Great bike. I really dig your style man. Simple clean quality.

In the stairwell at the dentist's office

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=442293

Thanks gulfcoast!

I replaced my converted Kona Cinder Cone with a steel frame and 8-spd IGH 700C's. Love this budget bike after 2 weeks of commuting and one grocery store run. The Kona will become my beloved fully rigid 18 pound single speed 69'er mtb again. Enjoying all these great bikes!
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=442494http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=442495

Tell us more about the red bike, and show us more pictures, please.

It's from Bikes Direct. The Windsor 8 speed. A few friends had purchased from them for various bikes and their testimony was enough to push me in that direction as I am on a budget but wanted to increase the fleet by one more bike to have something dedicated again for church, and (now) commuting since I have gone back to working in the office, as well as something to hang the Breezer Grocery bags on for my weekly shopping. It works very well. I am not new to the Nexus 8 IGH so knew that would be a good hub. The combination of steel frame and 700c's with 35 tires makes for a very pleasant 6.1 mile ride to work on the various concrete slab and asphalt roads that metro Detroit has to offer. Amazing how harsh the Kona Aluminum frame still was even with 2 inch 26'er's on it... Here is another pic:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=442504

Today:

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...367159_n_1.jpg

Rear rack installed.................

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/...psi6lyzxlz.jpg

Nice, I do admire the simplicity of that rack.

It used to be a bicycle............
http://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...tml?highlight=

I have had this bike almost 5 years and have no idea why I waited this long to get a kickstand. So useful!

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...0047D8CE9A.jpg

I also added a brass bell today. Far too many pedestrians have walked in front of me this year.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...D93BD83306.jpg

Doesn't look like 5 years of use, very clean! I like the brownish purple, a little splash of color without going overboard.

My Giant Escape 3. Just over 1000 km at the moment. Definitely gonna add a rear rack and another bottle cage.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=443831

cheers,
Lin

I ride 700 x 35 Marathons on one commuter and 26 x 1.95 marathons on the other while they are heavy compared to other tyres, I would not go back to 28c as I used to ride . . .like the comfy ride.

Just Picked up a Giant Escape 3 from my LBS at their recommendation for my budget and needs , i know its the base model of the escape series . but after a couple rides im Happy with it... coming from a Giant boulder mountain bike its way lighter and faster , and handles the cracked up roads quite well . Going to add fenders, a rack (maybe panniers ) and comfort grips soon and maybe change the saddle to something more comfortable and a bike computer , Added already : replaced stock pedals with smoke gray platform pedals , added burgundy water bottle cage i had on my old bike, gives the bike a little color ... im looking for some comfort grips with bar ends that same burgundy color . and maybe add a burgundy chain to complete the theme ...


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=444739http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=444740http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=444741http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=444742

Here's mine: Late 1980s Bianchi Strada. Replaced the Biopace, added a new saddle, rack and panniers, pedals, Gatorskins. Well over 4000 miles on her.


http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/...pshkqqu8ea.jpg

Here is my commuter.

The panniers allow a quick transition between my bike and the rest of my commute.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=444787

I'm afraid you may be hard-pressed to find a chain that color that's not a single-speed/fixie chain.

Noob question (I'm no mechanic), but can't chains be combined to form a longer chain, then trimmed to the appropriate length?

It's not really about the length of the chain but the thickness. Usually a fixed gear chain will be much thicker than a geared bike chain.

It's an issue of width.

Single-speeds/fixies use I believe the oldest chainwidth standard, same as the old ten-speeds (5 cogs). As manufacturers squeezed more and more cogs into cassetes, up to 11 now, the spacing got narrower, and the chains had to get narrower. A colored single-speed chain would not fit between cogs to drive your rear wheel. Unless you could find a presumably 6-8sp chain that was colored, but as PGRS noted, colored chains are typically blingy fashion accessories for hipster ss/fix bikes

All depends on how much you'd like to spend.

Fair Wheel Bikes has a wide variety of chains.

11spd red chain, $160
https://fairwheelbikes.com/kmc-x11sl...ede9a39bdd025a

10spd pink chain, $85
https://fairwheelbikes.com/kmc-x10sl...ede9a39bdd025a

Edit: just remember, they all turn black after a little lube and road grime.

No, ten-speed bikes (with 5 cogs in rear) use 3/32" chains whereas bikes with single cogs in the rear (one-speeds, three-speeds, etc) use 1/8" chains. The 1/32" difference in width makes a big difference in durability. So does the fact that you don't shift a 1/8" chain, as shifting causes wear.