mcours2006

Just finished rebuilding my Bianchi into a drop bar.

Here's the before:


3x6 speed with twist shifters
I rotated the riser bar forward and added bar ends to give a more aero rising position. Had wider hybrid rims and 32mm urban touring tires.


Here's the after:



Don't comment on the bar tape. It's the only one I have in my bin. It'll be changed to white as soon as I order a set.

Double 8 speed, sort of a mish mash of parts: Ultegra compact crankset, Sora 8x3 shifters, seems to work fine on a double, 105 RD and Sora FD, Alexrims on the same 32mm tires.

I'm in the process of procuring a set of matching emerald green fenders; rack will also be installed.

Had some difficulty with the shifter adjustment, but all good now.

I might upgrade the stock cantilever brakes at some point. I waited just in case I didn't like the ride. Haven't ridden it save for a brief test ride after the rebuild, but it feels pretty good. Riding position feels the same as my vintage Gardin racing bike.

AlTheKiller

They are Rivendell Jack Brown tires. Labeled 700x33.33, mine measure out to 35 mm wide, with a beautifully round profile.
I got the green version which are insanely light for their size, but are paper thin and have zero flat protection. They're by far the best fast tires I've ever used, but I'd probably take the blue version next time since i live in thorn central.

TransitBiker

How do tan sidewalls work for you folks? Most of the ones i see have mild cracking.. Maybe it's from UV exposure??

- Andy

Gresp15C

That's been my experience too, and I believe you're right that it's UV. I noticed the difference between bikes stored indoors and outdoors, back when the "ten speed" first became prevalent. The carbon black that helps tires resist wear, is also opaque to the UV. That's why, when black wall tires made their comeback, I never bought another gumwall.

But my general advice is to avoid storing a bike outdoors if possible, or at least, to find a shady place for it. Any plastic parts are subject to degradation from UV over time.

Hugh Morris

My commuter (and only) bicycle against a mural.

TransitBiker

Interesting. Just goes to show you that the sun means business!

- Andy

Johnny Mullet

Gave my Huffy commuter a "classic" look with some gumwall Kenda tires and different rims...........

Gresp15C

Yup, the UV photon has enough energy to break some kinds of chemical bonds, such as those holding together bike tire rubber and your DNA.

TransitBiker

Not to drag photo thread too of topic, but yeah, just underscores the importance of proper eye-ware and being mindful of how long you're out in the sun. I don't ride with SPF cream, but i don't really get burned because i try to keep my rides under 25-30 minutes at a time. Sometimes i'll duck into a place and out of the sun and give my skin a chance to get some pigment going, then head back out. Proper hydration really helps too in my experience for whatever reason.

- Andy

joeyduck

Can an I get some close ups of your rack and brake set up? Also the front brake and the rear tire chain stay clearance?

It it looks very interesting to me. Thank you for sharing.

joeyduck

Sorry I have to comment of the bar tape. I've always had an affinity towards red bar tape, it is just a nice contrast to most colors, especially blues and greens.

I think it looks far better with red than it would with white.

Johnny Mullet

The rack was another Huffy. This mountain bike frame has lots of clearance........

https://www.bikeforums.net/mountain-b...tml?highlight=

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...tml?highlight=

TheDavid 

There is some single track on the way to work and on the way back. This makes for a fun commute to work.

mcours2006

Thanks. :-)

Red and green just says 'Christmas' to me, for some reason. I was thinking if not white then perhaps black, or even lime green might provide some nice contrast and flash.

arsprod 

Nice bike, I have the same bags, but more importantly where's that mural?

noglider 

Skinwall tires don't last as long, but they look better, so they're worth it.

jayry

Here's mine. Nothing fancy, stock Trek Lync 5

AlmostTrick

2015 Raleigh Roper, Reynolds 525 steel frame and fork. 1x9 drive train.





Compass 700 x 32 tan walls



Had a woman on a group ride ask me how old my nice looking "Classic" bike was!

Hugh Morris

@arsprod in Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood of Boston. Specifically on the right side of Forbes St as it meets Centre St (i wonder if google street view has it?).

The mural is thrice as big as pictured; here's a shot (with awful perspective) of the other end...

DVC45

The seat angle....gotta hurt.

Johnny Mullet

That is the only saddle I have that needs to be tilted up to be comfortable. All my other saddles sit level even on this bike. Weird.

AlTheKiller

Tbh, while they might be slightly more vulnerable to age, i think it's just because most tan walls we see in the wild are the really cheap variety, belonging to people more likely to go on about one ride per year of ownership. So by the time the bike comes back for service it has fifteen year old tires and about twenty whole miles of use.

As a mechanic i can say i definitely see more black tires with degrading rubber, but the higher percentage goes to tan wall. But gum walls really went out of style for a long time besides certain niche tires, so it's more likely they are just older than the average black tire you see.

Not very scientific observations, just my musings.

Edit: i used both tan and gum wall to describe the same thing, i can't be bothered to change them though.

esmith2039

Rear light version 4! 1300 miles and have lost 4 back lights.. the brackets, zip ties everything breaks eventually! Hopefully this setup will last until I put my Dynamo setup this fall.

RubeRad

So what's your new rear-light attachment solution? Something more flexible like string/rope/paracord? Rubber bands? Also, what are those lighted strips you have going around the corners of your basket? Those look pretty cool.

arsprod 

Very cool!