Your Commuter - How did it come to be?
hippy
What features does your bike have that makes it different
to your race bike/xc bike/dh bike/tourer etc?
What mods are you proud of?
What items have you fitted that make your ride faster
or better or easier?
Just to start, my commuter is simply my old race bike.
It's a:
- Skansen cro-mo road frame with dodgy identifying stickers
removed.
- "prone to dropping chains" Biopace with new 6or7? speed
cluster and new chain. New bits improved chain droppage/slip.
- Bent forks from 1st race & 1st race crash (riding no hands
requires some major leaning! :-) )
- Cheapie(c) alu wheels w/ Break-a-lot(tm) spokes.
- Yellow Vredestein tyres (~$40ea, I think) with "tread".
- $15 "noname" saddle, swapped from "fatty" exercise
bike-style one.
- Tiny front flashing light (1 white LED, keyring style) and Cateye
2 x C-cell front light.
- Cheapie(c) rear red flasher so the cars know where to aim.
- Alu micro-adjust seatpost because the old-style one with bolts
in the sides ripped knicks, knicks that cost as much as the bike!
- Exage 300 brakes.. um, for stopping. Some of us stop at lights :)
- SPD/Flat pedals, off a 2nd-hand GT MTB I bought... tasty.
- The Rattler headset, makes lots of noise over bumps, must tighten.
hip a.k.a "bored"
Terry Collins
>
> Wondering what everyone commutes on?
My bike {:-)
> What features does your bike have that makes it different
> to your race bike/xc bike/dh bike/tourer etc?
I don't race, even downhill, but it is my xc/mtb/tourer/commuter
It is a Graecross Jackaroo, circa 1984 {:-).
Okay, I've replaced the triple and rear cassette to my liking.
> What mods are you proud of?
Battery and 50/20w headlight, with 20/6w tail light & 2x20W bush track
lights.
> What items have you fitted that make your ride faster
> or better or easier?
2.25" tyres. Campbelltown city Council has bloody awful foot paths (yep
I use them for 500 metres of very busy and badly lit road.) They also
have lips up to 3" on foot path thingos.
Started with front and rear racks for full paniers, plus handlebar bag,
for touring. Now pulling my second home built bob style trailer.
Wonderful for shopping, carrying the welding foreign order to TAFE, etc.
hint, do not ever give local kids rides in it(the request never end -
say pre school only {:-).
> hip a.k.a "bored"
obviously {:-)}}}}
--
Terry Collins {:-)}}} email: terryc at woa.com.au www:
http://www.woa.com.au
Wombat Outdoor Adventures <Bicycles, Computers, GIS, Printing,
Publishing>
"People without trees are like fish without clean water"
Lindsay Rowlands
: Wondering what everyone commutes on?
: What features does your bike have that makes it different
: to your race bike/xc bike/dh bike/tourer etc?
: What mods are you proud of?
: What items have you fitted that make your ride faster
: or better or easier?
- Gemini frame: cro-mo, bit heavier(!) than my Merida; nicely
compliant; has threaded derailleur mount on dropout.
- 700 bitsa wheels: 2-cross front wheel which I built myself
- GT seat; nicely comfy, even in work pants and undies
- barend shifters on drop bars - 6-speed
- Biopace 42/53 chainrings
- $10.00 Acme computer
- SPD road pedals - nice but minimal float
- best mod for commuting was fitting a MTB cassette with 28T sprocket
to climb up that unavoidable last 200m to my office
- Exage sport groupset
- proud of the front wheel and barends - originally had those fitted
to the ends of my own version of bullhorn bars.
Originally had a MTB commuter but ended up feeling disastisfied with
the gearing.
I'm planning on riding my fixed wheel bike to work on the next commute
ride: 76 gear inches and singles; brakes both ends; Look pedals - love
this bike but hate the downhills until I can get my cadence over 120rpm.
Cheerz,
Lynzz
hippy
news:3ED48173...@woa.com.au...
> Battery and 50/20w headlight, with 20/6w tail light & 2x20W bush track
> lights.
That's some serious lighting! Home-made, I assume?
Using a Fat Hippy design or your own?
I get all motivated to build some and then never quite get
around to doing it.. mmm 50w commuter :)
I think my commuter's lights are inadequate, especially
the fronts. I am currently looking for a VistaLite
Nightstick battery mount so that I can fit my 2 x 15W
VistaLights to it. The company is arguing with the
distributor or something, so no products are coming
in at the moment, unfortunately. :-(
hip
hippy
news:bb26l7$q99$1...@gruvel.une.edu.au...
