So I am also a Classic and Vintage Forum follower so I thought since they have a pretty nice working before and after thread, why not in commuting. I mean we often change our bikes, at least I know I have drastically changed mine.

Any way I'll start it off.

Before:


After:


2008 Marin Muirwoods
Size: 20.5"
Frame: Double Butted Cromoly with Edge 2 tubing with Double Butted4 Side seat and Chain Stays
Front Suspension: Cromoly Rigid 1 1/8" Fork
Rear Suspension: N/A
Shifters: Suntour Friction Bar End
Derailleur Front: Shimano C-100
Derailleur Back: Shimano Deore
Brakes Front: Forged Alloy Linear Pull
Brakes Rear: Forged Alloy Linear Pull
Brake Lever: Tektro R200 Road Levers
Pedals: Composite with Alloy Cage
Crankset: TruVativ X-Flow C 3.0 28/38/48
Chain: HG40
Cassette: Shimano HG30 11-32 8 Speed
Rims: Alex TA 20 Double Wall 32 Hole with CNC Side Walls
Tires: CST Urban 26x1.4
Saddle: Brooks B17 Standard
Seatpost: Alloy Micro Adjust 27.2mmx300mm
Stem: Bianchi Componteni 120mm -10 Deg
Handlebar: Alloy 25.4mm Drop Bar
Grips: Nashbar Cork Handle Bar Tape Black
Headset: Ritchey LB 1 1/8 Threadless

-Ian-

Are those Wald baskets?

yep

Thanks. I'm having a hard time deciding what I'm going to put on my new bike. Those folding baskets strike me as a good option, but I'm also condsidering their regular twin baskets, or building my own coroplast tailbox. Decisions, decisions!!

Racquetball? Nice. I'm one of them too. And a bike commuter.
I tried to leave a note in your blog but it's not available. Anyhow, welcome to blogspot.

Fun idea for a new thread. Here are my two bikes:

I got this 1990 Schwinn Worldsport real cheap off Craigslist, and dove headfirst into commuting by bike
in NYC (Thanks to these forums for showing me it was possible).



After a few rides I added new brake levers, pads and cables, replaced the broken stem shifters with
some 7-speed indexed downtube clamp-ons (which I love), threw on a rack for function and a new
saddle for style, and - after two flats in one week - a pair of puncture-proof Schwalbes.



When having a baby effectively shelved my new mountain biking hobby...



...I converted my 2005 Schwinn
Mesa into a second commuter. This was a learning project, and I might do it differently today, but
the end process was worth it for sure, and I am happy with the end result.

First pic shows the bike in its early days as a commuter:



Now in its most recent configuration, it has a 1x9 Deore drivetrain, Schwalbe Marathons, an Axiom
Journey rear rack, Nashbar front rack, Planet Bike fenders, and some classic GT Brahma handlebars.

I can't say I have modified any bikes beyond rack and fenders, but I would love to show a picture of my garage before and after. Its just that I don't have a before picture. But in your mind, think of a 2 car garage where two cars easily fit, with clean white walls and ceilings, and room to walk around the cars on all sides. Now there are bikes hanging from the ceiling, bikes leaned against the walls, tires draped over things, spare parts piled up on the tool bench, old fenders racks and helmets dangling from hooks, ......

But I like it.

I don't have too many 'before and after' photos of my bikes and projects but here's one of my more recent. It started off as a junked mountain bike which I rebuilt from various spare parts. I then welded up an Xtracycle inspired subframe and attached it to create this S.U.B. (sans rack lowers, snap deck and side bags):


After riding the bike in this form for most of the summer I decided to convert it into a fixie by slotting the horizontal drop-outs and welding up a solid fork:


After several months of fall/winter riding I ended up cracking the frame at the bottom bracket so the bike was shelved and I built up a different fixie to ride (my present Peugeot). I finally found the time to reweld the mountain bike frame crack and now have it attached to the subframe with the intention of resurrecting the S.U.B. again.

I have both types of Wald baskets and prefer the regular baskets, but the folding ones are nice when we're trying to get the car in the garage.

Before:
2004 Trek 8500 with some upgrades


After:
The only original parts are the frame, headset, seatpost and pedals. Highlights include the Avid BB7 disc brakes, Mavic Open Pro rims laced to Hope Pro II hubs, and no dérailleurs.

I bought this Schwinn Le Tour GS earlier this year:



After 6 months I decided I wanted a better road bike and thought the Le Tour would make a great commuter (replacing the '77 Le Tour II rescued from a dumpster earlier this year). So I changed to 28mm, kevlar-belted tires with thorn-resistant tubes then added a rack, paniers, fenders and headlight to come up with a very capable and comfortable commuter:



Only started commuting last April but I am definately hooked. Looking forward to my first full year of commuting in '09.

Nice looking bike.

My hybrid bike started out like this:



But it currently looks like this:



I still want to swap the handlebars and shifters out for something else, but don't know what yet.

This is how my 2008 Kona Blast started.


This is how it looks now. 700c, Trekking bars, rack, blackburns, Karate monkey fork.


Now I am using my new Cross check.


The Kona Blast will get put back together a mountain bike with a bontager switchblade rigid fork shortly for hauling my grocery getting kiddie trailer.

I've got three commuters. My primary is a 1994 Nishiki Sport XRS hybrid that was basically NOS when I bought it in August 08. Before:



After, Rev 1: Add rack, trunk bag, lights and a bell.



After, Rev 2: More lights (including Christmas lights) and switched from trunk bag to panniers.



My backup is a 1983 Raleigh Marathon. Here it is, fresh out of the dumpster, one week before Christmas 08. Before:



Swapped out wheels and seat, retaped the bars, added rack (I will use panniers for commuting on this), lights, bells. After:



And my once-in-a-while commuter, a Raleigh DL-1 Tourist that I bought in September. Before:



I put a new shift cable on and replaced the original saddle bag with a look-alike replacement, and added Wald baskets. After:

Ooh, I like the pretty Raleigh... Congrats on that.

Luckily neither I nor the seller had any idea what I was buying when I bought it, because I got it for a steal.