Here's my everyday ride. A 198x Miyata 610, set up single speed using 90% original parts.

Watch the bag straps in the back wheel!

Nice bike though

z

WOW you know not much about bikes and good vintage bikes.

Bottle generators are still readily available. https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/dymotec.asp

In Europe they are very popular and in fact standard equipment on many bikes since it is the law to have lighting at night in many countries. They don't like feeding batteries to the lights.

I no longer commute, but this is what carried me for the past two years when I did.

1972 Columbia Sports Tourist III.



Long wheel base, looooong chainstays - smooth ride. I fitted it with alloy rims and pedals when I got it. I kept planning on fitting an alloy stem and bars, but it hasn't been done. I took the rack off since I don't need to carry anything on it anymore.

Yeah. I know not much about bikes and good vintage bikes.

Am I allowed to post pics of my brother's new commuter? Perhaps he went just a little over the top but the results are worth it. And don't worry ... it's stored locked up, inside his office. You can see the full set here.








Some Highlights

• Custom titanium frame with integrated rack from Firefly.
• Internal cable routing for hydraulic disc brakes.
• Dual internal cable routing for Rohloff rear disc hub.
• Internal routing for electrical wiring for front and rear lights.
• ENGIN custom fork with internal brake and electrical cable routing
• Rohloff Disc rear hub
• Schmidt SON28 Disc front generator hub
• Truvativ Noir 1.1 cranks
• Gates Centertrack
• Brooks B15 Swallow Ti
• Supernova E3 Triple front light – Supernova E3 Tail light

Very nice Ti bike.

Wow, that is just a little over the top.

I have a B&M Dymotec 6 that I purchased from Peter White. It is mounted on my Cross-Check which is parked outside my office right now. It works great. I've even used it on early morning group rides in the dark. It does add a bit of resistance at 32mph while trying to bridge up to a break!

I just wish more forks were built with generator mounts on them.

Thanks! When they are strapped up into the buckles, they aren't even a consideration. What's nice is they are long enough that I can fit a tent or sleeping bag in there for weekend tours and such.

That bike is by far one of the hottest I have seen on this entire forums, including the 41 and the road/race forum. What exactly are those lights wired to? He can control the on and off or mode from a switch on the bars?

That Ti bike is really sweet.

They are powered by the Schmidt SON28 front hub, so they both just come on when he rolls.

Fine imagery of some exceptional welding and gig work. I love a deep project. Much fun.
Courious, it looks like he came in pretty light weight even for the whistles and bells. How'd he end up?

That I do not know, but I'll ask him and find out. Keep in mind that it's a large frame. We're both 6'4".

That Firefly Ti is damned close to what I'd build up if/when I finally get around to it. I'd love to have drop bars instead (even with a Rohloff), but all that internal routing, even for the lights, is -- how to put it -- BOSS.

Sixty Fiver, could you tell me what is the stem you have there please? It looks pretty trick.

Wow, what a sweet ride, that Ti Firefly. Shares a lot in common with the ToutTerrain Metropolitan that I lust after.

Is the fork Ti as well? Most Ti bikes I see have Carbon forks, I always wondered if there was a reason not to use Ti for forks

Did you make the bag yourself? I was looking for a Carradice-type rackless bag for my commutes.

My On-one got a new olive green color during the winter, (here is old version)

It's actually a military surplus bag I picked up for $10. Waxed canvas with a water resistant liner, too. It's up for debate what the bag was used for, but the guy that sold it to me said it was an ammo bag. It holds about 1 grocery bag worth of stuff, so its pretty roomy.

All I had to do to adapt it for the bike was to cut out some of the stitching on the wide "belt" that goes around the outside to slip the seatpost through, and then use key rings to attach the upper eyeletted tabs to the seat tabs. Took about 15 minutes to modify, and works great. So far I've had about 20 pounds of gear with no problem. The straps are long enough that you can lash down a bed roll, tent or sleeping bag, etc.

That is a perfectly beautiful commuter.

the bar has been raised higher and higher with these recently posted commuters.

oh no?! is the commuter forum turning into the new "41" ?!

Hi everyone. I'm the owner of that Firefly Ti Commuter. My brother mentioned that he made the post so I figured I'd come over here and answer some questions. Here goes...

The lights are powered by a generator in the front hub. There's a switch on the back of the front light that is used to turn the lights on or off. When on, the lights are on when the bike is moving, and shortly thereafter (there's a capacitor to hold some power in reserve for stop lights and such). All of the wiring for this is internal to the frame / fork, where possible.

I haven't weighed it yet, but I am curious myself. So I'll check and report back. The bike was built with weight in mind, but it isn't a weight weenie bike by any stretch. The back end certainly feels a bit heavy with the rack, fender, Rohloff hub, disc brake, etc.


Thanks. The bar decision was a hard one for me. I can see drop bars working well with this type of bike too. In the end, I went for a somewhat upright position with flat bars to allow for easier visibility in traffic. The grips that I put on there were chosen specifically to give me a variety of hand positions to help make up for not having drop bars (I'm a roadie!).

The Tout Terrain was one of my inspirations for this bike :-)

The fork is steel. You can make Ti forks, but most people don't. To make it work, you'd end up with something nearly as heavy as steel and a LOT more expensive. Carbon would offer a generally better ride as you can have a little give and keep it light. I choose steel here due to the load requirements and the front disc brake. There are carbon forks that would work with this build, but I felt more comfortable with steel. Plus, that opened the door to some custom internal wiring, too!

Thanks for the warm introduction. It's nice to find some new (to me) bike forums to play on. Cheers!