lwb

I wish! I've got an interstitial lung disease and ride with supplemental oxygen. It works.

StokerPoker

more power to you!! It's funny how some of us (myself included) let little things keep us from getting out there some days.

Cody Broken

First off, lwb is a man among children. What a stud.

One year ago my wife and I opened an outdoor gear shop in a tiny Idaho mountain town, and this summer was my initiation as a bike mechanic (we have no employees). We attended Interbike last year, I went to Barnett's Bicycle Institute in March, and I have been a bike fanatic and increasingly bicycle-conveyed commuter ever since. I dream of bicycles every night. Seriously. I'm going to spew on...

I now own six bikes, mostly low dollar frankenbikes. All our money goes to the shop and bills, so I have had to be very creative (cheap) to satisfy my bicycle avarice. Here is my latest acquisition that I am extremely excited about, as it is my first road bike in 15 years. It is a Mature Jaunter XII, I don't know what year. It's got to be more than 20 years old. Help on vintage would be appreciated. I paid $20 for it and Nishiki Manitoba at a yard sale.

At first opportunity I clamped it in the stand and started to strip it down for a single speed build. Was barely able to stop myself long enough to take this photo.

Matsuri Jaunter XII.jpg

It has all aluminum components (brakes included, Suntour drive train, Sugino cranks), which evidences quality, but the rims look like steel crap. My knowledge is lacking, but that seems odd. I just took them off and worked on the frame. As of tonight I got the bike completely disassembled. A few spots of rust I scrubbed with a steel brush, makes me want to have the frame bead blasted. I probably won't, as 99% of the pain looks good and I like the color. And I am impatient to rebuild and ride it.

Well on to my present favorite commuter. A 1989(?) Giant Iguana set up as a SS 48x16 fair weather commuter for crappy rural roads. I am fond of it, in all its ghetto glory.

bike stuff 016.jpg

Well, I'm tired from trying to post my photos. I can't figure out how to post big pretty photos like some of y'all. I just wish folks could see more detail of the Matsuri. Anyhow. Hope I wasn't too boring. Thanks and goodnight.

Akadis

Try some "cut 'n polish" for old cars, it removes many a scratch and scuff mark and brings back the origional colour and shine. Just use it once for the rebuild and then go to ordinary polish for the annual make-over.

I know the feeling you get with a good find! Some alloy wheels are sure to come at you on another $20 bike somewhere.

Your Giant looks like a mean machine - well sorted and very individual. bicycle good very much!

livewirerc

I know it's not your standard "commuter", but I've been doing my 16 mile ride (each way) on it almost every day for the past three weeks. Does that make it count?



IRO Angus frame, lots of standard fixed gear geek parts (Thomson, brooks, chris king, nitto, soma, velocity, formula, sugino, surly, sylvan, I think that's everything), geared for 46x17 with 46x15 on the flip-side. Last two days I've been commuting on the 46x15 which has made for an interesting ride. I've also switched out the cages for egg-beaters, to allow for a quicker mount and dis-mount in traffic. Yeehaw!

Cody Broken

It's a bit on the glam side, but if you are commuting on it then it's a commuter!
And it's a hotty.

Thanks Akadis for the tip and compliment on the Iguana. I really does feel like a mean machine. I feel I can go very fast on it. I like the 48x16 ratio too. Tempts me to try taller on my Jaunter (I love that name!). The rust spots are so bad on the Jaunter I had to scrub away significant patches of paint in a few locations. I'll just rattle can on something so I can complete my rebuild and then contemplate pimping it later.

I am just dying to see how light it comes out and how it feels to ride. Like I said, I have not owned a road bicycle in at least 15 years. I road ten speeds all through the late 70's and most of the 80's. I never appreciated my bikes, was a heinous bike abuser. Just rode them because I didn't have a car. By rebuilding this Jaunter it is like going back in time and doing it right. Something spiritual and feel-goody like that. And the selfish indulgence of it is more than vindicated by the fact that I am spending minuscule cash and it will transport by carcass to the shop and back, thereby benefiting my financials, fitness (mental & physical), & the world! Yay!

Please excuse my babbling. I really like this forum, the people seem so nice and less tending toward the bike snobbery and bragging (porn bikes). I am not normally so verbose.

