Winterized my commuter with some studded tires and BMX-style platform pedals.

http://imgur.com/MgzHxl.jpg

Here's mine. I modified the gearing to be much lower, since it is hilly here, and added lots of options to carry stuff. Otherwise it is a stock Speciale CX.

I'm still loving your bike, IRClean. We were looking at the same time, and I ended up with the Kona Dr. Fine (Kona is a joint US-Canada venture, so they have dealers in my area, while Norco doesn't).

How is that belt drive holding up? Any squeaking?

I love the browns and burgandy they used on that bike and the Speciale Randonneur. Sort of bummed with the Green for the SR and blue for the CX they went with for 2011.

Nice ride, Welcome to Bike Forums.

Here's my beast, a Worksman Cycles Super Utility Delivery trike, with the customary heavy metal box replaced by a shopping cart. I've been commuting four miles each way on this for about a month, since my other three bikes are all in various states of getting repaired.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4144/...a44d24d9e1.jpg

Of course, I don't usually cart another adult all the way to work, but I do use it to drop off my six-year-old at school, and I frequently stop for major grocery buys on the way home. It's not a fast ride, obviously, but it only adds between five and eight minutes to my commute (from 20 minutes to nearly half an hour), and I get the benefit of having every hill turned into a serious cardio workout. (It also makes carrying my suits from the dry cleaner's to the office a lot easier.)

The people in my office make (good-natured) fun of me, naturally - today, someone called it "a highly modified geriatric tricycle" - but I tell myself they're just jealous. After all, I get favorable comments practically every day during my ride through the ghetto. Recent pedestrian remarks have included, "¡Esa sí es una bicicleta, brother!" and "Yo, that sh*t is NICE!"

awesome...

My new commuter. Schwinn Tailwind - Added panniers, Exploding MagicShine, Crank Bros. Smarty pedals and 380 watt car stereo system (Custom) :D
http://i56.tinypic.com/r1zbra.jpg

+1

This is how I've been getting to school this semester, pretty much sorted out, it changes often. I need fenders, a headlight and more gears, but otherwise it's treated me great.
http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...s/107_2579.jpg

Ok what is it? I'm thinking maybe the Nashbar touring frame.

Nope, it's a Pake C'mute, because I couldn't afford a cross check. It's mostly built up with stuff I had laying around, I did buy a new wheelset to build it, basic shimano mtb hubs laced to sun cr18's, thanks Harris cyclery. It's a great wheelset for the price.
Here's another picture in single-speed form, that got old after after a while here in new england.
http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...s/IMG_0013.jpg

Nice and understated. I like.
Running CR18's on Deore on one bike and STX on the other. Great rim for the price.

Thanks, understated is just what I was after, as I lock it up on a college campus most days of the week.

no offence, but this sounds dangerous.

its probably because when i was a young and stupid skater punk hanging out behind the supermarket i saw a friend of mine get pushed in a shopping cart off the curb at high speed and it tipped over with his fingers through the mesh and shaved off most of the meat on his right hand fingers down to the bones - which were also broken. they used skin grafts to fix it but it was painful and he never had proper use of his hand and we called him 'ass-hand' for years.

no offence, but this sounds dangerous.

its probably because when i was a young and stupid skater punk hanging out behind the supermarket i saw a friend of mine get pushed in a shopping cart off the curb at high speed and it tipped over with his fingers through the mesh and shaved off most of the meat on his right hand fingers down to the bones - which were also broken. they used skin grafts to fix it but it was painful and he never had proper use of his hand and we called him 'ass-hand' for years.

We should all live in fear and hide in our basements. Ohhh wait we cant do that because California says dirt causes cancer.

Should my toddler not be allowed in the child seat of a shopping cart when I go grocery shopping?


Seriously! how is comparing a bunch of idiot kids that were by your description auditioning for the Darwin award even remotely comparable to an adult taking his child to school other then a shopping cart was used in both instances?

Its stupid reactions like this that lead to stupid laws. Live by accepting "personal responsibility".

No offense taken! Take note: shopping carts in their natural form have small, hard rubber, swiveling wheels. This is the boxy part of a shopping cart mounted on leaf springs and twenty-inch bicycle wheels. Also, you can't see it, but the cart has seatbelts for kids in it. So I don't think it's appreciably more dangerous than having a kid on a rear, rack-mounted seat, in a towed kid trailer, or in a modern bakfiets. More ghetto? Definitely. Slower? For sure. But more dangerous? I don't think so.

I think that shopping karted trike is rad, very unique

The extra-bike will probably share duties with the U.A.V. for the winter... the IGH on the U.A.V. will be particularly welcome if I have to ride in sub -30C temps when free hubs can get a little cranky.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...erstretch2.JPG

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...tershasta1.JPG

And for those really nice days when the roads are de-iced and the temperatures are not insanely cold my studless Trek 7500 is a great winter ride.

So far the belt drive is holding up well. I did have problems with the aluminum rear cog and had to have it replaced. Gates has addressed the problem and new cogs are machined from steel, but are not yet available as replacement parts. I did find the belt drive a little squeaky at first but that seemed to go away after a while... break-in period, possibly? In any case maintaining proper tension and alignment it paramount to proper function, and now that I've learned how to dial it in the bike seems flawless. Learning to remove the rear wheel and how to adjust the Alfine hub also took some time, but I can now swap a tire almost as quickly as I can on a bike equipped with a derailleur drivetrain. Plus, adjustments to smoothen shifting are much quicker and far easier with the IGH. Best of all my hands don't get greasy!

We're finally getting some sub-freezing temps here and so far I have had zero issues with the cold as it pertains to the drivetrain.

I hope you're happy with your Kona. The Dr. Fine made my short list while shopping for my bike, but one ride on the Norco and I was hooked.

The Motobecane in it's current commuter form.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...g?t=1291406876

It was just about a year ago when I converted it to fixed and since then it has seen a lot of small changes, even to the point that for a few weeks it was seeing duty as a SS cross bike. But now she's back to doing what she does best, being a reliable commuter and not looking too flashy.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=180828
Here's mine, possibly in the thread already somewhere, but in this picture it has super shiney new Schwalbe Snow Studs. No more bruises for me hopefully.

Here's is my new dry weather commuter in addition to my Dahon Helios. It is a Softride Classic.


http://i52.tinypic.com/2872fs5.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/2112mtg.jpg


I have a feeling the Dahon might start getting jealous now...

http://i36.tinypic.com/qp1ezn.jpg

Marc Nepo's Dodge Chopper

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5245/...84c82a1636.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/...7db079a130.jpg

Holy steer tube batman!!!

Best of luck with that.