Ultimate Bike Thread....

[sc_rufctr]

Don't knock it until you try it champ. Fixed on the road is a totally different experience to the track. The track is nothing but hard work. On the road it's fun. If you have a flat road near you house you can get your gear ratio dialed in perfect. For hills you need gears IMO. I have a steel frame track bike with a front brake (so it's legal). I ride it 2 or 3 times a week on "my ring" which is about 6 kilometers total. 99.9% of the time slowing down or braking is done with your legs. It's also a great way to get your legs supple for the start of a new season although I ride year round.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Don't knock it until you try it champ. Fixed on the road is a totally different experience to the track. The track is nothing but hard work. On the road it's fun. If you have a flat road near you house you can get your gear ratio dialed in perfect. For hills you need gears IMO. I have a steel frame track bike with a front brake (so it's legal). I ride it 2 or 3 times a week on "my ring" which is about 6 kilometers total. 99.9% of the time slowing down or braking is done with your legs. It's also a great way to get your legs supple for the start of a new season although I ride year round.

I rode a fixed gear for two winters back in 86 and 87. It was on my Casati with a track cog (both brakes were left on), 42x16 around a 3.3 mile loop around the RoseBowl. A pretty flat course with about 1.5% up hill on one side, then down on the other. That's when I needed to learn to spin and boy, did I spin. A few of us would do this in the winter to stay fit and work on our forms. We were a pretty discipline little group. No upper body movement just legs. It hurts like heck. This was a time no one knew what a fixed gear is. On my way home,there's a mile of down hill so riding easy and using my legs to brake as well as my calipers was done often.

I learn to spin and am really discipline after those two seasons where a fixed gear was no longer needed. I can spin at 110-120 rpm for twenty miles. Sure, it hurts like hell but I do it often during the first 5-8 miles of warn up during the winter months on our training rides.

I see these kids skid the rear wheel like crazy going down hill avoid getting hit by a bus. Crazy.

[sc_rufctr]

Sure, it hurts like hell but...

I'd only worry if it doesn't hurt.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

edit.... This is a must watch video. The youtuber talking about his downtube shifters at the beginning isn't the focus, it's later when he takes a trip to the Marin bike museum 4:30 in, with some cool stuff. I had seen pics of these rear shifting levers, but never in motion.

[CurtEgerer]

^^^^ nice vid!

I wound up putting a springer fork on the rat bike and it is now complete.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

^That is awesome!
I am salivating over a huffy (murray) build!
I'm totally going to steal some of what you did for ideas in a future build.
Is that a 24 or 26 wheel? Bars? Just perfect! Also- decals?

(we're gonna need a full build spec sheet please!)

In other news, my pizzashiki might be in trouble. Although the price was right at $0, the frame had some damage at the seatstay (something got wedged inbetween the frame and the seatstay and bent in (out?) the seatstay) and it appears the chrome plated endcap is splitting off. This is worsenening and will eventually need attention. At very least, gonna need to strip the chrome and rebraze, but- your project inspires me to go in totally new direction - this- as I finally get my wine bottle netting strung for picking up local vino!

[CurtEgerer]

Thanks! There's really not much into it at all. Bike pulled out of the trash. Standard 26" wheels. Repro springer fork $75. Repro Vintage Seat $35. Tires I think were $35-40 each. Headlights maybe $20. Handlebars were the originals flipped over and 2"-3" cut off the ends. The vintage GB stem I had in my parts box. White panels are automotive vinyl wrap. Decals were made on the inkjet with bumper sticker paper! It's actually lots of fun to ride.

This is what it started as:

[CurtEgerer]

I also added a cool head tube badge from the 1940s. It just had a Huffy sticker there. So I added this:

[LEAKYSEALS951]

That is absolutely insane!

The stem is tops, and the dual lights are nice too.

You've got me lookin' the net for something similar (right now). I'm looking at old 26' rocky mountain and kona frames with a similar feel to them. Problem is, they are way overpriced, and with gears and brakes, it won't be as clean of build. Cables running everywhere would mess with the look a bit.

Something like-



Fortunately, they are so overpriced, I'm not even tempted!
There are 29 chrome springer forks out there, so that's kind of cool. That would let me get a larger frame, and keep the seat dropped. This is something where you don't want too much post showing.

[CurtEgerer]

I think you need a 3-speed or single-speed to get the clean look. I'm probably going to wind up selling this because I'm fairly deep down the rabbit hole now and I really want to do a genuine vintage build. Start with a 30s/40s bike like this (this particular one would be way too nice to chop up) and use all period components - seat, spring fork, etc. These are going for $400 and up. But I think something could be found for a fraction of that with time and luck. Ideally, something with a nicely patina'd frame with some light corrosion here and there.

[CurtEgerer]

I bought this Tom Kellogg frame several years ago and it's been collecting dust ever since. I'm finally ready to build it out. It's a 1977 and serial nr. 27. It's quite rare and pre-Spectrum. 50cm with 53cm top tube. Tubing unknown (I'm contacting Tom to see if he has records on it). The frame has some scrapes and bumps but nothing too major. Not bad for nearly 50 year old paint.

