nice 3-point perspective!

This is "The Mule", my commuter/"not afraid to lock it up and leave it"/truck bike. Was a 1997 GT Arette that I picked up for $60 on Craigslist. I learned a lesson about "cheap" bikes though, since it took a complete rebuild and another $400 to get it to this point. New bottom bracket, headset, seatpost, and saddle, not to mention every single one of the usual wear items. I changed from flat bars to north roads, and upgraded brakes from canti to linear pull since the canti's just did NOT work with the silly "triple triangle" geometry in the back.

Still, I'm happier with her than I expected to be. The only tweaks I'd like to make would be either moustache bars or some kind of super long stem (it's a little cramped with the swept back bars), and 175mm cranks (the 170's feel pretty short).

Next project: I have an old aluminum child's trailer that I'm going to tear down and use for dump runs with this bike.

I have three dedicated commuter bikes, listed in order from oldest to newest:

1989 Panasonic mountain bike converted:




Rapid Rise rear derailleur, baby!

Kalloy UNO AL-030 bars are so comfy



2008 Trek 7300 hybrid:



Rapid Rise rear derailleur, baby!



Dynamo lighting is the best!

Continued next post:

2014 Trek Allant 7:



Rapid Rise rear derailleur, baby!



Dynamo lights are the best!


All 3 were bought cheap, then heavily modified to what they are now. The Trek 7300 and Allant 7 were bought locally for $30 and $20, respectively. The Panasonic came from my local bike collective for $70. Clearly, much more has been invested in them since.

I really like Shimano’s Rapid Rise derailleurs, and all 3 of these a use the same LX rear D.

I’ve been really liking the Panasonic lately; it rides much more smoothly than the other 2 (maybe because of the steel frame). The Allant 7 (which is now 27 speeds) is my least favorite but the most commute friendly as it came with the rear rack and dedicated steel fenders OEM.

Dynamo lighting is awesome; I only wish I could find another Sanyo/Panasonic hub to lace into the Panasonic’s front wheel to equip that bike as well.

Trek 520 disc - my only bike. Use it for commuting (short ride, 7.5 km each way), recreational rides and touring.
It's a heavier bike but the the road-style geometry keeps it reasonably fast and the 38mm tires are quite forgiving on bad roads.

My commuter!

Great pictures, folks. And I see an increase in dynamo lights! Don't you just love them?

I am wondering if it is the norm to get a vintage/old road bike as a commuter bike?

Yes it's quite normal; it's also quite common to get a vintage/old mountain bike with a fully rigid frame, and use that for commuting, since it's so sturdy for potholes and rough roads.

Not for me

Wow! So many awesome rides here! Love every single one!
Every time I see an old crusty veteran bike somewhere in the city, still loyally and reliably serving its owner, its patina making it almost theft-proof, my heart weeps. I love seeing those old and robust companions.

Here's my youngtimer-commuter, a 20yo Trek Multitrack 7300 from ebay, upgraded with some newer parts, drop bar and a rack (sometimes removed for sportier rides).

Absolutely. Any bike that gets you and your stuff where you need to go comfortably is the right bike. Also, like RubeRad said, vintage rigid mountain bikes make terrific commuters. Here's my Princess:



Getting ready to start the Critical Mass ride.

It's not the most often-chosen thing, but it is very sensible. Components are well understood, and they're compatible with many other components. Steel is durable, easy to work with, well understood, and forgiving of mistakes.

You gotta love it when 90% of the value of the bike is Saddle/bag and Grips

sounds like a good idea, might look into one.
but prices might be a little too steep in my area of the world.

I made the bag myself, and you forgot the tires.

lol I did notice the tires, the gumwall adds a lot of class and character, but I figured Maxxis being a big brand they can't be all that expensive. You could save up your nickels and dimes and get a pair of these some day! (also nice bag!)

Nah, I'm very happy with my DTHs, being fast and squishy and not that expensive. That said, if someone threw some RH tires at me, I would not turn them down.

Thanks about the bag; I stole the design from based it on Roadrunner's Burrito Supreme. It'll go back on the handlebars just as soon as I get around to making a bag support.

An old Norco road bike (Kawamura made) with a 650b conversion and an old Sturmey Archer AW 3 speed hub I salvaged from the bike co-op. I built this up back in 2014 and it's still going strong.
I've got a set of Gravdal 650x38b studded tires for winter duties too

Fast and nimble, easy to maintain, feel good locking it up. Wins all around!

My 2012 Surly Cross Check. It could hit 20,000 lifetime miles by the end of the year.

2008 Lemond Tourmalet. Been idle until COVID, have put on 9k miles since.

I just bought a second-hand SPZ Tricross frameset.
With some parts that I've been saving from other projects, I got this beauty: