Bicyclettes

[youreit]

didnt know they played polo in kensington on sundays, though it started raining still interesting to watch

[mlproject]

kuwahara was probably best known in old school BMX, but they also made road bikes that were pretty nice.

i guess now they make all kinds of shiz after the brand was revived.

[anonymous]

Oh I get it - you're taking something I said and then putting it in italics and repeating it ad nauseum to trivialise it and (by extention) my entire post... that's very clever! Well, I'm terribly sorry that my rambling post about randonneuring rubbed you the wrong way.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand: your statement that "the bike pictured above is clearly described soley on the components attached to it" is perplexing to me, because what makes it a porteur's (porteuring?) bike and not a bike meant for randonneruing is the fact that it is - aside from the missing front rack - clearly set up in the porteur style. You said, "That looks about like a French touring bicycle, called a Randonneur," and my point was twofold: first, that the word "randonneur" refers to the rider, not the bike; and second, that the bike pictured above would probably not be the first choice of a serious randonneur.

Traditionally (see? I can be clever and use the italics button too!) the frames upon which porteuring and purpose-built randonneuring bikes are based around may have similar or even identical frame geometry (and traditionally this has been the case), but the way they are built up is very different. Taking the front rack off a porteuring bike doesn't change the fact that it has a sealed drivetrain, promenade bars, heavy fenders, and lacks derailleurs. If you want to stand your ground and take the position that the defining characteristic of a porteur bike is the front rack, that's fine. We can just agree to call it a "french city bike" or something equally charming and be done with it.

However, if I might belabour the point for a minute longer, I will point out one last time that the bikes traditionally used in brevets/randoneés are meant to carry a light load and go fast over variable terrain. This bike is not set up to do that. There's nothing saying you couldn't ride a bike set up for porteuring (or any bike, really) in a randonnée - just like you can ride any car you want to over the Paris-Dakkar course - but some will be better than others for the given application.

Anyway, snarking aside, the French bike shown above is lovely and looks like it would be a joy to ride (although I wouldn't want to carry it up any significant number of stairs). That's the important thing, right?

[Dick Danger]

I think it's time to see if the world would be a better place without you. I suggest that you ride a randonee into traffic on a freeway, and if the world is a better place after you get splattered, someone here will let you know in the hereafter, oh, excuse me, thereafter.

[anonymous]

I like that you had to go back and edit that.

[TragicBliss]

We're all geeked. I love it.

[anonymous]

We're all geeked. I love it.

It's true. I spend way too much time thinking about, building and riding bikes.

Sorry if I came off like a dick.

[dnnsmanace]

sleepykid, where did you get that 'CпOPT" frame?

Who? I got it at a velodrome in moscow.

[BodiesOfLight]

I know you guys are mainly interested in fixed gear bikes here but perhaps some one could give me a hand identifying this style of bike:

Its like an old style french courier bike with metal mudguards and racks. As far as I know they are still popular in Europe. Does anyone know the correct names for these bikes? I want one for leasurely cruising around the city...but first I need to know what they are and even better who makes them!

That's a beautiful bike, any better shots of it?

[BodiesOfLight]

I want to see some townies.

[eddyz]

I know you guys are mainly interested in fixed gear bikes here but perhaps some one could give me a hand identifying this style of bike:

Its like an old style french courier bike with metal mudguards and racks. As far as I know they are still popular in Europe. Does anyone know the correct names for these bikes? I want one for leasurely cruising around the city...but first I need to know what they are and even better who makes them!

my nuts are sore just looking at the seats angle..........

[Ispy]

There are some beautiful bikes in this thread. Congrats to all the builders - nice work. I'm intrigued by the fixed gears. I love the simplicity of both the look and the ride. Just haven't had the chance to build one. Some day...

As for the bikes I do have (and there are a few), my mountain bike would make you howl so I'll post this one instead (pictured in a local shop):

Early 40's Cleveland Welding Roadmaster.

[Dick Danger]

I like that you had to go back and edit that.

I didn't want to sound mean.

