Bicyclettes

[crissyw]

my piece of crap vintage raleigh single speed. wish i had a normal silver chain, blue looks totally gross

[Allan.]

would look okay if you raised that seat

[mlproject]

i'd roll a brake. definitely scary trusting those cranks.

[crissyw]

i'm too short for th ebike already (it's a 54 and i need a 50 or 52).

and yeah totally bad cranks but its a coaster brake bike

[amardeep]

how exactly is bikesdirect so cheap?

that is, if I buy one of the cheap $300 bikes on there, what will I have to replace to have a safe, reliable ride?

[mlproject]

nothing. maybe the lockring, but my main concern with that would be it's teeth stripping out after a few times, but those bikes are decent to get rolling.

i know several people that bought the roadies for the parts then ditched the frame.

[stuntastic]

I guess my post from my phone, didn't post.

The only thing I would see usable, for the "track" frames, would be:

- Frame

- Fork

- Headset (I like my headsets sorta janky. But I'm running a SSP)

- Seat post... Maybe.

Other parts are straight janky, IMO.

The seat post is questionable. I've had bad experiences with cheap seat posts. Seat post bolts coming loose, and then having the seat rattle around while going downhill... Not fun at all.

If you want "cheap" wheels, might as well go Formula Hubs w/ Phil Wood bearings to X rim.

I've had a Motobecane Messenger frame I bought off of some dude locally, and it was a decent frame.

[po_boy_fuuma_hatesbargerz]

Hello fellow cyclists!

I got turned on to this thread by another member. I had no idea it existed .

Just a few recent snaps of my commuter. Coming home from work. Used to have a Brooks team pro on the commuter, but switched that over to my "weekend" bike

hah, I spent most of this afternoon putting those guys on. Super-great set of grips. Also – you should treat yours with neatsfoot oil, it'll help in rain/etc.

Those things look fantastic on your bike

[phoenix]

Love my Kilo. I've had it for almost 5 years (time flies... didn't realize it'd been that long) and at this point there is not a stock part on it other than the frame and fork. I rode it into the ground for a year almost all stock (had to swap out the crapy Kenda tires, got new bartape and saddle for comfort, and switched the cog to 17 for more skid patches). The big thing with BD bikes is that when they put them together, they seem to use virtually no grease/ lube so I took it all apart and rebuilt it properly when I first got it. The stock parts aren't great, but I never had anything break the first year when I was just commuting to class and work on it.

Tigerprawn that's a beautiful bike. I've got a soft spot for older frames with some beausage.

[mlproject]

@suntastic for someone starting out and probably casually riding, those bikes aren't going to fall apart quickly if at all.

[U MAD]

nice ride, but do you or others use those hoods unironically? I found braking to be so bad on those I was on the drops all the time, and moving your hands around is no fun. here's my whip (quick pics):

ugly but i like it. had a nice lugged chrome fork until i wiped out and bent it, so now its a black mtb looking piece of shit.

[GiZMO]

^^Ironically? Hoods fit a function aside from obviously the breaks. It practically grants another hand position, a comfortable one that gives better leverage comparable to bullhorns on a pair of drops.

I agree. I've had TONS of experience with people buying the Mercier and Windsor from bikesdirect. The only problems you'll run into is if you're riding hard or trying to do any type of tricks. Still a very decent buy at $300 to get you on the road and riding.

I have a motobecane messenger, it's a bit on the heavier side compared to both The Hour (windsor) & the kilos everyone buys. a size 52 can barspin with stock 700 tire so i guess if you want to do tricks it's a good frame. It's sturdy and ive went through some lame crashes and all's well, no dents. still pushing that shit to the limit

[U MAD]

^^Ironically? Hoods fit a function aside from obviously the breaks. It practically grants another hand position, a comfortable one that gives better leverage comparable to bullhorns on a pair of drops.

not hoods, just those hoods.

[Paean]

new rims came in! waiting for $$ for sram shifters so that i can put my deraileurs and cassette to good use

[U MAD]

Not sure what you mean. Do you mean the non-aero brake setup (brake cables coming from the top)?

Either way drops add another hand position and are really the ideal spot for brakes on a road bike. I can't imagine having to brake from the drops all the time.

No i mean old style hoods are extremely uncomfortable and difficult to brake from, to the point that I'd rather grab the drops (or replace them).

[GiZMO]

if you'r elooking for comfort on longer rides id recommend cinelli gel

[party pooped]

I did a bike tour from San Francisco to San Diego along the Pacific Coastline in Dec 09 (Christmas into the New Year).

Here's a few shots:

I have a ton of photos, but everything before and after Big Sur was pretty uninteresting... just a bunch of beaches.

A total of 10 days on the bike saddle on my vintage Trek 620 touring frame, averaging 70 miles a day.

[party pooped]

Bleh... accidentally repped you without saying anything. That's freakin awesome!

I'd love to do something similar to that.

Thanks. It took about a year of planning our route and making reservations, and physical "training."

Protip: we didn't plan any rest days or any real escape plans. We were feeling dead already 2 days in, especially after a full day of riding through pouring rain. Our bodies eventually adjusted, but Tylenol helps alot. Also, expect every little part on a vintage/old bike to break, lol.

[GiZMO]

Jealous! I'd love to do that, and the places you past through look beautiful. Was it freezing even when the rain stopped?

[party pooped]

Jealous! I'd love to do that, and the places you past through look beautiful. Was it freezing even when the rain stopped?

Need to pack a shell/windbreaker and a long sleeve base layer because the weather changes throughout the day (cold mornings to warm afternoons to cold evenings). Nothing can keep you warm and dry in the rain though. A waterproof jacket will fail after a few hours in pouring rain no matter what. Some of the worst days of my life right there. But the hour long hot showers afterwards were some of the best rewards in my life.

For those asking, the photos were all taken on the iphone. It was easy to shoot and touch-focus with one hand while riding. I brought along my Leica and rolls of film but ended up mailing them back home. There's just no time to stop while trying to keep pace for the day. And it was heavy.

[(10chars)]

^^ not trying to change the subject here but what app did you use for those photos? they look sick!

[U MAD]

looks like camerabag

[amardeep]

Man I've been trying to plan something like that down the east coast but I can't find anyone as masochistic as me to go with.

[maxdesu]

aloha sunday! love being able to ride all year round

[GiZMO]

i think im paying too much for a used cog. i will be dropping 12 gear inches

[amardeep]

sup bike thread.

I need a bike, so I found a guy selling this for $250. Seemed better than dus that sell "vintage" Motobecane frames for $200 on CL, so I bought it.

Probably will take it to a bike shop eventually since I don't know anything about bikes, but anything look off here? I managed to ride it ~15miles home and it seemed solid, but I dunno.

Also I can't figure out this seat. It kept popping in and out and was wobbly as fuck. How do I set this?

[U MAD]

vertical drops

[vetuv]

yey, got my new bike, posted some photos below.

[party pooped]

My Orbea. Racing CAT4's this year, finally...

[aak]

that is freakin sexy, vetuv. list the specs...