Yep, I go through that same pattern. Reduce the fleet because it's getting too big and I don't ride them all. Then something takes my fancy the next year and I buy it. Last year, it was a 1972 Schwinn Varsity. Just beautiful in its Campus Green. I could never get the front to shift very well and I had to admit it was a size too small frame. Now, I'm getting eBike-heavy, and those just can't sit & sit. The batteries need to be cycled now and then and stored at somewhere around 50% charge.

*****************

I just picked up the fenders for the Yamaha Wabash RT yesterday, (gravel eBike) so it's ready to have those and the Topeak MTX rack installed and become my do-it-all bike. I might look into whether there are Shimano SPD pedals that are flats on the other side. I seem to recall they are available, or maybe I need to get MTB clip-ins and another pair of shoes & cleats.

That's a downright beautiful ride. I'd ride the heck out of that. Only change I'd personally make is changing the saddle to a Brooks Cambium so you don't need to put the protective cover on it (and because my C15 is by far the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden on).

My basket bike commuter to be:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...13db2255d.jpeg

I’d like to lace a dynamo hub in up front; just haven’t bought spokes yet.

My basket bike commuter to be:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...13db2255d.jpeg

I’d like to lace a dynamo hub in up front; just haven’t bought spokes yet.

Great bike! I love the color. Those older Treks are my faves(:

You can carry a lot on that. You can mount the headlight under the basket.

I have two bikes with dynamo hubs. I love them! At 20 mph or so, I can feel a vibration, but it doesn't bother me.

Not my commute but a weekend ride.
http://i.imgur.com/sFaFqIIl.jpg

Absolutely lovely! Does the decaleur actually lock the bag to the rack? Or do you just take it off when leaving the bike unattended?

Very practical set up, and convenient to not have to take off the lights when parked. How do you find the light - bright enough as a headlight, or mainly just to be seen? Does the bottle generator put much drag?

Nice fleet, covers all potential commuting types from transit to trails!

My Kona Smoke is now 19 years old! It's neat to see the progression over time - from when I had first picked it up brand new (page 49) in 2006:

to the first year (page 86):

to a move from the West Coast to the Prairies (page 102):

and then to the East (page 268):

Some additional minor changes over time:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...552a98feca.jpg

Saddle was of course initially stiff, but is now nicely worn in and comfy. It's also probably now worth more than the bike too (Smoke is now long discontinued), so I do loop a cable through the seat rails when locking up, which also doubles as a cargo strap when riding

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8f0c050e6b.jpg

Finally got around to cutting down the handgrips so they didn't stick out so far (with the grip shift, they originally were an inch or two beyond the bar end); also got a new cheerful brass bell. Still got that Victoria Police bait bike sticker - seems to have worked so far, never been stolen!

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...35398a138c.jpg

Also added knog Cobber lights front and back. The curve allows for some good visibility to the sides as well as fore and aft.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...adec4bd638.jpg

Did not realise that when I got the bike 19 years ago I'd eventually still be riding years later, commuting with my son!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d3649b9e7b.jpg

Looking forward to the next 19 years!

I can't answer for Timbeau, but I can tell you a few things about dynamo lights. I have read that they were required on all bikes in Germany until 2013. The requirements were stringent and still are except about the source of power. The beam must be shaped like a car headlight's beam with a sharp cutoff at the top to prevent blinding people. The power is limited, and I think this is silly, but the engineers who design the lights have been extremely clever with the lenses and reflectors to get the most light out of a small output. People have told me that my headlight is bright, but it's because it's so well focused.

It really is great not to need to remove and install my lights at every ride. Bike thieves are weird and seem not to be very smart. They carry bolt cutters and other tools but they don't carry wrenches. I have no idea why that is. I once had a thief try to remove my headlight using brute force. He succeeded in bending the bracket but nothing else, and I was able to bend it back into shape. It's also great not to worry about the charge of my lights. I hadn't realized how helpful it is until I no longer had to do it. I've seen bikes locked up on NYC streets with bolted-on (dynamo) lights, and they don't get stolen, proving my theory about thieves not carrying wrenches.

