I'll chime in that I wouldn't repaint that Bianchi not because of the speed of the color, but unless you have some connections to get the frame properly repainted you can easily drop $100 on paint and decals maybe more. Unless it looks much worse in the pictures it probably has a nice paint job. You can clean it up and wax the paint and it will look pretty sweet. Obviously its your bike and you can do whatever you want, but I would say at least ride it for a while and make sure its the right size and what you like before you take the time and money to repaint it. Its a pretty nice bike and you should thank your friend for giving you something so nice. Put it another way the money you could spend on repainting this bike you could buy a 2nd bike or if you look around a whole fleet of bikes. LOL If you are actually going to commute on this bike red is a pretty visible color . Thats a bonus and this is coming from someone that does like black bikes. The fastest bike I have is a road hazard gray Lemond Road bike. =)

What I meant was that I've never seen grip shifters like yours before (i.e. with levers instead of a rotatable grip). Do they work well?

You certainly achieved your unique look. I bet it looks cool when in motion. :thumb:

thanks for the advice i really appreciate it, how would i know its the right size? i have notice somethings about riding like my knee's hurt sometimes depending on how i ride and the pedals seem to go around on a radius that seems a little small but can that be changed by swapping parts and getting my seat raised? and yea a second bike could be cool haha

An update on my Windsor Cyclo after about 2000 miles with which I commute with on 60-80% trails, rest road, about 32 mi RT, 500 mi/mo. Tacoed my stock front wheel trying to do an old mountain stunt in an emergency - duh. So I replaced the stock 32 spoke wheels with Mavic Aksium 20 spoke. Finding myself needing to true these Aksium since the flooding weather here has created deep ruts in the trails against which I have bashed repeatedly. Still I like these Aksium wheels and don't mind investing in a good truing stand.

The stock Shimano 105 rear shifter quit working accurately so I replaced them with Utegra 6700. Probably overkill on this bike, but I got a really good price on them, I like the wider and more solid hoods, the internal routing, and they shift great. Also the stock KMS chain stretched after around 1000 miles so I replaced it with an Ultegra chain.

I got nervous about the generic stem after a report it cracked in half on another Windsor Cyclo so replaced it with a good deal on an Easton EA70 OS stem from Jensonbike.

Also replaced my old clipless pedals wit Shimano M540 and that crunching noise went away :D

Only complaints I have about the rig is the frame and forged cranks are a little flexy, but not enough to bother me - in fact it is a good ride on the trail with the CF fork (hope that doesn't fail!)

Cheers

http://hawkman.smugmug.com/Family/Fa...03_6viLV-L.jpg

http://hawkman.smugmug.com/Other/Stu...86_HJLrg-L.jpg

The 'Supa Commuta' is done!

My little project is now a reality after about 6 months of research and then tracking down of parts.

The single speed conversion that I was riding to work and about town was fine and fun, but it was a bit limited. In the present it struggled on the longer hills, in the future it was going to struggle as it had no mounts for anything like racks or fenders.

Enter the Supa Commuta...
Attachment 168956

- I wanted gears, but no hassle from derailleurs etc. The simplicity of single speed is great, but an IGH gives you the best of both.
- A frame that had lots of options would be a plus. This frame will allow me multiple drivetrain options as well as racks and fenders. I can even race cyclecross on it later if I really want to.
- Everything rusts and gets filthy in this town, so a Ti frame and avoiding a regular chain is a plus.

Attachment 168954Attachment 168955Attachment 168957Attachment 168958Attachment 168959Attachment 168960

New parts list:
- Lynskey Crosstown frame, Alpha Q fork. Great deal from the Lynskey Loft.
- Nexus Alfine 8spd hub
- Gates belt drive, 55t chainring, 24t cog, 125t belt
- Versa VRS8 shifters
- Velocity Dyad rims
- Wellgo pedals with MKS toe clips

Second hand parts:
- Ultegra front hub (from BF member)
- Tektro brakes (from BF member)
- Schwalbe Marathon 28mm tyres (from BF member)
- Shimano crank (from LBS pile)
- Thomson seat post (local classifieds)

From the parts bin:
- Handlebars (from my Caad9)
- Saddle (from my Caad9)
- Stem

The Ride
It is tall - the bars are about 8cm taller than my road bike. It seems a bit odd at the moment. The canti brakes shuddered terribly on the first ride, but with some playing with the spring tension and toe in has made this a lot better. Shifting was a bit imprecise, but a bit of cable tension has fixed that (and I'm more used to the throw of the shifter too).

The Future
Haven't worked out fenders, racks or anything else yet. I have an option of going single speed because the guys at Gates messed up and sent a cog for a Shimano freewheel the first time around. They sent the new Nexus style for free. All I need is some spacers to convert a regular road wheel to single speed with the belt.

Thanks to my long suffering LBS mechanic Jobar, and to Don at Lynskey for all his help on this unique project.

http://a.imageshack.us/img820/6465/img00141i.jpg
Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Lovin' that Lynskey build! Very jealous here. ;)

My new commuter: 2001 Jamis Ventura. Added fenders and rack.

http://api.photoshop.com/home_bca324...=1284059376000

Bill the Pony got a new (un)paint job, new cockpit, and racks over the summer:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/...6bd488c0e5.jpg

And a new "garage" (shared with Fatty Lumpkin, my lady's bike):
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/...3633dc76e2.jpg

Night has returned to the North! So Pony got his lights back, too:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/...e4b7f77c99.jpg
Kids love it, tailgaters hate it.

Today I picked up some lime green reflective tape to run down the fenders, just in case the PB Superflash and DiNotte taillight weren't enough. :)

Well fit is very subjective to different riders and so its hard to sum that up in one post. Its hard to really help someone with sizing even in person for a great number of factors. First do you now how to measure the frame size? How tall are you? These are what to get started with (basically ruling out frames that are obviously not a fit), but that gives you a general basis. In general if the frame seems fine, but you have some discomfort you can do some small adjustments to make it fit better. You can raise and lower the seat, move the seat forward and back and also raise and lower the handlebars. You can change the stem length as well. I changed my seat on my commuter bike and now after a few long rides I realize from shoulder soreness I have some adjustments I need to make. Do some google searches and you will find way more info than you need. Start with the basics don't let all the other stuff confuse you into thinking you need a different frame. I ride a 17 inch frame mountain bike even though alot of people would say thats too small. Here is a pretty helpful writeup in the link below. This site from Sheldon Brown has a ton of very useful info.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html

Basically you might find this frame just fine for now, but later you might realize you would prefer a larger frame or one with different geometry or whatever. A second bike for a different use might be just what you need in addition to this bike. If you are just getting into riding just ride what you have for a while before doing any big-time spending so you have a clue about what you want unless you have plenty of what my wife calls disposable income. LOL Part fo the reason for this is as you ride more your riding style and strength will possibly make your needs/wants different than when you started. By the way, I am jealous that you don't have a car. I wish I didn't need one for my job. =)

All tuned up and ready for winter...new tires, crankset and chain.

http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t...t/acb65f66.jpg

http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t...t/39cb0c27.jpg
B&M IQ Cyo N Headlight
http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t...t/c83da78a.jpg
Brooks B17N Imperial (prototype)
http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t...t/15640bb1.jpg

Update to my previous post, other pic was bad and I thought I would add the specs.

Cross Check -
Tiagra F & R Derialers (? spelling) 2 x 9
Avid Shorty 4
Deore Hubs w/ Alex Adventurer Rims and Ritchey Speedmax 40c
Salsa Bell Lap Bars (awesome bars)
Shimano Clipless/ flats
Banjo Bros bags
Light and Motion Stella 120
Planet Bike Super flash and a Cat eye blinkie
Planet Bike fenders (new today)

That "Supa Commuta" is the bomb! I would love to build a Ti IGH with a Gates Carbon drive. I think that thing could survive a nuclear explosion and do it with speed! Well done sir!

Thanks!

I've just got to get the fenders to work. May have to make up a custom bracket for the front one as the fork does not have a full hole for brake mounting, just a screw hole at the back. I think I will have to be extra nice to the carbon fibre guy at work...

Thats not a "grip shift" and Grip Shift I believe is a patent design belonging to SRAM. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SRAM_Corporation
Grip shifts are exactly as the name impies as it is a ring on the straight bars that forms part of the grip typical to MTB or Hybrid bike where your hand normally rests (with the exception of some bar end styles use on road bar bikes in place of a bar end shifters). That is a paddle shift that is common to low tier bikes. It is the modern equivalent to the stem shifter. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schwinn-70...d-Bike/4698938

Thanks for the clarification; I stand corrected. I have never heard of paddle shifters before - except as they relate to cars.
I did have stem shifters once years ago on an old CCM Targa ten-speed that was handed down to me from my father.
In these parts, Canadian Tire sells a "grip-shifted" CCM road bike (although the shifters are by Shimano, not SRAM):
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

Just thought I would update my pic now that I have a nice set of bags.

http://www.aofw.co.uk/images/DSCN4793.JPG

They look very spacious! Nice ride.

My in-town commuter special. Bit of a hotch potch but goes well. Only just had clearance for the 700c-28 tyres by reverse mounting the rear brake. It now has a rack.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...n/IMG_3516.jpg

wow not much clearance there, i like it, it looks lite and quick

*stands and applauds*

i daydream regularly about builds. you have made my dreams, your reality. super jealous of that bike forreals.

nice bike. what year is it and what was the original parts spec? heres my 90 which i commute on as well:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k7...e/P1050046.jpg

I am very curious what rack you are running under those bags, I commute on a cross check and suffer from heel strike issues with my pannier

It is a sunlite rack. I have heel strike issues also unless the panniers are all the way back on the rack. The frame is a 54, not sure if frame size will effect the rear triangle or not, I suspect it will 'cause it does with toe overlap issues.