adjusted the angle down after the first ride. I took off my Brooks B17 and put on the original Titec and that's how the angle came out. After a couple of rides I think I might go back to the Brooks. I thought the plastic saddle might weather better but the Brooks is sooooo comfy...

Another annoyance I'm having is getting the angle of the saddle just right. The Bontrager seat post has detents so I'm usually a tad high or low of perfect. My Thomson seatpost is nice but the wrong size .

Schwinn sports tourer (thats the chro-mo frame with threaded BB)
Nexus 7 spd
Wald baskets and chainguard
Berthoud stainless fenders
Schmidt dynohub

Sluggo, that's a great looking bike. I'm working on a very similar bike at the moment that is going to become a SS conversion utility bike. Are those M-bars flipped upside down? I might go with the more traditional North Road style myself, but the chrome fenders and chainguard look great.

Thanks for the compliment... Yes, they are mustache bars, upside down from conventional.

I am not seeing any baskets on here, but I love them.

Here's my girlfriend's bike I built up into a commuter. It's a Marin Palisades, picked up at a charity for a local grade school for 70 bucks. The chain had a broken link and was replaced, everything is pretty strong and survived one hard crash so far. It has a Biospace threering up front, seven speed with annoying thumb shifters, free Blackburn rack from a friend's dead bike with a spraypainted milk crate zip tied to the top, blinkies front and rear and a huge amber reflector from a broken street sign, and my old Specialized BG comfort seat. This is her first real bike and she does quite well despite the weight of this bike. I like that the bike has a white and black color scheme.

Anyone know the year of this bike?

Cheers, Alan

That's purdy!

Either you got gargantuan cojones or it's really flat where you live

or big quads... it's probably not as tall as it looks. 53x19, or 75 gear inches. i'm a single-speed mountain biker, and this is how i train during the week (since i don't usually have time to hit the trails after work in the fall/winter).

oh, and durham ain't flat. it ain't rocky mountains, but it ain't florida either. the piedmont we like to call it.

75 on hillish terrain makes things interesting. You sir have giant cojones and quads to match.

I really like the fenders ... nice clean conversion sir.

I see lots of posts here with people talking about a pic and people commenting on the pic but I can't see most of them. Is there something I have to do? Thanks.

Updated pic of my LHT

Cyclaholic:

I do love those Surly bikes. Rode with a guy on a century who had one and he just looked so darn comfortable and no muss, no fuss simple down to earth bike. Yours is that plus some serious business! Mine is currently a POS (not point of sale!) 80's road bike. Looking at giving her some better wheels.

You can pick up Ultegra 28 spoke hubs on eBay for a fair price and I have heard they are silky for life and industructable! But I stay away fron 28 spokes because of strength. Then I see your bike. 18 spokes in front and something under 28 in back. Ok, if I was a purist I would know the range...I'm just getting back into bikes and 25 years ago it was 36 36 36. My point, are you not putting high performance racing wheels on a utility bike? Or do I have a mis-conception as to what makes a strong durable wheel? I'm 220 lbs and I often have a laptop and other heavy stuff going home and I would hate to think the torture I am putting my old high flange Normandy hub and Wobler 58 rim through! I made the wheel 25 years ago and she still runs just fine....but I have never ridden the new stuff!

Again, very nice bike. I generally lurk trying to learn where bikes are today. Rode 3 of 5 days so I avoided 60 driving miles (97 klicks)! I'm getting back into it slowly. Some day I may have the guts to post a picture of my vintage commuter!

Cyclaholic:

Diggin' the bullhorns w/ road levers and barcons.

The guy on that century looked comfortable because he was

Those are the Shimano R550, my weekend wheels, they're not bad for the $$$ a bit flexy and I put them out of true if I go too hard. I do century and double cantury rides with them and haven't had a problem. They make a difference to your times too. The other set are 36 spoke Deore LX hubslaced to Mavic touring rims with DT Swiss Alpine III spokes.

25 years and still going strong on your built wheels... impressive! If I get 5 - 7 years out of my set I'll be very happy. Do post a picture of your ride, I really dig the '70s and '80s road bikes, they had a certain character about them back then that's hard/impossible to find in the new gear and the fact that so many are still going strong and even becoming sought after speaks volumes about them.

It's still comfortable at the end of a double century

Let me know if you want to se more pics

Cyclaholic, thanks for the kind words. Glad to hear you have two sets of wheels! Of course, how silly of me to not think of that And the second set are 36, at least some things have not changed! You will have to forgive me, I am very dated with my bike info. Here is my dated bike. An old Austro Daimler in 60cm. Model is AD-SLE. Frame made in Austria by Puch. Wish is had some braze on's, not even a water bottle I got the frame at a college bike auction back in '82. Collected parts here and there and tried to upgrade as better parts came along. Now, being a corporate stiff, I don't mix with the "used bike/unloved bike/stripped city bike" scene anymore. I just don't know where the old bikes go. Stores here don't sell used bikes. They just have new bikes starting at $1,000 and up.

Hubs are one piece Normandy high flange made in France both front and back. Rear derailure is Suntour VGT-Lux, front is the original Huret. Brakes are original Diacomp. Front rim was a cast off Avaya and rear is the only part I bought which is a Wobler 58 + box of spokes. Tank of a rim as I made it up 4x for touring. Can't convert to 700cm wheels so they stay 27"...remember those? Brooks sadle with a Campy post that came off a discarded bike that was run over by a car at college. Just put on cheap Shimano SPD mtb pedals which is the most money I have in the bike. It works. Based on input here I got a Cateye TL-ED1000 on the back and just picked up a Pyramid Power Beam for the front which is VERY visiable in blink mode. And some trimbrite tossed on for good measure. I just want to get back and forth for low cost, low risk. If I ever spend money on a nice bike it will be for weekend club rides like your Surly Long Haul Trucker. But having become addicted to other hobbies, I can see how it would be easty to have a quality commuter!

She works! And if someone steals her, I'd be bummed but not out much money.