http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...oards/QFT1.jpg

qft:thumb:

^^^ Agree in full...great post, right on the money. I love weird, creative, Frankensteins that pay no attention at all to convention and just reflect the owner's individual tastes and needs.

I'll always love road bikes first...but there is a sameness to them. Commuters and gravel grinders are just more fun because everyone's approach is just a little bit different. They may not be hot...but they're fun. My goofy commuter is definitely not hot, but it reflects my personality more than the beautiful, classic roadies.

REALLY dig that Dahon.

I think I get what you're saying but you picked the most normal and pedestrian picture of Bjork out there. Would you talk to her/think she was hot if you saw her sitting in a local cafe in the swan costume she wore to the Oscars years ago?

I like the bike because there are so many things that don't match and probably most people wouldn't have put together or have thought should even go together. I do that when I put an outfit together or make earrings and it's cool to see it done with a bike.

Not even sure if my wife is going to commute on this, but we got it on Saturday, and it's a much hotter-riding bike than it looks. It's light and nimble yet very easy to control. We are both very impressed.

Trek 7.3 FX. I think it's approximately a 2008 model, but I really don't know. Clearly the front wheel has been replaced.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-f...0/IMG_2380.JPG

I'm way late on this but I'd say replace seatpost rack with trebuchet. Then it would be HOT.

You're the one to talk! :p ...and the truth is that there's alot more seatpost still in the frame! (3/5 currently visible)

Now that's one HOT foldie!
I personally don't like folders, but yours is the exception!
Although I will agree with spare_wheel that the saddle does deduct points off the bike (color coordination). Maybe a creme colored Fizik?

Monstercross frame, 40 spoke wheelset, 3x9 Deore drivetrain, brifters & Woodchipper bars. It could carry a piano.

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...700snow001.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...t/CX700003.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...t/CX700005.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...t/CX700006.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...t/CX700012.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...t/CX700011.jpg

Nice! :)

Some ramblings on the build for you:

Tape color was what I had on hand, as was the saddle, which is a Terry Aero men's saddle that was included in some box-o-whatever that a CL seller included with -- I think -- my Burley Samba. It's super light and pretty comfortable, although doesn't fit me well as my 134g Selle SLR.

Sora 3x8 shifters also from a "thrown in on the deal box" with a Burley Rhumba frame purchase last year

48/??/?? shimano MTB crankset from a Cannondale M500 that I stripped and re-built for a neighborhood teenager. It needed a new fork and some major help, so I offered to fix it up with my Dahon's stamped steel crankset and a spare fork (which came from a Giant Boulder that he'd tossed in the trash!) if I could grab the crankset for my Dahon.

Shimano STX RC RD http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3815/9...66248858_h.jpg also from a box of parts. Needed a new limiter screw donated from a horked RD in the graveyard parts box.

New Deore FD from the LBS. Sometimes it's nice to drop by the shop and pick up a part at retail. I reaped the benefits later when I brought the almost finished build in for a new BB-- the one I'd put in was just too short for the frame. It went in for no charge, and a few other dollars were taken off the bill that day. A nice new sealed BB feels really good.

The rear wheel is a Ritchey offset rim with a decent hub. I found it abandoned at the train station. I wondered why, and posted a "found" ad on CL, but it's one of those slightly tall rims that is hard to mount tires on. Not great for a commuter which might need a super fast change, but it's what I have for now. The thin Alex 26" rims I have on there will do winter duty-- they are new, but narrow, and will work better with my 1.75" Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tires. The Town and Country 2.1"s should probably be on the larger rims, though I run them at fairly high pressure.

The pedals were pulled off of some trash picked bike as well, and got a shot of Phil Tenacious Oil in the bearings as a quick and probably not long lasting way to smooth them out a bit. We'll see how it lasts.

Seatpost is a 350mm single bolt from the LBS. I need something 400mm with a little more setback to make the bike fit right. The front of my left knee gets a bit of tendinitis going when I ride the rig all the way home.

Bars are from another LBS on the other side of town, 3T Rotundo Pros. 42 or 44 cm, I think. I'm not used to positioning STI levers, and find that I have the bars angled up a bit too much-- the drops feel angled down a bit more than I like. Stem is a long and very steeply angled one to try and get the bike sized up to my 6'4" long armed frame.

Brakes are basic Shimano cantis. All new housing. The original grey housing looked great, but white is OK.

I still don't have the FD shifting well. The outer ring is a little out of true still, but there is too much chain rub even where it is not out of true. I hate setting up triple FDs, and will probably give up at some point and take it in to the friendly LBS. It may be that the Deore just won't work. We'll see. I was behind a roadie on my Friday commute home and wanted to keep up for a bit, but the shifting was so embarassing that I gave it up. He also ran two redlights, or I would have hung with him in the middle ring!