Hopefully I can get it together enough to ride and take some snaps to post here. Happy and safe commuting until then all!

livewirerc

Thanks Cody. I posted my more "standard" commuter fixed gear (more relaxed geometry, with brakes, a rack and a freewheel on the flipside) back on page 79:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...postcount=1974

That's what I've been commuting on for the majority of the spring and summer, but the new bike is just too much fun to put down.

Codfather

I got a great price on this large Softride Solo on ebay. I added SRAM twist grip shifters and rear derailleur, a more comfortable Giant seat, a Blackburn rack, and a Nashbar Trekking handlebar. Although I really like the SRAM shifters (I will never go back to trigger shifters), the handlebar has been my best upgrade.

Cody Broken

I have the trekking bars on one of my bikes and the only knock on them is how to mount your controls. I love the many hand positions they afford, and I think they look cool.

funrover 

There she is!

Stujoe

I only do 16 miles round trip 3 to 4 times a week. It is also my recreational ride, bike path ride, off road ride, etc.

Cody Broken

That rear wheel looks bigger than the front. Is that a 69er?

Stujoe

Nope. Just the perspective, I imagine. Both are 26x1.5 Nimbus Armadillos.

KLW2

1988 Voyageur Voyageur _018.jpg


1985 UnivegaUnivega019.jpg

DVC45

Model number?

Cyclon

Of course it counts. As long as you ride it for commuting, it's a commuter.

I don't think I could keep my commuter that clean. Your bike is just gleaming with the white wheelset.

KLW2

Just noticed that...of course it's a model 000001...
Actually the Univega is an Alpinia Uno-LX. I do most of the commuting on the Voyageur but love the Univega and can't seem to part with it. Used it on XX single track trails and then for exercise on the road & now setting it up for commuting and weekend camping/touring. It has the pink splatter paint on pearl black. Says Lawlee Design on the chain stay.

bigbenaugust 

So I have to ask. How do the road bar ends work for you? Others complained that they weren't quite right, and I've always been a skeptic.

livewirerc

This bike's actually been suprising me lately. I've been doing a decent bit of trail riding with it after work and it's just been tearing it up. It'll jostle me around a bit on the rocks and roots, but those wheels have been bombproof and the bike is super nimble and responsive. I put about 25 miles on it after work today (9 of that on trails) and besides a ripped pair of pants and some sore palms (I'd forgotten my gloves) I was none the worse for wear.

As for the wheels, a paper towel with a light spray of degreaser does that in a single wipe.

chephy

Wow. That's a pretty unorthodox bike.

Stujoe

I have had them a week or so and I like them so far. I bought them for 2 reasons...to give a couple extra hand positions to help with numbness and to give a different back position. They seem to work for both issues for me. I would say when I am riding, I am pretty evenly split between the down position, the top position and my regular MTB bar positions.

I think if you bought them thinking they would be just like using drop handlebars on a road bike, you would probably be disappointed. Do to the width and design of an MTB handlebar, the geometry of an MTB bike and the fairly small size of the bar ends, I do not think it feels like being in the drops on a road bike. No brake hoods either for that position. But as bar ends for a mostly road ridden MTB, they feel pretty good for my issues.

I didn't really like any of the regular bar ends I have looked at. Getting more upright with the longer ones or just having a small nub on the end didn't seem like it would help me for what I was looking for. I decided to try these first instead of trekking bars. When I installed them, I moved my brifters in an inch and put handlebar tape over the bar ends.

Stujoe

Now picture a 41 year old, fat guy on it.

sumguy

Started commuting in July. The bike is a Raleigh Detour 3.0 Was in a hurry to get a bike and the little research I had done pointed me to a hybrid. Road bikes sounded too fragile and I'm on a budget. Bor Yeuh rack, Cateye EL530 headlight, PB SuperFlash blinky taillight. SKS Fenders. The panniers were installed today and are Transit Metros which may seem a little overkill but I use this bike for groceries too - car free right now.
Future upgrades: studded tires for winter, mudflaps, computer with cadence because I tend to mash, MInewt x2 dual headlight; The streets are lit enough that the EL530 is sufficient for now.

gringo

Stujoe's Hardrock inspired me to post a pic of mine.

2003 Specialized Hardrock -- Mostly stock, but with Crank Bros Mallet pedals, Jandd expedition rack, and Michelin 26x1.5 semi-slicks:

Stujoe

Nice to see another one with a rack, bag and skinnies on it!