Andy_K 

In principle, I think it's a good idea to own a beater bike. I'd like to have one to take out for running around town or maybe even commuting in particularly nasty weather. The trouble is, my beater bikes have a way of trying to become nicer.

The latest example is a 1989 Specialized Rockhopper I picked up this summer. It was in astoundingly good condition to begin with. All the components (including the cables) were original, but looked and worked like new. The crankset even still has the Biopace marketing sticker on it. It was a pretty nice bike, but it was a pretty nice bike with 20+ year old components -- 7-speed thumb shifters, cantilever brakes, etc.

I managed to keep it like that for a few months, but from the beginning I found myself thinking about putting V-brakes on it. And since the thumb shifters were coupled with the brake levers and the V-brakes would require different levers, I figured I may as well also upgrade the drive train to modern components. Of course, the easiest way to do that would be to replace the wheels. Do you see how these things happen?

So here is that bike today:



The latest specs:

Deore M590 shifters
Avid Speel Dial SL brake levers
Avid Single Digit 5 brakes
Deore XT M770 front and rear derailleurs
Ultegra 6500 12-27 cassette
Shimano Mountain LX (M452) 48-38-28 crankset
SRAM PC-971 chain
Crank Brothers Candy C pedals
Mavic XM317 rims
Tiagra 4500 hubs
Michelin Country Rock 26x1.75 tires

So, as of today, I've managed to keep the original crankset, bottom bracket, headset, stem, handlebar, seatpost and saddle.

The crankset is actually pretty nice, and it shifts well in spite of the lack of pins and ramps. The stem and handlebars aren't going to make it much longer, as I discovered while rebuilding that they weigh close to four pounds. The seatpost probably won't make it either (also because I'm a weight weenie), but I have no complaints about the saddle and headset.

I feel most silly about the XT derailleurs, but my excuse there is that I already had them on my winter bike (Marin Muirwoods 29er) and the Tiagra derailleurs I had in the parts drawer were less ridiculous there. The only parts I bought specifically for this bike were the shifters, the brakes and the stuff for the wheels (which I enjoyed building).

Not counting the cost of the parts I had laying around, I think I've spent about $375 on this bike.

Does this kind of thing happen to anyone else?

Timothy

I have been having that some problem.
The only thing I have left original on my 96 Hardrock beater is the frame, fork, front wheel and headset.

exile

I wish I had your problem. Very nice work. I think we all do things to our bike to make them our own and put our own personal stamp on them.

LeeG

a can of rustoleum flat black sprayed randomly over the whole bike is all that's needed to finish the job.

daijoubu2k8

Same here, I bought my bike old and ugly on purpose as a theft deterrent and now I find myself shopping on Velo orange and considering getting it stripped and painted...

Steely Dan

ever since i started to bring my old '96 Raleigh M-80 back to life several years ago, i've been having some of this same problem. it's supposed to be my bad weather/winter/back-up/"don't mind if i have to street lock it" commuter bicycle, and yet i can't help but monkey around with it and make improvements instead of letting it be the old worn-out mountain bike beater it's meant to be.

changes already made:

switched out suspension fork with rigid fork
new saddle and seat post
new vuelta zerolite wheel sets
new SPD pedals
new crankset, cassette, and chain
new gripshifters and bar grips


now i find that i'm really not a big fan of gripshifters anymore and i contemplate upgrading to some thumb shifters, but because it's an old 7-spd cassette, it would probably entail also getting a new rear derailleur and 8-spd cassette. and if i'm getting a new rear derailleur, why not get a new one up front as well? i'm still relatively satisfied with original canti brakes, but the levers are pretty banged up these days, so that's also probably just a matter of time too.

why do i obsess so much about bike aesthetics? why can't i just let my beater be a beater?

monsterpile

Sometimes I think I am the opposite problem wondering if I am capable of owning a nice bike. I think I have finally convinced myself to keep my Lemond and I think I am going to eventually upgrade some components on my old Diamondback Vertex WCF. Thats pretty good for me because I am pretty cheap and often to a fault.

Doohickie

I don't have that problem. If anything, I'm prone to restore my bikes to original stock configuration.