> - 700 bitsa wheels: 2-cross front wheel which I built myself
Wheel building, something else I want to try but will most
likely never bother.. so lazy! :)
> - barend shifters on drop bars - 6-speed
These are kind of funky.. my race bike had these before I
bought the frame and had STI fitted. Much better than the
downtube shifters that I have on my commuter.
> - $10.00 Acme computer
Me: $100 bike w/ $600 Polar HRM :-)
> Originally had a MTB commuter but ended up feeling disastisfied with
> the gearing.
I did heaps of commuting on my slicked up, rigid mtb too. Even got to
the point of fitting panniers!
It has now lost its "don't scratch me I'm new" appeal and is in proper
MTB form with some serious knobbage on the tyres, suspension fork
re-installed, etc :-)
> I'm planning on riding my fixed wheel bike to work on the next commute
> ride: 76 gear inches and singles; brakes both ends; Look pedals - love
> this bike but hate the downhills until I can get my cadence over
120rpm.
This is something I want to try. I'm keen to try racing track but
chicken
when it comes to fixies so I want to build one and ride it around
"quietly"
before attempting the race thang.
When going down a big hill.. what do you do? Just brake if it gets going
too fast or can you control its speed with just your legs?
Thinking out loud: I could have two sets of wheels for my good mtb, one
for commuting and one for mtb'ing. This would free up my current roadie
commuter for a fixie conversion... hmm.. Is it possible to buy all the
parts
needed to do this or will I need to have some special tracks-ends?
welded
onto the frame?
hip
troyq
> Wondering what everyone commutes on? What features does your bike have
> that makes it different to your race bike/xc bike/dh bike/tourer etc?
> What mods are you proud of? What items have you fitted that make your
> ride faster or better or easier?
I ride a GT Pantera (97' i think) mtb and out of every bike i've ever
ridden, this one has that 'fit'. Literally everything on it has been
upgraded (or downgraded in the case of the forks which are now cro-mo
instead of suspended) except the frame which I hope never changes.
Put risers on not long ago and it definately adds 'cruise' to my
riding style.
I think the thing that makes all the difference though is slicks and
tyre liners. I would recommend both but more so the tyre liners to
anyone that doesnt already have them for commuting - they will save you
MUCH time.
--
>--------------------------<
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com
Andy Simpson
> Okay, I've replaced the triple and rear cassette to my liking.
>
> > What mods are you proud of?
>
> Battery and 50/20w headlight, with 20/6w tail light & 2x20W bush track
> lights.
What batteries do you need for all that ?
Andy
Shabby
so I took off the 53. People still ask whether I'm a junior, even though
I'm over 6 foot.
Purple (with chunks of aluminium showing through) with blue forks,
which were upgraded (?) after a unforseen adventure off a ten step
drop. (Which has subsequently been bollarded off due to public
liability issues of having a 96kg bloke go flying into a nearby cafe at
about 35km/h).
Polar s710i, becuase I only ride my other bike when I race, so I need
the data on training, not when I race.
Twin Smart lights with massive battery pack, which adds to my
climbing ability.
New shimano wheels, after destroying multiple hubs and rims.
Mismatching cranks (one side generic, one side RX100). Yes, I'm so
strong I broke my crank. (With a hacksaw because it's thread was
buggered and I needed to change the bottom bracket.)
Running gear: Rx100 brakes and RHS crank, Ultegra front derailleur
(which only gets used to stop the chain flying off anyway, seeings I
only ave one chainring). At one stage, it had every Shimano groupset
from Rx100 to DuraAce on it.
"It may be a piece of sh*t, but it's my piece of sh*t" - Cameron from
Ferris Bueller.
Lindsay Rowlands
: Thinking out loud: I could have two sets of wheels for my good mtb, one
: for commuting and one for mtb'ing. This would free up my current roadie
: commuter for a fixie conversion... hmm.. Is it possible to buy all the
: parts
: needed to do this or will I need to have some special tracks-ends?
: welded
: onto the frame?
An older road frame with (near) horizontal dropouts is all that's needed. I have
a Raleigh Flyer frame and fork hanging in the garage I'll give to you!
Here's what I did to make a fixed wheeler: used an old Sugino 65mm crankset and
hacksawed off the 52 rivetted-on steel chainring; got a 14T track rear sprocket
(1/8") and screwed it onto the freewheel hub - with serious amounts of loctite;
followed that with a BB lockring and ditto for the loctite. Use a chainwhip to
tighten the sprocket very tight and use whatever you have to tighten the
lockring seriously too.
