That looks nice. I am tempted to pick up a 2009 because the price is so good. It looks like I would be able to be sure to have the bars above the saddle and I think thats what I want in a drop bar bike. I just can't decide if I should spend the money on this or build up a dropbar mountain bike with barend shifters from stuff I have laying around.

Spent the day on my drop bar mtb and had swapped in my summer wheels with the wider range 8 speed block and faster rolling / slicker tyres (2.0 Schwalbe Hurricanes) and the road feel of this bike is really close to my 700c equipped hybrid that rolls on 700:35 cross tyres... think that I will be swapping between these bikes a lot this riding season as they are both so enjoyable to ride.

If you went with a drop bar mtb you would not be giving up much, if anything and a great deal of he enjoyment stems from the build process and putting a little of yourself into it.

You are right and in general I like smaller diameter wheels anyway. I have just decided I like dropbar bikes more than I thought and want to have one as a commuter. Part of the problem is I have too many options of things to build up, but a new bike is appealing also. Even though the price of the Jamis is really good, I can build up something for alot less even if I had to buy a few bits, that would be a nice bike to take the daily abuse I would be planning on dishing out.

... but it will always be a 1973 Varsity. I have one myself, and even with some upgrades it's still the slowest bike I own. If it were my only bike I'd probably sell it and get something lighter and more modern. On the other hand, no one is gonna steal a Varsity, so if you have to lock it up in public for long periods... it's a good bike for that.

Took this last fall and the bike is set up like this now... without the extra baggage the bike only weighs 24 pounds so makes for a pretty light package that can handle serious abuse.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...encommute1.JPG

I need to find me one of these. My Nashbar drop-bar MTB weighs 32lb+ with no lights, bottle, or panniers.

Yes, it will always be a Varsity and I would never consider getting rid of it for a modern bike. I prefer older bikes as most people do in Chicago. They are better bikes. This bike would go missing very quickly if I didn't lock it up properly in this city. I pass the guys wearing full racing gear all the time and they get so mad! I love my bike! The most important thing is riding bikes... not how new, what brand, or the latest parts on the bike. I promote riding bikes... not new brands! Keep riding everyone!

This bike was hand built here back in '92 or so by a local builder who specialized in building lightweight xc frames and road bikes... when my friend gave me the frame and fork I was pretty shocked at how light it was and it came with the race Face carbon crank too.

I just grabbed some spare parts I had sitting around to build it up and ran it as an ss for a few weeks... in that configuration it was 21 pounds... with the rear rack attached.

Nice. I also dig the 1x drivetrain.

Not a problem... ride what ya got! :thumb:

Curtlo cyclocross bike built up back in 2003. The reason I had this bike made was at that time there were no readily available production CX bikes/frames that allowed for disc brakes. It is by far my favorite and is almost always the bike I pick to ride. I've commuted on it, raced on it and more often lately pull my sons in the bike trailer with it. It received some upgrades throughout the years, though it has stayed mostly the same for the past 5 years or so. I'm thinking of putting on fenders and a Tubus rack on the back so I can use my panniers on it. I don't plan on racing any time soon again on it...in no shape for that.
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...8/IMG_0263.jpg

Here s my new to me Schwinn
 

Bought this 88 Schwinn World to set up as a cheap (OK, not cheap!) commuter to replace using my 09 Specialized Allez. Big difference in ride quality, but not bad. Will take it on its maiden voyage tomorrow with a friend I finally talked into biking the 15.5 mile one-way trip!

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...mmuterv111.jpg

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...mmuterv112.jpg

Still have work to do, like a lighter seat post and bars, but for now it works well for what I need. Also, how is the best way to get the head badge back on? Thanks all!

My New Commuter: Civia Bryant
 

http://www.ecovelo.info/images/bryan...ride-1-800.jpg

http://www.ecovelo.info/images/bryan...ride-2-485.jpg

Great looking bike, what is it?

Thanks! It's a Civia Bryant. More here: http://www.ecovelo.info/2011/03/13/a-new-beginning/

you may indeed prefer older bikes (which is a completely fine & dandy personal preference to have), but i'm curious to know how you arrived at your current position of authority to speak for all 2.7 million chicagoans?



that's quite the heaping serving of a subjective, sweeping generalization presented as fact. some older bikes may be better than some newer bikes, but i assure you that some older bikes are FAR worse than some newer bikes.






I spent the weekend spiffing up my fair weather commuter now that old man winter seems to be releasing his stranglehold on the windy city. I also got the steerer tube cut down. It was sticking up above the stem by about 1.5" and, while it wasn't hurting anything, aesthetically it really bothered me. Now the the rhino horn is gone, it looks normal.

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/3323/motobecane1.jpg

With all the rain in Northern California lately, I've been getting bummed out commuting on my nice road bike. The fenders I have for it are not full coverage either, so it ends up getting filthy and I got tired of cleaning it so often. I found a 1990 Fuji Tahoe on craigslist for $50, and then put some fenders, cheap tires, and $20 platform pedals on it. Wheels are true, shifting is surprisingly smooth, and the ride is very comfortable. I was prepared for this just to be a crappy beater/rain bike, but I'm pleasantly surprised. This will also be serving as my town bike, trail-a-bike hauler, and errand runner. No more locking up my road bike to bike racks! :D

Overall it's not a bad bike. A little rust here an there, but nothing major and all the important parts work smooth. Even came with a full Suntour XCM "gruppo". Fancy!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_t...0/IMAG0228.jpg

thb - That Fuji looks great... don't be surprised if the "beater" becomes a favourite bike.

Congrats on the new ride!
The Bryant was high on my list, so I look forward to hearing your impressions as you get some saddle time on the new steed.

Here is my Peugeot US Express with 24 inch wheels I built the last couple of days. Its going on its first commuter trip today. Its not light, but its smaller than regular bike and based on a the test ride I took yesterday it rides pretty nice. I'll ride it for a few days and then upgrade some of the parts. Hopefully I will be able to cut out some of the weight although I'll just be adding more on with a rack and baskets or panniers. This is one of the bikes I decided to go ahead and build up instead of buying a new bike. =)

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_2287.jpg

that's an odd beast, but glad you're enjoying it.

Of course there isn't a problem. As long as we are riding bikes... regardless of the bike! My apologies if I came off rude. Past few days haven't been the greatest!

My apologies if I sounded rude or superior on the subject because that was not my intention but understand how it came off that way. Let me start over. I simply prefer older bikes and most people I know do as well. I speak for no one but myself and the people I know.




I agree. It is a bit of an over generalized statement but I do agree for the most part that older bikes are superior to newer ones. Are ALL older bikes superior to newer ones? Absolutely not. Are all newer bikes superior to all older bikes? Again, absolutely not. Do I plan on owning a newer bike in the future? Absolutely, because I love bikes and even though I will want to commit suicide after purchasing one of these very expensive newer bikes I ultimately will. I am getting back to riding after a long over-due break from riding. We may even disagree on which specific bikes are better but the ultimate goal here is to keep riding... whatever bike we choose. Here is my 2004 Giant Sedona. Have a nice day and keep riding everyone.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=194462

The Giant isn't being used at the moment. It needs some new tires but I am unsure what to use the bike for. Me and my fiance have started a recycling program at home and I plan on taking the recyclables to the Recycling Center on Sundays and was thinking maybe I could use the giant for that. It is a much lighter bike and with the added weight of a cargo trailer I think this would be the best choice.

Thanks! So far it's a pleasure to ride, and I hope it stays that way.

i wouldn't necessarily agree with that, but if that's you're opinion you're certainly entitled to it, it's just that the way you initially expressed your position it sounded like you were trying to pass off opinion as fact.

i will say however, i believe one of the reasons that some people may perceive that older bikes are generally better than newer bikes is the fact that the multitudes of crappy old bikes that have long since bit the dust are no longer with us, so comparing only the older bikes that are still around (bikes that were generally higher quality to begin with) with all new bikes being manufactured these days is a bit apples and oranges if you ask me.



absolutely, i wasn't trying to give you a hard time for choosing to ride whatever kind of bike you like and that works for you, i just thought the way you were expressing your opinions seemed a litle over the top. often times, typing simple little phrases like "i think that......." and "it's my opinion that....." can do wonders to avoid misunderstandings in internetland.

Just changed to Shimano 11 speed.
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