Sparrow build in summer commuter mode.

Recently aquired this 1973 Motobecane Champion Team. It was a frame and fork only (with Campagnolo bottom bracket & fork bearings)
I added Campagnolo crank/chain ring & seat post. MKS pedals. Wheels with Phil Wood hubs.

^^^ Very nice. My only criticism is that you converted to a threadless stem. I would have stayed with a quill stem for aesthetic reasons. Also, assuming you have a fixed gear setup, I’d recommend adding foot retention (toe clips and straps) to the pedals. If it’s actually a freewheel, then you need a rear brake.

These have all been posted before in previous years, but here they are in 2024 -



De Selby in pavement 44x17T fixed-gear mode. In past years I've switched over to the 42x19T fixed for gravel, but this year I decided to experiment with the 44x20T freewheel side of things and did an all-roads jaunt that way. Then I had the chance to go play in the woods and switched it down to the 42x22T freewheel -



De Selby on the trail ...

I also broke out the old Maitres Jacques the '71 Gitane TdF for a few rides. Built to be a beater for family vacations, it is a shockingly zippy bike that runs far more smoothly and swiftly than it has any right to ...







But most of my mileage in this year of returning to cycling has gone to the monarch of my stable, my favorite bike ever, Julius the Mercian Vincitore -



Seen here right before a ride, when the light through the garage door was amazing ...



... and on a succession of early morning rides this year ....




More than two decades in, this one remains my favorite. BUT - I am seriously considering running it for a while with a 42x17T freewheel rather than the 42x16 fixed setup I've been running for the last ten years or so. We'll see ....

And now a teaser shot for what will hopefully be next in the build queue ...



... in the works - a repainted 1973 Raleigh Gran Sport frameset that I bought, built up for a Clunker Challenge, sold in a moment of weakness and am buying back, which will be paired with two damaged wheels I will be repairing in the next week or so. This will be a long term project to build an absolutely casual, low-cost low-budget single-speed bike that I will gear around the 63 to 67-in range for rides where I will get there when I get there. More information as it comes along ....

beauty in the eye of the beholder

Peace, out!

New tires for vanity.

Jackpot,

The bike looks a bit....small, compared to the grass it's standing on.

I noticed your caption below:
"Nothing is true---everything is permitted"


​​​​​​​--

Everything is bigger in Texas.

These tires are so fast but I've flatted twice in two rides

My Steamroller doing it's job, rail trails and gravel

Love the vintage Stronglight cranks.

I am SO STOKED!!! Today I picked up a Bear Bike Armata track bike. This is my first true fixie and an absolute BEAUTY. It might be a couple days before I get pics up as it is freakin' hot here, and I have lotsa "honey do's"
Here is a stock image from their website:
https://bearbike.ru/upload/resize_ca...h6z4k1e90.jpeg

The shakedown cruise to visit my friend for lunch. I used all three speeds: sitting, standing and (amazingly rarely in our hilly area) walking.

thanks, she's gone through many iterations at this point

good news is all that stuff is SimWorks:

spokes are the Peregrine from SimWorks by Hoshi and appear to still be available, I had LBS in SF pick them up on my behalf and I'm sure most LBS could do the same; the slightly golden / champagne finish is a subtle pop o color that I am way too pleased with - link here:

https://www.sim.works/collections/si...straight-gauge

the bar is the "Little Nick" and post is the "Froggy" in heat-treated aluminum from SimWorks by Nitto in their 'Stealth' finish and they were hard to find even two years ago when I got them; at this point I don't see them for sale anywhere online but here are SimWorks' marketing pages for the 'Stealth' line (might help with trying to track some down or maybe pile onto SimWorks begging them to make some more heh):

https://sim-works.com/en/news/stealt...eady-for-recon
https://sim-works.com/en/news/nightmares-of-ano

My rebadged Panasonic Sport 1000.

My single speed build. The only parts not from my parts bin are the stem and tires. Need to swap out the crankset now.



Changing grips after I cut about 3" of length off each end of the handlebar

Whitecoyote maybe this is silly but... what kind of handlebar wrap is that?

https://a.co/d/019bqEc

Does not look like it's in stock

just out of the box.
My wife was curious to see what the credit card bill was all about- and what the heck have I been waiting on since she gave approval earlier this year.
I’ve got some CampAndGoSlow Eastern rattler bar tape. Need some nice bottle cages still.
No big ride yet. I’m still on restricted duty due to cataract surgery last week. Only got to cruise down the block.

Nice Roaduno! Would love to hear more about it once you’ve gone for a ride or two.

So MRV, I'm looking at this RoadUno and wondering what's up with that front crankset? It's definitely NOT a single. So I went to their webpage and DAMN!, not only is that an informative and excellent intro to the RoadUno, but the crankset is fully integrated into the possibilities (realized easily on this bike) of what I once thought of as a "reverse tringle" https://www.rivbike.com/products/roaduno-complete

I wanted to Frankenstein Lab such a thing when I had that free Schwinn, but here Riv has gone and done it as a feature and not a flaw Absolutely incredible and quite the feat, imo!

Youse-a gonna LOVE this bike (I'm almost jealous).

Typically I'm a vintage bottom feeder / basement dweller / CraigsList Coni-sewer - so this RoadUno bike, and my GUNNAR 2019 CrossHairs are a nice departure from my natural environment.
I'll post a separate thread after I get a decent maiden voyage in this week. Probably I'll put it here in the SS subforum, but once I go 3x1, I can see how I might get evicted.
I've already got a 44t ring to replace the chain guard in the pic. A Paul Component Melvinator. A Silver DT shifter. An old Shimano 600 FD.
There will be an iteration with a 2spd KickBack wheel I had on my Miyata OneThousand.
And maybe next year there'll be pics of a drop bar iteration.
more later, gators! (i'm geeked. can't wait to go get the bike dirty)