This is my current commuter and do everything bike; it's a Soma doublecross with parts borrowed from other bikes or that I obtained via swaps. The wheels came stock on an old bridgestone racing bike, the xc pro crank came off the bike I rode across the US from, the selle italia turbo saddle came from my old racing bike, the Shimano derailleurs, bar, stem, and seatpost were swaps. The gran comp brake levers and xc pro cantis were parts I had lying around. All I bought was the frame, the pedals, and the headset:

I love the look of that particular JtS. One of the rear eyelets on my 2008 Jake is stripped and so I've been lazily looking for a replacement frame. The 2010 JtS would be my first choice.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend a lockout fork. Rigid efficiency when you need it, bump softening when you want it. My full-suspension MTB has lockouts front and rear, and when they're both switched over, it's as sharp as a fully rigid bike.

Thanks Andy_K. I have always loved this scheme too. I don't know if you are a 54 or not but if you are you certainly can have first rights of refusal. I may be letting it go to build up a road bike for my wife sometime in the next few months.

54 is exactly the size I'm looking for. Definitely PM me if you decide to part with it.

LIKE!
I have a couple bikes with Grand Comp levers and brakes. As good if not better then the Campy's they copied. LOL
Those original hoods or replacements? I need a set and those look like they fit well if they are replacements.

They are nice levers; the gum rubber hoods are original. I have a stash of old parts that one of these days I may sell off.

All loaded up and nowhere to go....

Here is a 1985 Nishiki Sport I just finished and delivered to a good friend to ride to work. He started riding his Huffy mountain bike a couple weeks ago and decided he wanted to get more serious and have something he would actually enjoy riding much more. The Nishiki is a nice riding bike and I rode it to work to make sure there were no issues. It rode so nice part of me didn't want to give it up it fits well and rides smooth. My friend was impatient and excited to get the bike so I took it over to him. He was really excited about the bike and couldn't wait to ride it tomorrow. The previous owner did some upgrading and modernizing. I did have to replace the rear wheel and the front derailler though. Ok enough talk here are the pics.

Looks great. I'd be happy to ride it too!

That bike is an awesome shape esp. given its age.

89 (?) Specialized Rock Hopper.



I bought this bike several years ago for $40 at a yard sale and had used it as a commuter/grocery-getter/trailer-hauler. When the twins outgrew the Chariot we gave it to their cousin, and I gave their dad the bike to pull it. Now that she's outgrown the Chariot, her dad returned the bike. I am thinking of just leaving it up at my folks' place in Tahoe City, but it's such a great do-it-all bike, it's easy to justify keeping around.

I do need to replace the straight bars. The 20 minute ride to work this morning reminded me of that. A dove or mustache bar, probably, if I can find one that will be the correct dimension for the brake and shifter clamps.

I have put my 1971 Raleigh Super Course out to the fallow field (my garage) and have adopted my Rudge and Bianchi as daily riders. Generally, I've found that upright handlebars are better for short trips and heavy traffic, but there's something about the fit of the Bianchi that makes me very comfortable, even with its drop handlebars. It also encourages hard pedaling if I'm in the mood. I think I might have stumbled upon a very nice fit with respect to handlebars, saddle, and pedals. I should measure it and try to duplicate it on other bikes. Perhaps I'll have someone photo and video me on the bike to help me analyze what's so right about it.

This is an early 90's (I think) Bianchi Volpe, with a 3x7 drivetrain. It weighs about 28 pounds (13 kg) but feels lighter, and the wheels aren't even amazingly light. Can you tell I adore this bike? But wait; it gets better. I got it on craigslist for a mere $140. I changed the pedals and the rear tire. That's it! The only thing I might want to fix one day is the wide spacing of the gears. Maybe I'll upgrade to a narrower cassette with 8 or 9 speeds. This will require a change of shifter and maybe rear derailleur. If I go through those expenses, total cost for the bike will still be very low.

Nice drawer-pulls, noglider.

Definitely an '89 (https://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=158094)

I tried Soma Sparrow bars on mine but I had to flip them up to get a decent fit because the head tube is so short.



I still wasn't quite happy with it and ended up going with drop bars.

Thanks, AndyK! Yes, I've also considered dropbars. I have set of 8-speed RSX brifters in the spare parts bin. I think I can replace the freehub body to let me put a 8-speed cassette on it. I thought I remembered reading on Sheldon's site that it shouldn't be a problem, but perhaps I'd need to redish the rear wheel. Going with drops and brifters would also allow me to race it as a super-cheapo CX bike next fall.

Some artsy fartsy pics of mine at the local park.

Here is my Downtube 9 Front Suspension folding bike set up for loaded touring and commuting.


Before that I rode a Bridgestone 400 to work (33 miles per day).

New winter commuter and mud bogger... just finished swapping out the granny from a 28 to a 22 to give the bike a stump pulling, mud bogging, snow crawling low gear.

I am very very jealous, Sixty Fiver.

Aha. You finally got a Surly. Nice!

I like it!

Here's my Volpe with 35mm Paselas and SKS Longboard fenders. The big tires are great on rough pavement and dirt. The Relevate Designs Viscacha bag is a new addition and has been a big improvement over wearing a backpack.

My commute is only about 15 minutes through downtown Vancouver, but it's enjoyable on this thing: