Bikes!!!

Midget

Gold Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2002
Messages
2,807
Hows about a pic thread to show off your rides of the two-wheeled variety?

how many daily commuters have we got around these parts?


Human powered vehicles only. ;)



tapeworm2cj.jpg

my commuting bike, fixed gear, built from the trash


fluke8uo.jpg

my *faster* fixed gear. built from pouring lots of money into it. :D
 
This is my downhill ride. An Intense M1. I have since upgraded the fork but I don't have an updated pic. The new fork is a Marzocchi Super Monster. I also upgraded the rear shock to a Fox.

a49d0b6e.jpg


My Freeride bike and around-town kicker is a Specialized Hard Rock Pro. I bought it in 2004 and it's pretty much stock except for the new Marzocchi Z1 Drop Off fork.
 
Why don't the fixed gear bikes have brakes?

there british military bikes, they dont need them because there trained to lay the bike down at high speed and use it as a gun prop.






















JUST KIDDING, man, i cant beleve that somebody dosent know about that! you pedal backwards slightly to brake.
 
I've just sold my Trek 1400 in order to upgrade.

I'm off to the big city today to shop around for its replacement. News soon (hopefully).

maximus otter
 
If its a true fixed bike there is no freewheel i.e. the pedal are turning whenever the back wheel is turning, its like a solid drive. The back pedal brake AKA Coaster Brake is obvious if you see it. True fixie riders use their legs or a sole of a shoe to stop in an emergency. Bragging rights are down to either gear ratios like 52:13 (Insainly high geared) or how many inches the bike will travel with one rev of the crank.

IMO the best bike is steel, has a Rohloff sped hub and a drive belt, not a chain. chain sets are messy and prone to problems. Rohloff all the way baby :)
 
Drive belts are becoming increasingly popular, but chains have very little frictional loss and work remarkably well.
They are filthy....The search for the ultimate chain lube continues. The bike-mechanic forum I subscribe to has a thread on chain lube that was at about 7 pages last time I looked....

Fixed-gear bikes and solid-hub bikes have their fascination, but usually for young, juicy, strong riders in relatively level terrain.

I love every single one of the 27 speeds on my Trek 2120, and I'm constantly working the shifters.
Likewise with my homebuilt recumbent, where I go from 1/1 to 3/7 in the course of a single training ride.
 
Here is mine. Schwinn Crusier, one speed, coaster brake. Plain and simple. Kind of a "single blade slip joint" of a bike (to use terms we all understand).
 
Temper said:
If its a true fixed bike there is no freewheel i.e. the pedal are turning whenever the back wheel is turning, its like a solid drive. The back pedal brake AKA Coaster Brake is obvious if you see it. True fixie riders use their legs or a sole of a shoe to stop in an emergency. Bragging rights are down to either gear ratios like 52:13 (Insainly high geared) or how many inches the bike will travel with one rev of the crank.

IMO the best bike is steel, has a Rohloff sped hub and a drive belt, not a chain. chain sets are messy and prone to problems. Rohloff all the way baby :)

Temper,

I want a bike with a Rohloff Speed Hub so bad I try not to think about it. Can you drop me a link to a bike that uses the Rohloff and a belt drive? Right now my dream bike would be a Rivendell or ANT with the Rohloff.
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My real bike is a Specialized Cirrus, which I am quite happy with for the price. Plus I still have my 1989 Deore equipped Canondale MTB. I'll have to take some pictures.

I've also got an early 90's Miyata hybrid that is my project bike. I need to do some work on it, and I'm going to set it up as my all weather errand bike. I even got some Jandd grocery panniers cheap off eBay for it.

Anybody here frequent Bikeforums, as a lurker or member? Man that is one flame ridden forum. People poo their lycra all the time over the most basic issues.
 
