the chainring is tiny to reduce weight and get it out of your way. The back cog is small too so it actually pedals like a normal bicycle. The stuff I do is more along the lines of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAcZSWNd_yg&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KwgW9XeocQ&playnext=1&list=PLCF47F278039C5194 I actually filmed a bunch of the clips in the second one.
This thread got me thinking. The above is a picture of my first ever bicycle, a Schwinn Stingray, minus the training wheels of course.
Great mix of bikes in this thread! Here's some of mine - 2006 Limited Edition Haro Sport 1986 Skyway StreetStyler - this one's an ongoing project!
I've been lusting after bikes in a big way lately. I really wanna find a cheaper Ciöcc in need of a fresh coat of paint. Or a Basso. And I've just recently fallen in love with Nagasawa frames - though they're mostly track...but DAMN are the beautiful! And if prolly is still on the boards: I was just reading your blog about your PDX - SFO trip. Loved the write-ups! Recognized a leg or two of your journey from a couple coastal trips I did 20 (yikes! that long?) or so years ago. I think I'm starting to get the bug again. I've mostly let a friend talk me into doing the STP (Seattle to Portland) with her next summer. Perfect excuse to build a new bike!!!
Here's mine. Its a Moulton TSR 8. Stumey Archer 8-speed internal hub. Change the handlebar to a sweet SOMA Sparrow.
That '86 Skyway is awesome!!!!! I have a g.t. vert bike and a p.k. ripper project that is also ongoing.
I don't hate it, I just don't think it's very practical. I don't feel confident enough to leave it locked up on the street for very long, and if that safety mechanism (that wire you see there doubles as a bike lock) is cut, then the bike is rendered useless. I can see someone cutting it to either steal it or mess with me. It's good for quick errands but otherwise not much else.
This one was stolen from me last year around this time. Truly a one of a kind frame. This is the beauty that replaced it.
Thanks. I am now extra paranoid about where I lock up my current bike. I also took my bike to this past Comic Con and locked it up outside where the grand staircase is between Hall C and D is. The entire time I was inside the convention center I kept thinking about my bike and always wanted to check up on it. Oh also, at SDCC 2004, my car at the time was stolen from the hotel parking lot. I had to buy a new car, because when they recovered it, which is a miracle in itself, the car was thrashed. Being a victim of several incidents of theft really makes me more paranoid and almost obsessive about security. I had 3 different locks on my bike when I locked it up at comic con this year, and still felt paranoid about leaving it out there. Ugh.
i've had two bikes stolen since i've lived in chicago, and each was a painful and traumatic experience. the first was a simple steel-frame single-speed commuter, nothing fancy, but it got me to work and anywhere else i needed/wanted to go. stolen from in from of my office in broad daylight... and from the middle of a row of about 10 bikes. so i started paying to park underneath the building in the garage... which i still do. the second bike was a bianchi roger, and that was stolen out of the garage AT MY HOUSE! so pissed at that one... told my landlord he needed to fix the garage door, but noooooo. urf. so this is my baby, and what i'll ride for the foreseeable future: i got hit on this bike, by a jeep. two seasons of riding, gone. (was in litigation for over 18 months... guy that hit me had cut-rate insurance, tried to say that I hit HIM, but that's a long and nasty story.) so once all that got cleared up, got him fixed up and rideable again... and we're pushing 500 miles from just this past spring and summer!
After a few weeks delay I ordered up a Bruiser Mishka edition. Going to spend the winter building it up for commuting next summer.
Looks like its gonna be a fun commuter Daimyo. I like the colors on it too. Also looks like the frame was made to do tricks as well. Post up a video of you barspinning and doing wheelies on that thing.
Yea, my commute isn't very far so I plan on making this a trick/commute bike. Get a few stitches on the way to work kind of ride. I'm thinking I might have to go facy schmancy on my seat/post & stem and utilitarian on my crank n wheels. I know I should get clinchers but I freakin hate em and always rode sew ups. I will probably go clinchers anyways. I haven't built up a ride, part by part, since my old Klein Quantum II I used to race crit on. Really looking forward to it but it's going to be a long winter staring at it.
You always rode on tubular tires? Sounds like all you did was race. Clinchers are the way to go. If you are commuting, why would you need the weight savings anyways. What parts were you thinking of putting on it? I usually don't like deep-v rims, but in this case I think pair of deep-v rims to complement the color scheme would look pretty nice. Anyways, I can't wait to see it built up.
Sew ups like a MF'er baby! I really don't understand how people who have ridden both can go back to clinchers. Maybe it's because I rode crit but the feel of sew ups, especially while cornering, is so much more effortless and the tire bites into the turn. In Crit you learn to never stop peddling even in turns and you spend a lot of time making quick turns. Sew ups have a circular cross section and it just works better when using the sides of the tire. I know it's a pain in the ass when one goes but I used sew ups even to train with. They aren't prone to snake bite flats like clinchers either so I would usually only lose one tire a year. The next day and a half was always a pita though. Waiting for glue to set does suck. I'm old now too and walking the rest of the way to work carrying my bike just isn't as acceptable as it once was. Parts I am still researching. I have been out of the game for a minute so I need to figure out whats up nowadays. Back in my day all road bikes used quill stems so the whole threadless stem thing is totally new. Any advice in that area would be a huge help. As for bars I am torn between bullhorns which I am very familiar with or going riser flat bar to match with the frames intended purpose. I've even thought it would be fun to try something like that SOMA Sparrow but that may be to far off my intended function. I will most likely stick with a campy record seat post and I was thinking a Gilles Berthoud Soulor would be nice. I have a serious hard on for those leather body saddles. I'm tempted to go campy on the crank but will probably go Sugino 75 so I can thrash it will no guilt. I have to agree with the deep v-rims to pimp out frame steez a bit. I am at a loss for hubs though. I had an Atomic front hub and a Shimano Durace rear on my last bike. That was mainly for weight concerns but I'd like this guy to ride smooth. I'm not sure if any of these newer brands are worth not just going Campy. One sided fixed would have been my choice but I might get a fixed/free so I can ease back into it. I should probably start out with some brakes considering how rusty I am going to be but will lose them down the road. I'll try and post some picks as I go. I'm really excited to be building a new steed, brings back a lot of memories.
True that sew up tires do have it's advantages in racing and cornering, but remember, this is your commuter haha. As far as parts. It looks like you are looking to spend a nice amount of money on this one. Seems like the part you need a suggestion on are hubs. I would definitely go Chris King or Phil Wood. I have ridden both hubs and both are amazing! Also they have sealed bearings, ride buttery smooth, and are built to last. Chris King hubs do come in a variety of anodized colors. I would choose these two hub brands over Campy any day. They are also made in the USA. I would suggest always riding with a brake. I have ridden a brake-less, NJS bomber Pro, for 2+ years and looking back at it, I wished that that frame accepted brakes. Trust me, your knees will thank you for using brakes. Although I did get a lot of "street cred" for being brake-less haha I've tried bullhorns and risers on my past fixed gear bikes. IT all just depends on what kind of riding position you would like to be in. Bullhorns, of course, will put you in a more aggressive position, and risers will have you sit more upright and comfy. Also, I posted a pic of my last fixed gear bike on page 3 of this thread. It was mostly my commuter.
