krobinson103

Its a basic MTB with a modified front group to allow 48 teeth for fast road transit. I put on a set of dual purpose tires and a heavy duty rack and kid seat/shopping basket. Its equipped with a cheap computer (mostly for the speed and time), the bag has a tube and basic tools in it so I fix a flat tire and a few other simple problems. Its cheap enough to leave parked at the market and not worry too much as long as it locked. Very happy with the way it turned out.

acidfast7

quick non-bike question:

when I spent time in Hanoi and HCMC, I noticed that a lot of concrete had text and what appeared to be a number written under it (usually at the ground level of concrete buildings). and i see that your first photo has that in the left of the photo? any idea about what it means?

also, i like the set-up! very practical.

how's the riding/legs? any 150km rides lately?

ClemY

Do you have a long commute? If so, those tires look like they could be a drag. There are very puncture resistant tires out there that are fast. Those don't appear to be fast to me.

krobinson103

They are very nice. I use them on my exercise bike and they really help. Also they are meant to be useful on more than the road and they do that nicely as well. Not as good in mud, but for gravel or dirt they are good enough.

The text at the top is advertising for a moving company (spray painting my building... not happy). The lower text is info for the water company. I have some work to do tomorrow, but Sunday I have 135km planned I also rode 130km last week. Legs are better but I've only ridden about 170km this week so that isn't nearly enough to slow me down yet. I need to go 400km or so for the pain to set in.

acidfast7

What's the brand/model of the tire? I'm looking for something that rolls a little better than the Smart Sams that came with my bike, but I not really interested in anything high-pressure (too much vibration transfer to the hands/arms) nor anything really that narrow (to get eaten by the "street tram" tracks all over the city.)

Yeah, I thought they were advertisements (as the ones in Hanoi/HCMC had a local number at the bottom of the "ad" and they were everywhere.) Good luck with the ride ... and I'm digging the child seat on the back

krobinson103

"IRC Esplash". The LBS tells me they are chinese imports and they cost me a grand total of $20 each. At that price I wasn't expecting much. But there wasn't a lot to lose if they turned out bad so I tried them. They run smooth, work great on light off road, and help to run a little faster on the road. Bit of a pain to get off the rim when you need to change a tube though.

The rack is rated up to about 50kg and its attached to the axle bolts (deliberate non skewer bike on that one) and the seat will convert into a basket by switching the backrest to the front. It also has foot rests for smaller kids, they will go back on when my youngest gets old enough to ride. It has a safety belt as well.

ezdoesit

what is the name of the platform pedals you have on the bike.?

linus

I miss Korea.

Your bike looks fine. As long as you are happy with it.

krobinson103

Can't say much about the pedals. Generic $30 freerider pedals. I like them because they are the best alternative to clipless. You can get some traction on the upstroke and your feet don't slip ever. Jdudging by the way my calves hurt after a long ride the pedals really do stick nicely for a lot of the upstroke.

I must have built her right. Dropped a line of guys on titanium mtbs today. They pushed up to 40 km/h and I pushed on up to 43km/h. After that they dropped off and gave up. Not bad for a bike that costs $400 with the extras. It has to weight twice what those bikes come in at.

acidfast7

did you have to do anything special to get the 48T front chainring on? 4 extra teeth would be nice.

krobinson103

Yes, the chain needed 4 extra links to get the tension right. Also the front derailer needed some adjusting to get it work right. It some times over shifts on the smaller ring if I push the bike hard, but it doesn't happen often and I barely use that gear anyway. I tried adjusting the limit and tension but all that did was make the large chain ring less reliable so I suspect its working close to its limits.

Other than that it was just a standard cheap square taper group coming in at $20. It gives the bike a real boost, and since I don't mind spinning slower with more resistance anyway it suits me better. Its fun to drop a $5000 bike with a cheap commuter.

Oil_LOL

10/10 would ride

phughes

I think it looks great. I would suggest fenders though.

lakkdainen

Tell me about the chain / bash guard... looks nice and simple. What kind is it?