DarkShot, both of your bikes are very well dressed! (And you are a good photographer)

Nope, just used some vinyl deck matting. Not the most ideal material as it's fairly floppy, but it's proven to work reasonably well over the past year or so. Being able to cut it into the exact shape I needed while allowing some give definitely helps though. Not exactly the prettiest either, but it does it's job, and that's what matters in the end.

Cheers!

I like both of those bikes, [MENTION=354296]DarkShot[/MENTION]. They look practical and fun.

Darkshot,what basket do you have on the front rack of the Nashbar? I have the same rack and I've been looking for one that would fit. Thanks

It's a Wald 137. Definitely the go-to commuter/touring basket IMO. It's nearly the perfect size for the intended application.

Love the blue on your bike here!!!

I'm trying to squeeze in the budget a powder-coating for my signatory commuter ride and choosing the color is so tough for me!

Here's a shot of my new commuter. Bought it in Jan.

[IMG]Grand Canal east of Priest by res1due, on Flickr[/IMG]

This was shot yesterday on a recreational ride. I don't carry the handlebar bag on commutes usually.

Upgraded to this. Fenders and rack pending.

https://i.imgur.com/vSLbjwz.jpg

Started with this. 88 diamondback apex.

[MENTION=354296]DarkShot[/MENTION], what is that sticker covered beauty? I suppose it doesn't matter, it's awesome regardless of make and model.

I honestly wish I knew what make and model the frame originally was, but it started life to me as a stripped bare frameset. I acquired it for dirt cheap on Kijiji with the intention of building a beater fixed, which it has become quite marvelously. It's an absolute dogs breakfast and has been mashed together with a wide multitude of parts and has ended up as the beauty seen above.

Present incarnation of the XR800


Untitled by Darth Lefty, on Flickr

SMP saddle on Cinelli seat post
1970's Gerry Burgess rando handlebars on a tall 80mm Origin8 stem
Vittoria Voyager Hyper tires on Nashbar Vuelta HD wheels
Maximum heresy controls: Athena 3x11-speed brifters running a Tiagra 9x12-27 cassette, Truvativ road triple ISIS crankset, Deore M592 RD, X5 FD, Paul Racer brakes.

Possible future upgrades... I have some panniers with the contemporary nested C logo. 11-34 cassette and 28-38-48 rings for towing, that's why it has the big RD, or it could wind up a 1x11. Nicer wheelset. Powdercoat and new decals.

Haven't posted one here for a while. Here is one from today. The white building in the background is where I have my office. I need to get the fenders I bought on this puppy, didn't expect the warm weather so soon.

I'm not gonna lie, that brown saddle and matching tape looks pretty sweet on there. Not a fan of the seatpost but for some reason, with this colorway, it just works.

From that point to work do you just CX straight through those weeds?

I know what you mean. I don't particularly like like the looks on a Roubaix (which I am thinking about getting someday), but it seems to somehow work on this bike.

Prairie grass It is a restored Prairie area. That is not actually on my commute path but on a four mile circular road on the site (it is a large site). I commute mostly on limestone/gravel that go through forest preserve and restored prairie, with some portion of paved road. My long commute (> 30 mi RT) I don't have to ride on any road until I get on-site. On shorter days in fall I have to do more road for a shorter commute ( 26-28 mi). Gravel bike is ideal.

In the winter and early spring I can't commute because the trails are the only safe path to my work. The alternative is a busy 50-60 mph road that is pretty risky.

Here's my Jamus Aurora with Origin8 mustache bars. Finally have a pannier situation I'm happy with. I'm using some cheapo Axiom panniers I found on Amazon: the "Mount Royale" model.

My brother and sister in law are moving back to the twin cities after 10 years abroad. They'll be living in a spot where everything is accessible by bike paths, and I'm building them commuter bikes as a housewarming gift. I tried to make the nicest bikes I could as cheap as I could, getting a lot of stuff used and from my parts bin. This is the one for my brother, right after I took it out for it's first ride.



It's a Soma ES with Vuelta 36-spoke wheels. I really like the frame-- I'd heard a lot of praise for Soma, but I'd never ridden one. I like the subtle slope of the top tube and long head tube. Even without much stack height I was able to get the bars up to what I consider a comfortable height. On my bikes I often end up with a comically large number of spacers! I found the frame used on Ebay.

Gearing is 1x8, with a surly stainless steel chainring, a 105 derailleur, and a bar end shifter. The 105 derailleur has a really short cage, and is stretched to its limit with this cassette. I wanted to use this derailleur because it's a nice one, but I'm not sure. I might change it out. It can hit all the gears though.

Tires are panaracer pasela, and it's a Blackburn EX-1 rack. All together it weighs 27.2 pounds. Overall I really like it. It's fast and reasonably light, and I like the look. The frame really softens out bumps in the road. I'll post my sister in law's bike when I finish it.

That's awesome! Both the gesture and the bike.

Post pictures of the moment you give them their bikes.

-Shin

Will do, but I have to admit: I ruined the surprise when they visited last month!

Thanks! It's been a lot of fun for me, trying to think of what each of them would like, and getting to put some of my own preferences and personality into a big gift. Each of them likes to ride, but they don't know much about bikes. My wife and I ride a lot, and so does my sister, so I'm really looking forward to family bike outings together.

This is the one for my sister in law: a Surly Pacer. I bought this one complete on Craigslist, so I inherited most of it from the previous owner. I added the Axiom Streamliner rack, interrupter levers, the seat, the chain, and all the funky green stuff.



Her previous bike was a comfort bike, which is why I kept the bars so high and added the interrupter levers. I took the front derailleur off and added a chainring guard, to make it regular-pants friendly. As shown it weighs 25.5 pounds.

If you see them riding around the Twin Cities, say hi-- their names are Olaf and Cathleen!