I'm not sure about component choice. Campagnolo Nuovo Record would be the safe choice. But I'm thinking maybe doing high-end Japanese stuff (Suntour Superbe, etc.). I need to research the 1977 Bikecology catalog for ideas!






Check out how he filed down the lugs and how he joined the upper and lower lugs together. Just beautiful work.

[CurtEgerer]

Some better pics of TK's beautiful lug work.









Frame had a couple of large handlebar dents in the top tube. I have since worked on those and reduced them substantially. More work to do though. This was the frame as it was bought, before working on it.

[CurtEgerer]

Oops. Madone 6.5, $500 or best offer on CL.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

^^^^ nice vid!

I wound up putting a springer fork on the rat bike and it is now complete.

That is Fricking sweet build , great job.

Don't knock it until you try it champ. Fixed on the road is a totally different experience to the track. The track is nothing but hard work. On the road it's fun. If you have a flat road near you house you can get your gear ratio dialed in perfect. For hills you need gears IMO. I have a steel frame track bike with a front brake (so it's legal). I ride it 2 or 3 times a week on "my ring" which is about 6 kilometers total. 99.9% of the time slowing down or braking is done with your legs. It's also a great way to get your legs supple for the start of a new season although I ride year round.

Back in college, when I worked at the local Schwinn shop, there was a Volvo mechanic who had the shop order and build a high end track bike, for him to use to get back and forth to work with. Mind you, he did lived near the Schwinn shop, , the Volvo dealership was not just across town, but across the river as well, between 15 and 20 miles, since there was no direct way there by bicycle, and the roads and bridges were not very cycling friendly at all. Mind you, he was a experienced cyclist, monster thighs and he could lock up the rear wheel, and that was his only brakes. I wonder what ever happened to him?

During that same time, one of the other mechanics at the shop, a older road Racer, but one who had built a few frames for himself. When you bring up the lugs, it reminds me of one of the frames that Doug Rowe built, as he used a small file to put his initials in the lugs, and it took him FOREVER to do that.
Ok, random cool bike.

As was pointed out on another forum, why didn't the builder use smaller nuts to run the cables instead of cable guides?

[look 171]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

Oops. Madone 6.5, $500 or best offer on CL.

Interesting how that bike broke backwards from a typical crash. It must have hit a garage door causing it snap that way. No scraps on the saddle or levels and the front wheels are in good shape.

[CurtEgerer]

^^^ Same thing I was thinking There is one loose/bent front spoke visible so the front wheel may be damaged. At less than $500, this would actually be a decent buy for a complete Dura Ace gruppo, wheels and accessories. Just add the frame of your choice! I think this bike is from around 2011??

I have a BAD habit of getting back from a ride and leaning my bike against the garage door. Need to stop doing that!

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Darn triathletes!!!!

[Zeke]

I'm not sure if I posted this or not. If I did, apologies for the duplicate pic.

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[Paul_Heery]

What are everyone's thoughts on indoor bike trainers? I've been trying to get outside for a ride every day, but when the temperature is in the 20s it's not a great experience. So, I've started looking at indoor trainers.

The choices and prices vary wildly. There are magnetic, fluid, roller trainers and who knows what else. Any experience or recommendations?

My daughter said, "just get a Peloton". I hesitated at first because i didn't want to spend over $1.5K for the bike then needed to pay a $44 a month membership fee. Then I saw that they have a rental plan for $89 a month that includes the membership fee and a free pair of cycling shoes. I can cancel at any time. There is a $150 delivery & setup fee. But they will pickup the bike for free after I cancel.

If I used the Peloton for 3 months it would cost $417. That would get me to March. So, I got back to my question about buying a decent indoor trainer. That would be a one-time investment.

[rwest]

Originally Posted by Paul_Heery

What are everyone's thoughts on indoor bike trainers? I've been trying to get outside for a ride every day, but when the temperature is in the 20s it's not a great experience. So, I've started looking at indoor trainers.

The choices and prices vary wildly. There are magnetic, fluid, roller trainers and who knows what else. Any experience or recommendations?

My daughter said, "just get a Peloton". I hesitated at first because i didn't want to spend over $1.5K for the bike then needed to pay a $44 a month membership fee. Then I saw that they have a rental plan for $89 a month that includes the membership fee and a free pair of cycling shoes. I can cancel at any time. There is a $150 delivery & setup fee. But they will pickup the bike for free after I cancel.

If I used the Peloton for 3 months it would cost $417. That would get me to March. So, I got back to my question about buying a decent indoor trainer. That would be a one-time investment.

I was at the mall and looked at a Peloton and was stood out to me in this day and age is that you have to adjust the difficulty manually. I think they are more for someone just looking for structured fitness.

If you are wanting biking workouts, I would look at the smart trainers that go with Zwift or similar. Wahoo is one brand I know of, they automatically adjust depending on “course” and “drafting” situations. Having an immersion training would be a requirement for me to keep from blasting my brains out from boredom.