I would have to say this cruiser is all done and ready for commuting! My commute is relatively flat so no problem with a single speed with a coaster brake. The roads are horrible in the town I commute through and the wide bars, 26" tires, steel rims, single speed, and less components should be perfect for these conditions. I added the rear rack and a water bottle holder. I also added some extra decals from my Pro Thunder BMX build and will call this bike "Thunder"..............

Here's my Giant Defy 5 toward the end of my first day commuting today! Ordered some fenders that should be in this week for it otherwise it's perfect for me so far!

[MENTION=435426]ef5oh[/MENTION], welcome! Please put your location in your profile. It's more fun that way. Congratulations on that spiffy bike.

[MENTION=376137]Johnny Mullet[/MENTION], you know a lot of us are snobs, and unfortunately, I lean that way, but I have come to appreciate your builds. They are innovating, functional, and they have a certain style to them.

Good work -- bank that good will, and withdraw it at a later date when you find a bike that would be more suitable...

Wait, so it's just pretending to be a Huffy?

Thank you. I truly appreciate that! I take pride in my bikes regardless of the name brand. They each have a purpose and they all get ridden.

Nope. It was a Huffy Santa Fe beach cruiser.........
https://www.bikeforums.net/beach-crui...ser-build.html



It was a total piece of crap and should have been tossed in the scrap pile. Now it's a commuter.


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Nice! I should have known I could have counted on you to stick with actual Huffies! You cleaned it up real good (even though I think the original bars would look more appropriate)

Last pic before I made some changes to it. This is what I commute on for most of the year. No racks, no fenders, no kickstands, no bottle cages. I strap the lights on at night and ride home from work.

Those cruiser bars were horrible. They would hit my knees or legs when turning

Fancy! What size chainring and cog?

Where are you? You can put your location in your profile so everyone can see where you are each time you post.

Sweet! That's what they call a "track bike", right? So how long can you stay on the railroad track? It doesn't look like that bike would handle the gravel and ties very well...

I mentioned in another thread that I was in the process of a frame upgrade on my commuter. That upgrade is now finished. I have yet to post pictures of my commuter (I think) so here is before and after.

The original frame was a Surly Troll which will be for sale very soon. I believe it is a 20" but I might be mistaken. It also had SKS Fenders and a Hebie chain glider. In the photo I have my Surly Nice rear rack, I have a front as well in the same color. Those will go up for sale as well.



Since I only changed the frame I kept the Rohloff and SON Dynamo



Now the aftermath. Frame changed to an XL 7005 EX Plus from the German Company Velotraum. It's their full on touring frame with a 180 kg payload (including rider weight) I went with a tubus rear rack made specifically for Velotraum 26" frames as well as Velotraum's own fender kit. I also went ahead and had my Rohloff sent back to the factory for upgrade to Gates Carbon Drive. I moved up frame sizes after a professional fitting I had done after annoying back pain on long rides.



Shawn

Nice build (but then, it's hard not to end up with a nice build if you start with a Rohloff and carbon belt!)

I like the little detail of how the bottle cage underneath has a shield to keep road crud off the nozzle of your water bottle.

Running a 49:15 ratio right now. Starting off of a light is a bit of a challenge sometimes but the top end is worth it.

As for location, ehhhhhhhh, think that I will leave it as is.

Actually, that's a holder for an Abus folding lock. You can see the lock in the pics of the original frame.

Shawn

Just swapped this over to FG:

Honestly Shawn, That's one of the coolest commuter's I've seen in a while, and that color.. Mmmmm...

Indeed. It's quite special.

Where are you in Germany?

[MENTION=158925]takenreasy[/MENTION], that looks like fun. Funny how the long reach stem and the long reach-back handlebars cancel each other out, but it sure looks stylish.

My Univega Sportour with Nexus8 Hubs

Thanks. Yeah if not for that stem I'd have to hop on the bike from the back.

That looks like a cozy ride there! Do you like the tire color or wish you went black?

Got my bike back from the shop installing my fenders/rack. Giant brand Defy specific fenders with a Planet Bike Eco-Rack. The fenders are barely noticeable, both while stationary and when moving. Rear one rattles a little over bumps but no rubbing so I'm not concerned!