If you commute with it, it's a commuter. Run what ya brung.

Schwinn 411 w/Internal geared hub 5spd, I also added the fenders. They also have them w/24spd

I have a bike I'm building up as a commuter.

The light is mounted on a Quick Release Light Mount I got off Amazon. The idea was it gets out of the way of the handlebar mounted bag that I haven't ordered yet. Seems to work really well, although I have only used it in the rain a few times.

T

nice bike /2 questions
 

looks like you are using for commuting so in my book that makes it a commuter, a very nice commuter... two questions

what is that stick that looks like it is holding it up?
What kind of tires do you have on it?

they are very reflective. (i like that)

The stick is a Click-Stand, honestly I don't know how i got along without it. Fits in my rear bag when not needed.
The tires are Continental Contact, 700c x 37mm. Wire bead. Blackwall, they come on the bike from Surly. It's fairly stock, the only thing I have added is racks and other accessories. I haven't upgrade anything yet.

T

Ha! I thought he was just being sarcastic, like "what kind of dork uses a kickstand?" I didn't even notice it when I looked at the pic before. That's pretty cool though, you get to have the utility of a kickstand when you really need it, and the rest of the time you can hide the fact that you have a kickstand.

The tread on the Conti Contact looks a lot like a Conti Touring Plus 700x32 tire I have, which is also reflective. Worked well for me!

Spent my day with groovestew's old beater ;)

She is looking a little cleaner and shinier now and this should give him some more time to chase after babies.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...nchi%20(1).JPG

The 7 speed Suntour block needed a cleaning so I fitted a VX GT and a Shimano 6 so groovestew is gonna have to slum it with these until the 7 is all cleaned up unless he decides like me, that there isn't a better friction derailleur out there than a vintage Suntour.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=325938Been using this C Dale F700 to get to work. I previously was using my Raliegh FT2, but have since found an alternate route which involves 3.25 miles of trail and fireroad riding, hence the mountain bike. The communte is as follows ; 5 miles of asphalt, 3.25 miles of dirt, 5.5 miles of asphalt. The break in terrain makes the ride to and from work alot of fun. The fastest average speed thus far on the mountain bike is 15.1 mph. Fastest average speed on Raleigh is 13.8mph. Both rides convert to about the same elapsed time as the all road route is a bit shorter. I attribute the faster MTB speed to eliminating the larger climbs that the all road route has.
This is my first season at this commuting plan, and I must say it's very addicting. I do have a question, Anyone else commute with a backpack and find it a bit uncomfortable durring the hotter times of the year? If so what is your solution? I fear a rack will not survive very long on my route.

Been having a lot of fun with da Pug and all it needs now is an air horn.

:D

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...13pugdrop1.JPG

Amazing how swapping out the riser bars for drops has improved the road speed... and the comfort level.

Here's my bike, Thorn Raven Tour.I use my touring bike as a commuter too. :D

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=326113

I LOVE the drops on this bike. Very nice. :)

Super happy with the progress on my Trek. Fit is perfect and the new 32c WTB all-terrainasaurus tires handle the brick roads on my commute with ease. It's nice being able to take the scenic route to work without shaking my teeth loose. :)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7338/9...aa5d2753_b.jpg

That Trek is gorgeous, cobrabyte, just a stunning machine!

Over a month now without driving a car and I think I can officially post mine. Groceries, fun or going to work this has done it all. And yup, the red tires are cheap and silly, but fun!

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/...psbb7f19d2.jpg

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=326209
Not sure how to post full size.. anywhoo. just added mini front and rear racks. Average 30 miles roundtrip recreational. and 18 miles roundtrip workdays.

That is sweet. I had not been too excited by the monster tire bikes, but just realized thats because I love drop bars so much. Now this has got my attention. Looks like lots of fun.

Stop Cycles (OneGhost) Proletariat is my latest commuter beast. 29er discs with Alfine 8 speed hub. Rolls great on the asphalt...

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/9...f6f44a89_o.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/9...5dc0d059_o.jpg

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=326546

Just put new bars, stem, brake levers, and a bar end shifter.

A total 100% improvement over the stock equipment, each of which was bad in their own ways.

The sora brifters Stopped shifting properly about 1000 miles into their life cycle.
The shifting movement of the brake levers reduced braking effectiveness.
The bars creaked and groaned when any kind of moderate strain was applied to them.
The adjustable rise stem would not stay tightened resulting in a lot of lateral play while riding.

It has been vastly improved, though I still have more work to do.
There may be a new crankset in it's future still.

