cranky old dude

Inspired by bruce19's thread on "Beater Bikes" I thought maybe a group "show and tell" might be fun. Living in all sorts of different types of neighborhoods and climatic environments and having a wide variety of cycling needs, I'm sure we all have our own unique versions of what a beater actually is.

Mine is a 1988 Trek 820.

It's main purpose is as a commuter and it is therefore parked outdoors at work for 13 hours at a time in all sorts of weather. It's also not the safest neighborhood, so camoflage helps keep it from being messed with.

The first thing I did was throw some old, rusty fenders onto the bike. With Cantelever brakes this was a bit of a challange. I ended up cutting each fender into two pieces as they would not fit under the brakes. Using all sorts of rusty old fasteners including bike headlight mounts, old "L" brackets, and even extra fender stays...I managed to dirty up the bike a bit. An old rack and a metal crate added to the non-desirability a lot. 23 years of natural weathering has done the rest.

I present to you for your viewing pleasure (or not), "The Beast"





It's dirty, grimey, very rusty (spokes, fenders, fasteners and adjusters), but packs 18 speeds of dependability regardless of the weather. The steel frame is rock solid. The bike looks so bad that even though I've occasionally forgotten to lock it up, it's still around.

So who else is willing to show off their beaters?

skilsaw

Obviously, for Cranky old dude, "Beater" is a term of endearment.
Such a magnificent beast.

tsl

I think "beater" is a relative term.

YellowBike is the closest thing I have to a beater.

Portrait


In the wild


It's a Y2K Trek 1000 I bought second-hand in January 2007 for $100. It was really beat then. I had to replace the entire drivetrain before I could ride it. Since then, I've replaced almost everything else. The only parts remaining of my original purchase are the frame itself, the handlebars and the bottle cage bolts. And I've been thinking of replacing the bottle cage bolts.

Robert Foster

Both my beater and utility and my MTB. Replaced the forks, chainring and cranks and bottle cages. I have a seat post rack for the back and a trailer mount.

Mr. Beanz

My beater. I put all the miles on this thing. My non beater is actually a 1998 CAD3 Cannondale that has had every thing upgraded to DA components. Wheels etc all kept in tip top shape for special events. I like the bike cause it's very stiff and a good climber and doesn't flex under my weight. I'm trying to prolong the life of the frame and components so I beat up my Lemond instead.

My Lemond Beater!

Doohickie

'73 Varsity

Retro Grouch 

This started life as a Marin mountain bike. Only the frame remains from the original bike.

Bob Ross

This is the only picture I have of my beater


...but since that pic was taken I've changed the stem (to Nitto 120mm), changed the bars (to Deda 215s), changed the saddle (to Selle Italia SLR), changed the seatpost (first to Thomson Elite, then to Ritchey WCS), changed the rear derailleur (to Shimano 105), changed the freewheel (to Shimano 7-speed), changed the crankset (to FSA Gossamer MegaExo), changed the pedals (to Speedplay Frogs),and added full coverage fenders (SKS P50) and a NiteRide MiNewt Dual headlight.

I guess I need to take a new picture!

Rick@OCRR

chipcom 

My beater is also still my favorite of all my 7 bikes.



it's an 80-something Japanese Bianchi that has had everything replaced at some point except the frame, fork, handlebars and canti levers.

BluesDawg

I don't really have one right now. My beaters tend to start off cheap and get gradually upgraded with leftover and new parts and adjusted into becoming very nice bikes.

The Fuji S-12S I had was a good example. I got it for a song on eBay and rode it for a while as it came after cleaning and adjusting the stock parts. Soon it inherited good wheels, drivetrain, saddle, handlebars etc. from my main bike when I upgraded it. It was a nice bike by the time I gave it to my son. I replaced it with a new Salsa Casseroll which I built up to serve the all around bike role that the Fuji had grown into.


