Not just for commuters. To me, it's what a hybrid should have been in the first place. If you want to go long and hard on it, you can. It's a true riding bike, not just a transportation bike. My wife rides almost as well on it as on her cyclocross bike. I know Giant and Specialized make equivalent models, but it seems to be a fairly rare type of bike. Maybe they're called performance oriented hybrids or flat-bar road bikes.

Wow, internal cable routing on a sub-$700 bike! Very classy! And that "bendr" concept is pretty cool, I wonder how hard it would be to rig DIY mounts that are secured with the front stem bolts?

I went to college, needed a bike to get to school and around the town, and bringing the bike I posted here earlier would be a PITA. Thus, this was created:



And old, POS road bike that I got from a local guy for 500 CZK ($20). "The BB has some play in it." - Yes, it does, but what you felt were the cranks being so loose that they fell in my hand after I removed the bolts... Cranks tightened, derailers adjusted (somewhat), added a new rear tire, new handlebar tape, new brake levers, lights off another bike, and new pedals. Will probably get a wider handlebar with a shorter stem, fenders, and a better front brake (seriously, this one is barely braking at all). After the winter it possibly could get a different frame (this is a 1982 model, I have a freshly repainted 1954 frameset) and a new front wheel (the rim is quite worn out now).

Great deal for $20! Crankset looks nice, I hope it still has a good sq-taper interface and will stay put now you tightened it!

Is that rear derailleur protective cage made out of a coil of shifter cable from when you just installed new cables and didn't trim it yet?

Are you at Charles U in Prague? I have a friend who teaches there. I've visited, it's a beautiful city!

That coil of cable is what the previous owner did, I was too lazy to do something with it :-D And nope, this is the University of West Bohemia, Pilsen.

Lights on my Brompton by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

Lezyne Mega Drive on handlebars, Cygolite Hotshot Micro and Hotshot Pro on seatpost, NiteRider Lumina Flare 650 front and rear light on helmet.

I just got a Toughroad SLR2. You definitely want to drop the pressure, try seeing how it feels at about 50 psi (especially in front), and adjust from there. With the pressure set properly, it rolls very nicely over most things. It's not a full suspension bike, but its also much faster on the road.

I'm a lighter riding and currently running at about ~40 psi, and its pretty cushy there. The stock tires are decently supple and have decent volume, but they're going to ride like rocks at max pressure.

I run 26x2" tires on my commuter/tourer, inflation range of 30-70psi. I run them at 30 front / 35 rear normally, and bump up to 40 front / 50 rear when fully loaded. So comfy, and never had issues with pinch flats, even hopping curbs.

I'll keep that in mind. I understood it was always good to keep the tyre pressure up a bit. As I've mentioned previously, I'm actually pretty lax in checking, and they always leak a little bit, so before long they're at the stage of being down the bottom end of their range anyway.

Swapping the seat made a big difference though, as did adjusting the height. I probably have it "too high" according to what recommendations are, but I find having it up high means I get more power when going uphill, at the expense of needing to be on tip-toe when stopped. I'm usually not stopped that long, so this I find is a better compromise.

I've now done close to 100km, and things seem to be going fine. Big bumps I still notice more than I did on the mountain bike or the previous commuter, both of which have front-suspension, there's a few speed bumps on my run and normally I can take these at ~25km/hr without issues. On this bike, I notice them far more.

That said, out of what was available to me, this one had the better frame overall. My biggest annoyance right now is the lack of a stand: that's something I intend to do something about much sooner.

Don't stay on the saddle while stopped. In most cases a proper saddle height means you can't touch the ground very easily, if at all, while seated. Move forward off the saddle when stopping. Then use the "power pedal" technique to get started and simultaneously lift yourself up, and slide back onto the saddle. It's much harder on the knees and other joints and muscles to try to get moving from a stop while seated on the saddle.

I don't think you should judge saddle height by whether you can reach the ground with your feet when stopped.

I find it easier to dismount the saddle and stand with both feet on the ground when I have to stop. I found this video very helpful for developing a smooth technique for stopping, then starting again. Granted, I am a platform pedaler - not sure what additional technique you may have to utilize if you ride clipless.

Starting and Stopping

I have seen fellow cyclists ride in meandering circles in front of cars because they don't want to detach their cleats from their clipless pedals while waiting for the red light. Looks risky to me.

I use that exact method. Both LCI's and CyclingSavvy instructors teach it. Only difference with cleats is that your foot that stays clipped in (your "power pedal" foot) can simply lift up into position, instead of using your foot to turn the cranks backwards slightly.

And I see she is using the same HubBub mirror I use!

Looks like your bike is flame powered, like the Batmobile!

Yeah, well I have the seat at its maximum height, it seemed close enough, then I discovered when I rode that I could only just reach -- and I left it at that. I usually do move off the seat if I'm going to be stopped a while.

For now I've just got the stock pedals: platform style ones. I'll look at putting cages on them shortly though.

Heh, when I first started the lighting project on my bike (years ago, before the top box, etc) I had the rear light controlled by a single switch near the handlebar. One of my work colleagues kept trying to tell people it was a "nitro switch".

great looking toy!

So I took the rack off my old Raleigh, and have been loving riding it even more. It's cooler out now so I don't mind wearing a messenger bag or a backpack.


I have since changed bar tape, and leveled the bars off as well.



Also got a new headlight & tail light. I replaced my PDW Radbot 1000 with a Cygolite Hotshot (mostly because I got sick of replacing AAA batteries and instead of just going out the light would just dim and be useless), and because I wanted to keep my Cygolite Metro 400 on my other commuter, I ordered a Cygolite Dash 450 for this bike. Working well so far.


Contemplated switching from the TT brake levers to regular small brake levers next to the stem (like you find on most SS and fixie) - sometimes the reach is just too much.

My recently completed Stijl ti über commuter. I've added an EdeluxII headlight and B&M toplight plus taillight and taped the rest of the handlebars since these pics were taken. It is a self-indulgent dream come true!

[MENTION=336334]the sci guy[/MENTION], freewheel or fixed?

[MENTION=417225]Brentone[/MENTION], tell us more!

Freewheel

[MENTION=152773]noglider[/MENTION] [MENTION=336334]the sci guy[/MENTION]

Rohloff igh, cinq5 thumb shifters for Rohloff.
Schmidt Son front hub
Formula hydraulic discs, Paul cranks



For some reason, addt'l pic files keep getting an upload error from forum. Could be iPad... Will try from computer later.

This is simply stunning. If if didn't exude practicality I'd say you shouldn't let it touch the ground. What a delight your commute is sure to be. I hope you can keep it in your office and never let it leave your sight.

cccorlew,
thanks, that's very kind. I know, the closer it came to completion, the more I and those involved questioned ever using it. It is so very functional and was dreamt-up to be used so I cannot help myself and it truly is a forever bike. and, yes, it will be stored in the locking closet in my office!

New rack (Pass & Stow) and porteur bag (RuthWorks):

Sweet bike. Immediately reminded me of the original Ford GT color scheme.

Definitely Gulf-inspired! More Porsche 917... The painter actually got the correct paint codes from Porsche Motorsport for accuracy.