It's that time of year where I get excited for winter, so even though I won't need it for 2-3 more months I got out my winter commuter and cleaned her up. Yea, the seat's not adjusted, the tail light's still bent from flipping it over, I didn't bother re-clipping the brakes, and the rear tire might be flat... otherwise, wha'dyall think?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7334/1...b943ecaf_b.jpg

You sure know how to sell your photo!

Gotta cover all my bases ;)
Speaking of which, the headlight is hidden on the left side of the fork so I can hang my handlebar bag!

I like the clever way you've utilized a bungee cord to hold the rack up.

I present to you my daily commuter "The Neil".
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347000

i'd call it hot, save for the crotch bag. kills it.

-1 for valve stems not at 6 o'clock
-1 for non-wireless speedometer (with cable wrapped around front brake cable)
-1 for drab background
-1 for tire label not aligned with valve stem
-1 for lack of essential commuter gear such as fenders and lights
+1 for Topeak quick-release trunk with fold out paniers (full disclosure: I have the same trunk)

It sure is but, I might as well throw my ass over the flames.:saweeet:

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...ji/Fuji009.jpg

Details here.

I would have taken the crotch bag off but the velcro tabs go under the cables and it's a royal pain to get off and on. It carries wallet, keys, reading glasses and repair kit (pronounced "Phone"!!). The white stripe is reflective so I file it under "Safety Items" and, therefore, deem it legal.

This is an interesting beast. I like the look of the bullhorns, but I don't like the brake levers (particularly their placement). I'm a big fan of the 8-speed Shimano bar end shifters for commuting.

The biggest problem here, I think, is the busy background. The bike could be hot, but it's hard to be sure.

7/10...you get points off for having the front brake undone and the droopy taillight, but I like the beefy lock and bungee cords.

and now for something completely different:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=350000

Would ride!!!

Is that your Christmas bike?

Did someone say Xmas bike?

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...1CE3CCF854.jpg

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...1CF02925FC.jpg

pictures should be darker. i can see too much of the bike.

lol

Now that's hot!

Okay, here is my daily commute ride.

http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/y...psb3fa8436.jpg

1982 Peugeot PSV. Crank is the original drilled Stronglight and the shifters are the original Simplex on Retroshift levers, seatpost and stem/bars are original as well. Derailleurs, brakes, hubs, rims have all been changed to Mavic. I built the wheels on Open Pro rims, they are 32/36 3 cross and have stayed true with daily city riding. Fenders are PDW Full Metal Fenders. Lights: Niterider headlight, Trac bar-end lights, blinkies on bar and bag, Serfas on seatstay. I also have lights on my helmet and backpack; I don't use them all at once but it is nice to be visible, it is so dark nowadays.

Very nice! Excellent execution. Great job on the handlebar tape too. What going on at the seat stay, is that some sort of wrap?

Somebody's gonna ding you a few points for the angle of the saddlebag and the untidy velcro strap on the battery pack, might as well be me. ;)

That is just a bit of extra bar tape, stuck on the seatstay to protect it where I lean the bike to lock it up . The bars need re wrapping, it's been a year and the ramps are looking pretty ratty.

The battery pack bugs me, more than just the loose strap, I wish it were inside the saddlebag but the cable isn't long enough. I may buy a Knog Blinder Road soon, as it is more compact and tidy. The Niterider mini newt is not that bright, I doubt the Knog would be much dimmer.

As for the saddlebag, unfortunately the Bagman support only comes in one size so the small Carradice sits at that droopy angle.

hot.

SUPER HOT! How are you liking the friction shifting on the levers? I've been tempted to do a similar build, but went a different route.

Nope. Not. Anything with the name "Peugeot" on it is automatically not hot. To many funky weird things going on for it to be hot.

All of which can be addressed pretty easily on eBay or Velo Orange. Heck - they made so many of these dang things that parts are pretty readily available; you can buy the BBs and headsets at my local community bike works.

The friction shifting is fine.

I do have a set of Mavic 8 spd indexed shifters that will go with the Mavic derailleurs, but the shifter bases are concave (meant to sit on a downtube) while the Retroshift requires a flat base (they take bar-end shifters). Either the shift bases need to be ground flat or the Retroshift mounts need to be rounded. Since Mavic 821 shifters don't grow on trees, I wil probably take a grinder to the Retroshifts someday.

The other objection I have is that the Retroshift (Tektro) levers are sort of ugly. I am going to explore the possibility of a few cosmetic drillings. Or, of removing the shifter mounts and installing them on different brake levers, like

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNj...rpw~~60_35.JPG

Other projects - I have a Stronglight roller bearing headset to install someday, the brake pads need to be replaced with salmon Koolstops, the fenders need better flaps, and I have some thin reflective pinstriping tape that could add a bit of nighttime safety. I am usually riding among and alongside traffic, and, this time of the year, often on dark rainy nights.

The weird Peugeot threading and dimensions aren't a problem. I can buy used French sized parts all day long for peanuts at the local bike co-op. This particular BB is Swiss thread which is a bit weirder, but VO sells that too. There are five Peugeot bikes or projects in the fleet so I'm used to their foibles (PX10 UO8 G50 PY10FC PSV).

You could just get the right derailleur, re-space the rear and run it indexed, no?

I'm actually partial to the Tektro aesthetics, but I'm a biased because I think Tektro makes great products at reasonable cost.

Indexing is overrated.

Overly complicated solutions are overrated too.

Shimano indexing - blahhh...

Campagnolo Ergo - wunderbar.

Ah but I didn't explain the lunatic fantasy here. The aim is to make this an all-French bike, and as close to "tout Mavic" as possible. So the Mavic FD/RD have to stay, also the Mavic hubs which are threaded freewheel type, and one of these days I will even put on a set of Michelin tires. I refuse to pay the toll for Mavic seatpost, stem and bars but if they fell in my lap, why they'd go on too.

For the shifters, I could probably make a set of Campagnolo 10 speed Ergos work (Mavic 8 spd is reportedly same as Shimano 8 spd), but that's $200+ for a used set, and I'd have to sand the Campagnolo markings off the lever blades, apply some "MAVIC" decals, and re-do the clearcoat - just to keep up the fantasy.

I know, this is silly for a mere commuter bike, but I ride this thing 10X more than any other bike in the fleet so why not.

Makes sense to me if it makes you happy - was just approaching it from an ease of solution/commuter perspective.