Uncle Duke by BluesDawg, on Flickr

profile by BluesDawg, on Flickr

My Trek 970 rigid steel MTB frame served as a beater for a while, but it also got upgraded to pretty good components and eventually was sold to someone needing a good, reliable all around bike. I want to replace it someday with a rigid steel 29er which will definitely not be a beater.


roadified by BluesDawg, on Flickr

I need another beater to turn into a nice bike. I have a lot of decent parts that need a home.

cehowardGS

Here is my "beater" bike.. An 86 Schwinn Prelude. Paid $50 for it on CL.. The rear wheel was bent. I had some wheels with some slight dings in them laying around. Slapped them on along with some tires I had laying around too, and the bike turned "sweet"...My size too. This is the bike that I will lock up and go inside..This is the bike I ride if I think it is going to rain. After all it is a "beater"...

downtube42

'70's Schwinn Continental frame with a Shimano 3-speed coaster brake. The front wheel is borrowed from my Santana Tandem - I really need to put that back where it belongs and get an appropriate beater front wheel.

https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5002/...e571cd6bc8.jpg

bjjoondo 

Well in Jan. it was the "new" bike, since I aquired the EZ-Sport AX, this Sun EZ-1 SX is now my "beater" bike!

jedde

'01 Jamis Aurora - I have a Brooks b-17n on 'er now.

Timtruro

This is my 'beater', found in a dump about 2 yrs ago. It had good Bontrager tires on it so I put $16.00 into parts and haven't had to do a thing since. It is a Fuji Boulevard, not sure how old. These were originally low end mountain bikes. This one had a sticker on it that indicates that in a prior life it was a rental bike. I use it for quick trips to the post office and such as well as some trips on dirt roads and when the weather is bad, muddy. I don't lock it.

Timtruro

That can't be the original paint can it?

Timtruro

This is the bike i was referring to when I asked about the original paint.

Dan Burkhart 

I keep my beater in the kitchen.

tsl

Yup! It photographs really well, but In Real Life it has quite a few battle scars.

NOS88

Here's mine.

Timtruro

Well, I for one think it looks great, especially for a so called 'beater'

BigBlueToe

The "Shopping Bike"

Barrettscv 

Not really a beater;

I added a Trek 400D Elance to the stable at the beginning of 2010. I wanted a bike with fenders, my 2008 Soma Double Cross has a racing fork that won't accept fenders. My 1973 Schwinn Paramount has never seen rain, and that's not going to change after 37 years.

The bike is a 63mm sized 1987 Trek 400D Elance. It's a mid-level "sport/touring" model. It has a Reynolds 531 main triangle, Shimano Drivetrain with a 14-28 6 speed freewheel and a 52 & 40t crankset. The 700c wheels are cheapest OE wheels I have ever seen on a mid-range bike.

My thanks to bibliobob for sending me the CL posting.

The fit is ideal for me, the bike also has attachment points for fenders. The seller said he got it at a house sale and had to spend a couple hours cleaning it up. He admitted to being a flipper and other bikes were in the background. I rode the bike for about a half mile, it shifted perfectly, the brakes were operational (if not too precise) and it was stable enough for no-hands travel. It does look all-original, without much use. The kind of bike that can be found at a house sale.

I converted my Soma from a double crankset to a triple in 2009. After the conversion, I ended up with an extra Ultegra 10 speed FD, RD, 11-25 cassette, a new 105 chain, along with a Sram 46 & 38t Cyclocross Crankset & BB. I also had a Mavic Open Pro W/ 36 spoke Dura Ace hub rear wheel I purchased on eBay last year.

I only needed to get a front wheel and shifters to upgrade the Trek 400D Elance to a modern 2x10 drivetrain. I found new Dura Ace 10 speed bar-end shifters from Nashbar for $50 and purchased a 32 spoke 105 hub for $15. I had the bike shop source a matching 32 spoke Open Pro rim & spokes, the new front wheel cost about $150 in total. The bike shop stripped the bike of all parts, applied Framesaver and rebuilt the bike for $225 in labor. I have about $750 in the bike at this point. Not cheap, but the result is excellent, IMO.

The bike is 22 lbs with the Brooks seat. This is a slighter lighter weight than the Soma. Mechanically, the bike gets an A+. The frame is responsive, stable and fun to ride. Much smoother riding than a modern Aluminum bike. The drivetrain is quick shifting and the gear set with 46 & 38t chainrings and a 11-25 10 speed cassette has a tight range. I can travel at any speed from 10 to 33 mph and always maintain my target cadence of 85 to 100 rpm.

The bike is used for as a year-around damp weather bike. The full length fenders keep the rider and the bike clean. I'll also use the bike during the winter, this keeps my other bike free of road salt.

Everyone needs a bike for hazardous duty.

BluesDawg

Nice bike!

This is the only sad part of the story. You paid someone else to do the fun part.