I use a dynamo hub, not a bottle generator. Bottle generators used to add a lot of drag (and noise). The B&M unit claims to be much better, and it probably is, but I'm sure dynamo hubs still have less drag than the B&M bottle generators. They're also silent, though I can feel a vibration above about 15 or 20 mph.

Timbeau, your bike is beautiful in its practicality. I know it's a bit late to point it out, but Sturmey Archer makes a front hub with a drum brake and a dynamo.

Here are some bikes locked up at the college where I'm attending graduate school. I don't know who owns them, but I like these bikes.

Heavy duty cargo e-bike made by Tern. Tern makes very nice bikes. I might have heard that they have switched to only e-bikes, but I'm not sure if that's true.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8812ba00f5.jpg

Old fashioned street fixie with front basket and very wide handlebar. Fixies were popular in the City until a few years ago.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...321d933c33.jpg


Modern road? gravel? bike with all the things. Nice bike and very practical except maybe for the riding position, depending on your point of view or style.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...779f472285.jpg


Small-wheeled cargo bike, not electric. I don't know who made it. It has room for two children. I love seeing kids riding on cargo bikes here. They're having so much fun.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6035a22f57.jpg

In my suburban area, I'm fortunate that bike theft doesn't seem to be a problem at all. I've given up locking my bike at work (gated facility with 24/7 security; I just leave it in a parking deck stairwell, tucked under an overhang where it's not in anybody's way), and although I do lock it up if I'm doing errands about town, I feel like I could probably get away with just leaving it in bike racks unlocked (but don't want to find out the hard way I'm wrong!)

Anyways, lights. I have a cheap but very effective LED flashlight "permanently" mounted onto my handlebars with interlocking hose clamps. Anybody with an adjustable wrench or flathead screwdriver could get it off in a minute, but I doubt anybody around here has even noticed it's there. I feel like the car-centric SoCal culture has bike blindness.

Yup, I lived where bike theft was not a big problem, and it sure is nice. Once I went shopping in a suburban supermarket where I would use a lock. I had forgotten to bring it, so I tethered my bike to the bike rack using a bungee cord. Silly, and it probably didn't deter theft, but it certainly didn't cause one, either.

I used those generic flashlights. Some of them put out a lot of light, but I don't like the round beams they have because I have to point it down, and when I do, it forms a bright circle on the ground which attracts my eyes. I realized that for me, lights intended for bikes are best.

Hose clamps are a good idea. Right now, I have security skewers to prevent wheel theft, and they are hugely convenient. I should have gotten them sooner. I just toss my U lock over a convenient part of the frame, and I'm done.

I’d live to try the Cambiums someday.

I take the bag with me when the bike is unattended. The decaleur does lock the bag down in its position but is easily removed with a press of a release button.

ongoing drought, been riding this since May, usually don't get it out until July


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...719b41e31f.jpg

Lynskey GR300 Gravel Commuter
 

Shakedown build:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3ed1ca157.jpeg


Final build:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ae8431777.jpeg


- 2024 Lynskey GR300 Ti frame (Black Friday blowout)
- Bearclaw Ti 100 Gravel Fork
- Cane Creek 110 headset
- Cane Creek 165 eewings
- Spinergy MXX Gravel wheelset (Black Friday sale)
​​​- Cane Creek Hellbender 70 bottom bracket (wanted 110s but ran out of $$)
- Panaracer 45mm gravel tires (sale)
- Shimano XT 10-speed
- Tanaka Lift-Loc rack and basket (sale)
- Juin brakes (‘cause I really ran out of $$)

It’s alright. 😉

That's quite special for a commuter bike!

At a point in life where I get to say “I want a quality ride, and I’m not gettin’ any younger.” :)

lots of change indeed. Looking great!

24 years later, I miss the Twin Towers.
The weather was just as today, sunny, clear day, not a cloud in the sky.
https://i.imgur.com/4gHkqE5.jpg

Good to see you posting again; hope you're well!

Ive just seen all the pics on the 633 pages
 

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...03ef54a219.jpg
about 4 weeks scrolling ...