I'm with Ya! I go to hit the 370 and 371 and then I'm crushed because I don't see any awesome Commuter Bikes! "Damn...... Scotty.......I need more POWER"

:(

Froghunter

The Rig is an ever-evolving, ever-changing living beast and here are the latest pictures of the ugliest bike on Earth! It has been my main squeeze for commuting and utilitarian use for some time now. It's a 2005 Trek 4300 Hardtail. Pics are self-explanatory. The lights on the front are MiNewt 200 and MiNewt 600, and on the rear a pair of Cherrybombs and a pair of PBSFs.
http://bicycle.markstone.org/images/Newrig1.jpg
http://bicycle.markstone.org/images/Newrig6.jpg
http://bicycle.markstone.org/images/Newrig5.jpg
http://bicycle.markstone.org/images/Newrig8.jpg

I may actually look into one. I just gotta find one in nice shape at not such a high price. Only nice one I've seen is a 700 for $240 but if I'm spending that much I want something a little better than the base model.

My son actually FOUND this one. It was in extremely rough shape and under a pile of trash, as if someone were cleaning out their garage and just didn't want "that old bike" any more. I cleaned it up (LOTS of work there!) and bought a few new parts, and it has been an awesome commuter. I'm not over partial to the flat bar, and over the next couple of weeks will change it to a drop bar w/ bar cons.

Trek 700s have been easy to come by around here. I got a 21" framed one in good shape for $35 that is now my light touring/commuter hybrid and just picked up a 19.5" frame and fork (straight and corrosion free but scratched up) for nothing. The only more plentiful quality bikes in this area seem to be the old Trek 800 series MTBs. 700s are great frame/fork sets that can be built into anything from a road bike to a 29r trail or cyclocross bike. Not going to be fast road bikes, but very comfortable commuter, fitness, hybrid or touring setup.

I set my preferences so that the newest posts come first because of this very thread. Now I have set all of my forums to be newest-first so I don't get confused.

I'm surprised to hear you say that. In the photos the paint looks like it doesn't have a scratch on it and it doesn't appear to be repainted.

It has a few nicks here & there. It had a lot of superficial scrapes, but it was paint on top of the bike paint... as if it scraped against a painted wall in a house or garage. I also had a LOT of grime from many years of neglect. I took some rubbing coumpound and gently wiped down the whole bike and that really brought it back.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mburgess86/6551735431/" title="2010 specalized sirrus by strong beard, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6551735431_4951b55ffc.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2010 specalized sirrus"></a>

Heres my beast 2011 Trek utopia

Nice to see another one of those. I love mine and have only good to say about it. Unfortunately bike theft is very high here so I don't usually commute on it. I use my much slower and heavier 7200 which I will upgrade eventually.

@mburgess86
Is this the picture that you are trying to post here?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6...4951b55ffc.jpg

I love these pictures of commuting bikes in snow!

Here's my old Denver commuter, a 1985 Trek 520 that I'm thinking of fixing up - for a full description click here - -

http://bicycle.markstone.org/images/5201.jpg

To a lot of us a 520 of that vintage is a Grail bike. Need to put a build thread on that in the C&V forum.

You can buy CR18's in a 27 for under $30 a hoop on Amazon. I'm running 700c on my 420 and worked fine with the stock brakes (not Canti). Bet it would work on that as well. I'd even consider a more modern drive train if whats on it is worn badly. I'm running mid 90's 105sc hubs with 7 speed indexed bar ends, Deore LX derailleurs with the stock crank to keep the vintage look. Rides wonderful. I'm about to build a 84 Trek 890 (Urban bike on 26's with 1.5 tires) and plan to run it 9 speed bar end.

What fenders are those? and would you happen to either have or willing to take some photos that show the clearance that you have between the tire and fender in the back? also if you have a photo of where it connects to the rear stay (near where the brake mounts) it would be appreciated :)

I love that old bike. The drivetrain is about 450 miles old so with some cleaning and lube it will be good for a while. You are the second source today that has told me I can just put 700 wheels on it without a problem. I have a fresh pair of 700c wheels on a bike my wife has but won't ride (less than 20 miles?), I'll just try it and see. The Cantilever Brakes and the downtube shifters I'll keep, because it's part of the personality of the machine! Thanks for your thoughts Grim

Totally bad ass! What tires are those?

They look to be Maxxis Hookworms

Maxxis Hookworms are correct.
Here's a better pic of the tread:

http://velospace.org/files/P4030093.jpg

My daily Ride. Some of the time it has a matching basket on the front rack.

How would you compare the Hookworms to Big Apples? I'm working on another build (1993 Bridgestone XO-3) and I want big (1.75-2.00) and fast tires for a rough stuff ride.

I hear that they're rather heavy compared to Big Apples. I have no concrete knowledge, though. If you're looking for a tire like that with a little bit more tread, I'd look into the Schwalbe Hurricane. They have a file tread-y center, and aggressive side knobs, and I believe that they come in 26*2.00. Sixty Fiver recommends them, though I've never personally used them.

I have no experience with any other tires in this range.

The hookworms were heavy, but once they got rolling, they were kinda flywheel-ish... they just kept on rolling.