Andy_K 

I could go for that, except that this bike was already in mint condition. Where's the fun in that? Now I'm on the lookout for an '89 Rockhopper frame that I can build up with all these nice old parts I suddenly have on hand.

calamarichris

Hahaha-just as guilty as you are!
I earnestly set out to build a beater a few years ago, but then reasoned, "I don't want to be that guy with dozens of bikes, so I might as well get one I really want..."
After four years of scanning Ebay, Craigslist & my local swapmeet, then stocking up on Dura Ace 7800 components, THEN building a bulletproof wheelset for it... voila: my beater...


...which I now relish almost as much as my '84 Masi Gran Criterium. Funny, I'd completely forgotten that this was supposed to be a beater until reading your post.

[Edit: I don't even think I could bring myself to ride it in the rain. And I've got two beater motorcycles like this too. ]

Andy_K 

That's a nice bike. I'm starting to feel like my bike is a beater again. Now what can I upgrade?

LeeG

I don't get it. A "beater" is a bike that looks like one.

calamarichris

Hahaha--I had a beater girlfriend once. (Totally kidding.)

tsl

Back in January of 2007, I bought a seven-year-old Trek 1000 for $100. It needed a little work. I decided I liked it, and got it new wheels too. A year ago, we tangled with a Pontiac. Liberty Mutual bought it a nice carbon fork, new headset and stem.

All that remains of the original $100 bike are the frame, the handlebars, and the bottle cage bolts. Everything else--right down to the little plastic cable guide under the bottom bracket--has been replaced. And in many cases, upgraded.

Thank heavens I still love the bike and ride it regularly.

tsl

Thank heavens I'm not the only guy around here with Dura-Ace on Schwinn.



Although its previous owner was responsible for all the upgrades, I still get the benefit. This one's 9-speed, but still D-A. I bought it for $500, so I ride it like I stole it.

jyossarian

Holy crap, that's my bike except I got Campy on mine.

canyoneagle

wow!

canyoneagle

I'm in the same boat.
I bought a nice Marinoni frameset ('83 "Special") on CL for less than the cost of a decent stem. I could have pieced it together "as is" (paint chips, "patina", etc) with odd components scavenged, traded or purchased on the cheap and built up a great "beater" (well, a nice beater).

Did I do that?

Nope. After nearly 5 months, my build is nearly complete - my brakes (*ahem* Paul Racer medium *cough*) arrive tomorrow, and my inverse levers arrive some time next week. It is, um, NOT a cheapie. I couldn't simply look around for an old donor bike to strip the components. Nope. Apparently not on my radar, despite the appeal.

Here's the frame as I bought it and the current status of the build (The front fender is temporarily attached to the rack until I get the brakes, when I'll install the bracket I fabricated for the rack):

safariofthemind

You are too funny guys.

The concept of stealth beaters is as old as the streets of NYC. Gotta be able to keep it to ride it

canyoneagle

If security was a concern for me, I'd definitely have a stealth bike. It would still be great quality though. I can't stand crappy bikes.

gerv 

The problem with a true beater is that it is likely to cease working pretty soon, unless you keep parts updated when necessary. For most commuters, it might mean having an older bike that is upgraded to be functional.

For my mind, a beater is a bike you could press into service as a winter bike or one that wouldn't tear your heart out if stolen...

The OP's Rockhopper might be a beater in someone's eyes, but seems like a pretty nice bike to me.

MichaelW

Here in the UK we have a solution to your problem. We generally dont use the word "Beater". Everyday commuting bikes in less than pristine condition are called "hacks" but this also implies a good old bike in usable condition.

tsl

In another current thread, there's a guy from Calgary with one

And I've recently seen another one in somebody's group ride photo someplace. Even had the original aluminum fork.

The Peloton completely blew me away on the test ride. The crit geometry makes it an absolute hoot to ride in the daily slice-and-dice of downtown traffic. And it climbs like a goat too. The Reynolds 853 main triangle gives it a super ride feel. The tapers and curves of the rear triangle are the sexiest I've seen. I think the frame is worthy of whatever upgrades you throw at it.

illdoittomorrow

Funny that bike should be mentioned in this thread... it's all-original, down to the cables

My eBaymobile singlespeed, on the other hand, was supposed to be built up as a beater. But I started with a Schwinn Prelude f/f... then I replaced the cheap-n-cheerful wheelset with handbuilt Salsa/Shimano DX wheels... now I'm contemplating a Brooks saddle and a 3-speed rear wheel. The fun never ends!

paperback rider

If the beater is a fixie, there's less to get broken or stolen, but also less to upgrade or even think about.