The fenders are SKS that just happened to match the bike-- and were on clearance some years ago when my LBS moved. They've been on there for a few years.

Thanks for the compliments! This is the second build up change on the bike since buying it used a few years back. I love that I can take the train in and then have a regular pleasurable 16 mile ride home along the CT urban waterfront with the sun and wind at my back. Friday's maiden voyage was sweet.

What *is* the deal with all the spacers? We've got a Trek 950 in the shop and it's got so many spacers it looks like one of those African women who keep adding rings around their neck till it's as long as a giraffe's. Why don't more people cut the steerer tube?

But I do like how the honey saddle and wrap set off the blue of the bike, points for an uncluttered background and a ds pic.

That's a really nice bike, but the seatpost rack monstrosity is really killing it.

I've been thinking of getting the Hebie Rearrider, and it would really look nice on yours (with panniers).

http://www.pressebox.de/uploads/thum.../id/308903.jpg http://www.hebie.de/uploads/pics/125...inten-x_01.jpg

Super Hot!

Hot! I'm with Telly on this one--not really hot on folders, but this one is a smasher!

I've since replaced the seatpost rack with a Topeak, just don't have any pictures of it :)

The "ugly rack" is now assigned to mountain biking duty :D

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps9f5c19ff.jpg

Thanks.

Your Id8 is a modern classic!

Perfect fit on the mountain bike! :)
You should snap a few photos with the new Topeak since the last photo is now void!


NOTE: To all you DIY & inventors out there... build us a set of panniers with built in racks which can be removed easily when not in use; this would definitely be a hot seller!

...and we won't believe it until we see it... ;) lol

Could be very hot... Needs a different set of forks IMHO... Still, very nicely done!

Hottish.

A very well-thought out and inexpensive build. The tig welds on the frame look to be high quality! It would be hot except that the lugged crown fork looks a little out of place -- kinda like a burly dude with skinny legs.

Yes the Origin 8 is cheap, cheerful and a tough workhorse.

This might be more likable: Pedal Force CX2. Yes, It's Carbon Fiber. It's a great road bike alternative, 98% of the speed but twice the utility. The larger Vittoria Hyper 700x32 tires on the CX2 allow me to enjoy the smoother trails and gravel that are common in the Midwest. I also can just ride across the pot-holed and patched suburban streets without the usual bob-and-weave that is necessary when on a smaller tire.

The added inertia of the wheelset and larger tires does slow acceleration by a small amount, the bike is a little slower to wind up. However the actual overall difference in speed on my usual route is about 2% or about 0.35 mph.

However, the ride quality is exceptional. the bike feels solid and is very responsive, but the tires provide the right amount of suppleness that is very relaxing. If I need to maximize my speed by 2%, I still have a road bike.

The bike will also take fenders and a rear rack. I expect the bike to become my #1 ride.

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l.../IMG_09601.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l.../IMG_09611.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l.../IMG_09621.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l.../IMG_09631.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l.../IMG_09651.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l.../IMG_09661.jpg

lot of clean bikes here ... do people ride them or take photos of them

:)

not much on clean , Or pictures . myself . Black anodizing works for me. .

Both!

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...ecember013.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...ecember012.jpg

much better :D

Hot! Reminds me of my commuter, but with fatter tires and more luggage options. I'm running 25c tires, and that seat bag is as close to luggage as she gets. Still, I love the speed and comfort. I toyed with the idea of squeezing in 28c tires (looks like they'll fit, though I'd have to squeeze the by the brakes).

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps51c54081.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps67fd5450.jpg

Origin8 Monstercross with the skinny old school fork is hot. I happen to like skinny legs. A fat carbon or other stocky modern looking fork would make it sort of run-of-the-mill. I bet that fork is nice and light and rides well. ;)

Idiosyncratic ? http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=351617

Don't be alarmed it doesn't look "hot" even to me.

not hot but definitely eccentric and cool.

I'll toss another one out there...I use this for commuting sometimes if I want to go a little quicker, but still have some tire width. It's great for lighter gravel and hard pack. Obviously you aren't taking a laptop with you...

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps1f17976a.jpg

It does. The supplied Origin 8 fork is super heavy and stiff. Some builders have had alignment issues with it also. The Surly Cross Check fork has a great ride quality, very good braking performance and room for 45mm wide tires. It also has a mid-fork low-rider mount for a front pannier. All for about $90.