I love those funky green Bianchis.

Celeste, used to be the ONLY color you could get for a bianchi!

We have the same bike!!!

We had a couple warmer days here recently, and that inspired me to get prepped for the 2015 commuting season. Got a new wheelset (on clearance from velomine, love that company), along with new koolstop salmon brake pads. Is there anything more fun than a new wheelset?

The rims are a marginal improvement over my previous set, (old=Weinmann DA-17, new=Mavic CXP22 with eyelets), but the hubs are the reason for the upgrade (old=no name, "formula" hubs, new=Shimano 105). I know some formula hubs are good, but I think "formula" is not an official brand name, so some claimed "formula" hubs really are just generic cup and cone deallies. My old hubs were not that great, and the dust cap fell off the front hub about 1k miles ago (an indication of their quality). My old wheels were also black, but with a machined (bare metal) braking surface. The silver CXP22s have a more classic, clean look that I like, and the silver highlights the 200mm cranks which is the whole point of the bike. (Search KHS 747 on this forum for more info on the bike) Super excited about the new setup, wish I could be riding it right now, but I cant, so I am making a post about it instead....





So far the wheels do feel stiffer, I am getting more road feel. I used to inflate my tires to max pressure, because that reduced the feeling of a squishy ride, made me feel more in control. But I think with the new wheelset, I might not need full pressure. I seem to have plenty of control/feel without running full pressure. Not sure... still just first impressions. I actually was not expecting these wheels to be any stiffer than the old ones, so maybe this is just a placebo effect related to the fun of a new wheelset.

Oh, and I really like the gunmetal color of the 105 hubs. Looks great in person.

These are my two commuters.
The orange one is a 2007 Bianchi Castro Valley, a workhorse ready for anything with Carradice saddlebag in the rear and Wald front basket. Lots of changes from stock, notably drop handlebars and Shimano bar-end shifters, Brooks B17.
The white one is a 1985 Specialized Sequoia, used for fair weather commuting when clothes have already been transported, and also used for most of my weekend rides. Great CL find, changes include wider handlebars, Suntour barcons, Selle Anatomica saddle, Acorn saddlebag, new 105 rd, new tektro brakes, and other drivetrain parts swapped out in the last year or so.
Both ride great, but the Sequoia is zippier, a better climber. The Bianchi makes short work of my 32 mile (round trip) commute, which is mostly flat.

Ah wonderful fresh snow...that brings back so many great memories .

On my old cruiser i'd ride into town with the main streets unplowed.... honestly i think just letting the snow melt vs plow is a better idea than plowing & making dangerous berms & narrow spots.

- Andy

My 2015 Fairdale Weekender

2014 Surly Straggler out for a bit of fun...

Beater bike work in progress

Seriously thinking of getting a Weekender Drop. Have you used yours in bad weather, like snow (don't know where you live). Impressions?

^^^ I like!

It looks new... and bare. How long have you had it, and do you have any accessories planned for it?

Framed Minnesota 2.0 on my commute home last night, some of it was riding, the last mile was pushing because it hadn't been plowed and we got at least a foot.

Snapped this photo of the latest addition last week (in between snow storms):

No snow here in Chattanooga this year, but it does great on gravel. I just got the Fairdale about 3 weeks ago, so its very new. For now, I am just riding it when the temperature breaks 40 degrees. I am getting myself back in shape before worrying about too many accessories on the bike. So far, I absolutely love it. I am not quite ready for real commuting, but thought some folks on this forum might like to see one "in the wild" since there aren't too many Fairdales out there (yet?).

Yet is right - tough to decide if I want to be one of the pioneers but LBS made me a great deal on a 2014 and I'm really liking the Fairdale's I've seen. Plus I like weird!

Do it! Different is good.

Man, Mr. MHMark I'm super jealous of your stable now. Had to get a Vaya to compliment the AWOL? They both catch my eye. Thinking about getting a frameset of either and doing a build up, but the money.. they always want my money.

Actually I wanted to ask what your thoughts of them in comparison. Or rather which is for what. Again. Purdy

The AWOL is a loaner from Specialized, and will be returned when I publish the review. And the Vaya, well... I needed something to test the CX1 group from SRAM.

Ha! Yeh seems good. On loan for how long? I thought I remembered you posting the awol a while ago.. in any case I'd like to read that review when yer done with it.

The AWOL review should be done soon. I wanted to get a sufficient number of miles on it with racks/bags, and that took a little longer than expected.

Oh sir please take yer time. I know that I wouldn't cut anything short if it were my hands on it. I actually have a room mate with an AWOL and was more curious about the Vaya ..though I'm sure they function as similar beasts with similar goals in mind.

Reader's Digest version:

• Front load, go with the AWOL
• Rear load, go with the Vaya