[photo]

I had a coiuple of questions, how is it that I can fiqure out what size of clamp would be on my bike? The other will probably sound stupid but I can't figure it out in my head, how does the amount of teeth on a cog affect the acceleration, and momentum of a ride? Thanks

[anonymous]

I had a coiuple of questions, how is it that I can fiqure out what size of clamp would be on my bike? The other will probably sound stupid but I can't figure it out in my head, how does the amount of teeth on a cog affect the acceleration, and momentum of a ride? Thanks

By clamp do you mean stem diameter or seat post diameter? Seat post diameter is pretty easy to figure out - if you have the original, it might be marked on it. Also, many shops will have a post with graduated steps that increase 0.2mm each. It slides into the seat tube and will let you know what size post you need. Alternately, you can just try a bunch of seat posts until you find the one that fits. It shouldn't be too loose or too tight going in. It should slide in fairly easily but not slip down when you let go of it. Also, there are calipers designed to measure the inside diameters of tubes (they have little balls on the tips instead of the normal points), so your local shop might have a set of those kicking around.

As far as # of teeth goes, think of it like this: if you have a 1:1 ratio between your chainring and your cog, it means that every time you rotate the cranks 360°, the rear wheel will make one complete roatation. As the ratio changes and the cog gets smaller, the wheels will turn more times per rotation of the cranks. So if you're running a 20 tooth cog and a 40 tooth chainring, one rotation of the cranks will yield two rotations of the rear wheel. Essentially, moving 40 teeth in the front means moving 40 teeth in the back; since the cog has 20t, it has to fully rotate twice to equal 40t.

Because it's the ratio between the chainring and the cog that determines the relative stiffness or your gear, you can have the same qualitative gear with different combinations of chainrings and cogs. ie, a 38t chainring with a 19t cog will "feel" the same as a 40t chainring and 20t cog because both setups give you a ratio of 2:1.

If you're riding fixed, you'll probably hear a lot of talk about "gear inches" which is an odd sort of shorthand for talking about how relatively high or low a given gear ratio is. Gear inches = # of chainring teeth x 27 / # of cog teeth. The 27 is there for the nominal 27" diameter of a bike wheel. Ostensibly, the value in gear inches will tell you how far forward a rotation of the cranks will move you. Given that most bike wheels aren't 27" and that a whole mess of things can change how difficult it is to make that rotation of the cranks, it's not a very good measure of anything; again, it's useful shorthand for making comparisons, but it's at best a relative measure. Unless you're familiar with what one gear inch feels like, knowing how many gear inches another bike has won't really tell you much. Even then, things like tire width and crank length are going to have an impact on how high or low the gear feels to push and the gear inch value doesn't take that into account. There are other, more esoteric ways to measure (google "sheldon brown," which you should most definitely do anyway if you're interested in FG bikes), but most people use gear inches so it's helpful to know what they're talking about.

FWIW, lots of people find gears in the high 60s to mid 70s comfortable. You want to be able to get up hills without dying and get down hills without spinning out at 200rpm. Something like 46x17 is a nice place to be, IMO.

Sorry to ramble.

[TragicBliss]

48x17 for the win!

[sleepykid]

Jesus Sleepykid... Those are some beautiful rides! What kind of seat it that on the first frame?

its a san marco rolls..thanx...

[canice]

jesus christ i've found the light. i switched to spd's this weekend from clips+straps, and despite the -10000000 style points, i'm converted! reborn as a cyclist! the power transfer! the security!

no 0 kmph tip-overs or unclipping mishaps yet (knocks on wood).

[knucks]

Who? I got it at a velodrome in moscow.

whoops, my bad. That's awesome, I want me a Russian/Ukrainian frame..

[TragicBliss]

jesus christ i've found the light. i switched to spd's this weekend from clips+straps, and despite the -10000000 style points, i'm converted! reborn as a cyclist! the power transfer! the security!

no 0 kmph tip-overs or unclipping mishaps yet (knocks on wood).

Are you talking about your roadbike or your fixed? What kind of shoes are you using?

[canice]

fixed. lake mtb shoes with shimano double sided pedals. had to carve out some of the shoes' lugs around the cleat plate before the pedals would fit.

i put them for training before my tour, but now i think i might just use them all the time.

by the way, i don't have a road bike... yet.

it's a tossup between cervelo soloist team (aero tubing, ultegra, the bike equiv of buying bapes?), specialized ruby expert (carbon monocoque, full ultegra) and the cannondale optimo feminine 2 (krysirium wheels, full ultegra). so basically, do i want pimp name, pimp wheels or pimp frame?

[will47]

fixed. lake mtb shoes with shimano double sided pedals. had to carve out some of the shoes' lugs around the cleat plate before the pedals would fit.

Which model pedals? Can you use them as platform pedals as well (on both sides)?

Can you walk "normally" on the shoes? I'm wanting to go clipless, but doesn't seem worth it for my 1 mile commute and my usual 4-6 mi rides around town unless I don't have to change shoes. Ideally, I want something with a lot of float, like egg beaters or Speedplays (bad knees).

[will47]

Here's my work in progress. The brake lever and saddle still need to be changed out.

Old (probably late 70s) Nishiki Custom Sport, Iro hubs, Sugino crankset, EAI track hub (48x17).

[heBAY]

hebay + rep

youre in NYC? can you recommend a good shop for BMX ish? i have a fat boy that i want to overhaul for the summer..

Ryan...sorry I was out of town for the weekend. Ihonestly asked the same question about BMX spots in NYC. There may be a couple...but it really is shitty nowadays.

Danscomp is always a good online site...as is eBAY...I was also directed to vintagebmx.com...it's kinda like SUfu for "vintage bmx" (new as well).

Wish I could've been a bit more helpful on the NYC part.

[canice]

Which model pedals? Can you use them as platform pedals as well (on both sides)?

Can you walk "normally" on the shoes? I'm wanting to go clipless, but doesn't seem worth it for my 1 mile commute and my usual 4-6 mi rides around town unless I don't have to change shoes. Ideally, I want something with a lot of float, like egg beaters or Speedplays (bad knees).

PD-M520

those flat/cleat pedals are ugly. don't do it.

i don't think you need a lot of float, you just need to adjust your cleats to a position that's comfortable. i'm getting a little bit of float on this pedal, and i have a bad left knee. i found once i dialed in the cleat position, having it fixed in one spot was more comfortable than some wild irregular stroke pattern when my feet weren't strapped down super tight.

[Originatek]

..heres my flatland BMX bike..which i am going to try and sell soon so i can get a track bike,i need something for transportation and dont ride bmx that much anymore..but man is she beautiful...

[mlproject]

will 47 nice nishiki... my first fixed was that exact same frame. same size even.

[kiya]

48x17 for the win!

So 31x11...

Something around that ratio is almost exactly the same as the one you're using. it's a common ratio for BMX bikes.. So therefore the revolutions would be the same if i'm not mistaken.

Can you explain why you'd want to use larger parts when you can achieve the same ratio by not only saving weight but creating less bulk on the bike?

[canice]

larger chainrings don't wear out as fast as smaller ones because of the greater distribution of force exerted on each tooth, and look better aesthetically. plus with track cogs there is a limitation on how low you can go with teeth count. there's probably more scientifically sound reasons, but i'm not smart enough to figure it out.

ps: 47/16! hooray for prime numbers.

[st199ml]

fixed. lake mtb shoes with shimano double sided pedals. had to carve out some of the shoes' lugs around the cleat plate before the pedals would fit.

i put them for training before my tour, but now i think i might just use them all the time.

by the way, i don't have a road bike... yet.

it's a tossup between cervelo soloist team (aero tubing, ultegra, the bike equiv of buying bapes?), specialized ruby expert (carbon monocoque, full ultegra) and the cannondale optimo feminine 2 (krysirium wheels, full ultegra). so basically, do i want pimp name, pimp wheels or pimp frame?

Spend on the frame every time in my opinion. I suspect that makes the Speccy the top choice from your list. Cervelo make a beautiful frame, but if you're in the market for an off-the-peg deal can I humbly offer the Colnago Arte: (http://www.colnago.com/en/catalogo2007/arte.php). Available in UK for £1649. Its alu, built in Taiwan but Colnago designed frame and full Ultegra. Choice of crazy colours too. Compact(ish) geometry could be a good fit for a woman too.