Looks nice -- especially I am interested in those tires. I'm looking to 'monstercross' my CrossCheck, and I figger I can go beyond the spec 45mm limit if I can find 9er tires that don't have pronounced side-knobs, and these look pretty good. 700x2.0 are they? Could you do me a favor and measure the actual inflated width and height above rim, or total height?

Also, what rims are those? If my rims (velocity dyad 24mm width) are narrower than yours, that might pull the tire in and save me a mm or two.

I've been commuting on this Vaya for two and a half years or so, but with new bike lanes installed between my house and work, I'm looking to add something that is quicker and less "robust." I have scored some vintage Treks and am aspiring to complete a build a la cobrabyte. Hopefully I'll have something to show when I'm done!

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps678b6636.jpg

nice stuff
 

even with the small picture it is a nice bike. i like the small racks. what kind are they and do they take special connection points?


I really like this bike. I have never heard of Stop Cycles. but they may want to rethink the name. Seems contradictory haha. I like those tires. They look like they will roll pretty fast. what kind of light is that? plus that internal hub is so cool


That Vaya sure is nice looking though! what kind of tires do you have on there. I am looking for a replacement tires on my motobecane fantom CX commuting mostly road ride. I want some to ride faster but handle a off road now and then.

Continental Tour Ride -- These were actually the stock tire from Salsa. When I got the bike, I took them off and mounted some Paselas. Recently put these back on. If your object is "to ride faster but handle a off road now and then" I'm not sure I'd recommend these. They are more the inverse -- like "tires that are great off road, but are tolerable for pavement now and then." :)

The Stop Cycles bike has Serfas Drifter tires, which has flat protection. I run those in 26x1.5 on my KHS and they work pretty well. Seem to be great at preventing flats.

This is the Surly Cross Check I got in February.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=327023

In retrospect I should have gone up a size, or maybe even two. But it's super comfy the way it's set up, and I've loved riding it-- it's got about 1700 miles so far. I ride it as a 1x9, which makes keeping everything clean a lot simpler. I the steer-tube extender is by Soma. Maybe someday I'll get a new uncut fork, but for now this works. The bar tape is Fizik synthetic leather.

what's to laugh about? that thing can HAUL some stuff!

at christmastime. not as fancy as yours, 'but it still gets me where i want to gooo' (beach boys).
the bags really need replacing as does the seat now.
lights are bikeglow.

http://www.bikeglow.com/

I don't think that I ever posted photos of my Gunnar Sport, which has become my main commuter, so here it goes. I recently picked up the Ritchey Breakaway Cross, which I also plan to use for commuting on days when rain is unlikely because I don't want fenders on it. I will also use the Ritchey for trails and light-touring.

The Pug is more fun in nice weather... bought it primarily for adventuring on the trails and for winter although it is a very nice bike in city and not as monstrous or as slow as one might think. Those 4.0 tyres have extremely low rolling resistance so spinning them up is not that hard and even with a gimpy leg and a three speed drive I do okay and can take this bike all over the place.

My back could not handle the riser bars for long and had the cross bars at hand as well as all the hardware (thanks to groovestew) so I did it up and could not be more pleased... took it to the lake on Canada day and used it as my mobility device to get from our site to the lake, rode on the beach, and then went and explored some really nice trails and the forest.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...gppp%20(4).JPG

I will be re-lacing one of those wheels with a cassette hub so I can give it a fuller gear range and then I can probably pull stumps with it... the secret is that once you get those tyres spinning you just keep them spinning and my high cadence style really suits the bike.

The wheels comprise half the weight of the bike... the tyres themselves are very light but the tubes are heavy (and provide puncture protection) and those massive rims add a lot of weight and a lot of strength.

Here is my trek 8000, that I took to work the other day. Sorry for the quality of the picture.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=327041

It's somewhat ironic that since I built up a dedicated commuting/touring bike over the winter, I've been reaching for my "roadiest" bike for most of my commuting:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...anchi_6_18.jpg

It has the most aggressive/aero positioning of all my bikes, and the gearing has changed from the original 48/38/28 triple with 12-28 cassette to a 50/39 double with 13-23 cassette. The original saddle broke, and gave way to a B17S (too wide) to a Brooks Pro (too round) to a B17N (just right.) Since this picture was taken, I've also changed to SPD pedals. It's fun. :)

And why not? I also built up the ultimate commuter bike, but while practical, it's heavy, slow, and not much fun to ride. My main go-to bike on nice days is a minimalist 80's Bianchi road bike, because it's just so much fun to ride!

Heh...didn't realize that [MENTION=101819]Sixty Fiver[/MENTION] posted a new pic of my speed machine