Alas Paul it isn't in production. I used to frequest bike forums a lot but my riding now is just for fitness. I did however look into drive belts a while ago, but there is scant info on them. Obviously $himaNO and SRAM dont want people to move over to hubs. It would appear the best way to solve this is to have a machine shop make some up for you based on a commercial fan/drive belt. Just think of it, no lube, no mess (possibly) less weight, certainly less noise.

Yeah, Steel frame, Rohloff with coaster, Avid front disks, Brooks saddle and a Dynohub for the front on 36 hole handbuilt Mavic's & triple butted spokes, ummmmm :p
 
haha fixed gear bikes are about speed, simplicity, economics, and low maintenance.


you can put back pressure on your pedals to slow down, but that's exteremely hard on the knees. alternatives are to stick your foot in the rear wheel (which i do frequently) or in an emergency, grab the front tire with your hand + gloves.

but it's not as crazy as it seems. it may take a few weeks to get used to riding brakeless, but once you do, you'll find that you're more attentive to the road. you predict where traffic is going, when bad things are going to happen, and sometimes you'll just have to improvise. brakeless riders look ahead of them, as opposed to others who just look in front of them.

and once you get used to it, you'll go from point A to point B without ever stopping.

its fun as hell.
 
Temper said:
Yeah, Steel frame, Rohloff with coaster, Avid front disks, Brooks saddle and a Dynohub for the front on 36 hole handbuilt Mavic's & triple butted spokes, ummmmm :p

**Homer Simpson voice** Mmmmmmm...bike....gaaahh.....

I would even be happy to just have some good cantilevers on the front. :D
 
Midget said:
haha fixed gear bikes are about speed, simplicity, economics, and low maintenance.


you can put back pressure on your pedals to slow down, but that's exteremely hard on the knees. alternatives are to stick your foot in the rear wheel (which i do frequently) or in an emergency, grab the front tire with your hand + gloves.

but it's not as crazy as it seems. it may take a few weeks to get used to riding brakeless, but once you do, you'll find that you're more attentive to the road. you predict where traffic is going, when bad things are going to happen, and sometimes you'll just have to improvise. brakeless riders look ahead of them, as opposed to others who just look in front of them.

and once you get used to it, you'll go from point A to point B without ever stopping.

its fun as hell.

Your rides are seriously sweet. I would like to try a fixie sometime, but I am currently skeptical. I haven't been to Ann Arbor in years, but it was always a nice place for bikes. I think it would be impossible to ride from point A to point B here in Cincinnati without stopping. There are tons of steep hills and all riding must be extremely defensive because most people around here don't even seem to think bikes should be on the streets. I have to lock my brakes more regularly than I would have thought just to avoid the people that seem to aim for me. I have not seen a single fixed gear bike here in town, and I'm as bad about checking out bikes as I am women and pocket clips.

I can see where the simplicity and "being one with the bike" (my quotes) would be very appealing. Perhaps someday I will give it a try. I am keeping my eyes open for a good deal on a single speed already. Maybe I'll look for a reversible hub.

On your first bike, are those cut off drop bars?
 
Im just curious how you could possibly ride a single speed my ride to work is extermely hilly and I go from 1/2 to 3/7 almost every day.
 
maximus otter said:
I've just sold my Trek 1400 in order to upgrade.

I'm off to the big city today to shop around for its replacement. News soon (hopefully).

maximus otter

Here it is:

1500_d.jpg


A 2005 Trek 1500 triple. Yum!

maximus otter
 
Very nice max but I cant see those rims staying straight with me riding it for long :p

Here is my Mongrel

Old Norco alu frame (It has a longer than usual top tube so its a keeper) 52/39 Tiagra on a 25/13 (IIRC) Avid BBDB on the front, junk $shimano clincher on the rear (never use it) 32 double butted front wheel on Diore hubs on Tioga rims. Back wheel is a hand built in the UK Mavic triple butted Swiss on a XT hub. Brookes B17 Champion saddle and cheap but comfy bar ends. 1.5 Michelin City tyres @ 90psi. 55Kph not a problem, 40+ an everyday occurance :)

bike.gif
 
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