I took some time adjusting the spacers and dishing on the rear wheel to get
perfect chainline. Bought a cheap BMX 1/8" chain for about $8 and was ready
to go. I fitted brakes back and front - don't let anyone tell you that you
don't need 'em. Oh, I swapped out the QR rear axle for a solid one and used
washers and nuts to keep the wheel in place. A cheapo 15mm spanner sits in
the seatpack for the inevitable roadside puncture repair - I'm running
singles so carry a spare tyre too.
I picked up some Look compatible Shimano pedals on eBay and had a package
raring to go.
Now, riding a fixie is very different to a typical roadie. You HAVE TO
pedal the whole ride, and if you forget and try to take a rest the bike
will just about push your knee through the top of your head - no jest.
Once adjusted to the eccentricities, riding a fixed wheel bike is a
spiritual experience. There's no gears to worry about so it's a matter
of keeping a good cadence you can manage on the flat, mashing up hills
and keeping your speed in check on the downhills - that's what the brakes
are for.
It's very easy to get to the point of feeling out of control going down
steeper hills and the brakes are the only thing that will save you. It
is possible to apply some back pressure on the pedals, but not when your
cadence is around 120rpm. The bike will try to spit you off if you can't
maintain pedal speed.
I've found that riding the fixie has improved my cadence, made me stronger
up hills and I tend to stay in the same gear longer on the roadie. Also
a 20k ride on a fixie feels like an intense 40k ride on the roadie.
I'm serious about the Raleigh. It's a 56cm c-c.
Cheerz,
Lynzz
hippy
news:3ed58...@news.chariot.net.au...
> I ride a GT Pantera (97' i think) mtb and out of every bike i've ever
I have a GT Talera.. dunno about the vintage though. Cro-mo, cantis,
7spd, nothing special but useful :).
> ridden, this one has that 'fit'. Literally everything on it has been
> upgraded (or downgraded in the case of the forks which are now cro-mo
> instead of suspended) except the frame which I hope never changes.
Get out your tape measure, pen, paper, etc and MEASURE IT!
If it's that good, you'll want to use those measurements for any
other bikes you buy, right? I'd write them down and use them
for a custom frame :)
> I think the thing that makes all the difference though is slicks and
> tyre liners. I would recommend both but more so the tyre liners to
> anyone that doesnt already have them for commuting - they will save you
> MUCH time.
When I was using my Avanti MTB4ROAD I had Vredestein S-Licks...
very fast! Single best upgrade you can make to an MTB commuter.
Are tyre liners for puncture protection? I ride next to a train line and
have
bike shops near work and home so it's not such an issue for me.
hip
NickZX6R
<snip>
> Are tyre liners for puncture protection? I ride next to a train line and
> have
> bike shops near work and home so it's not such an issue for me.
> hip
I'll probably anger the puncture gods by saying this, but
in the 15000kms or so that I've used tyre liners I've had
only three flats.
Two were from the same worn rim tape (several years ago)
and the last was only a couple of weeks ago. I never could find
the cause of that one but hte hole was right along the tube's seam
and the tube had been in that tyre since the tyre was new
about 4000kms ago.
So, I reckon they're a good investment. BTW, I only have a tyre liner
in the rear tyre.
--
Nick
Bah
>
> I'll probably anger the puncture gods by saying this, but
> in the 15000kms or so that I've used tyre liners I've had
> only three flats.
I can tell you all for free that conti avenue semislicks have about the
puncture resistance of hot cheese. They might be workable with liners
but I just swapped on some irc metro duros.
Bah.
Terry Collins
>
> "Terry Collins" <ter...@woa.com.au> wrote in message
> news:3ED48173...@woa.com.au...
> > Battery and 50/20w headlight, with 20/6w tail light & 2x20W bush track
> > lights.
>
> That's some serious lighting! Home-made, I assume?
> Using a Fat Hippy design or your own?
Home made and yes Fat Hippy & Moz are to blame {:-). What follows is a
bit long, but essentially gives the story.
I grew up on bottle generators, then purchased a Sturney Archer Hub,
then a Sanyo bottom bracket model. All intermingled with various
standard battery operated lights and piles of reflectors (1/2" - 8")
over the years.
I've also built a system for the generators that utilised full wave
rectification and rechargeable batteries (4xC), which was modified to
include a voltage doubler because I'm such a slow rider.
All these systems over the years can best be described as something to
help aware drivers see you and maybe you could identify what you were
about to hit. Anyway, I'm in my forties now and my eyesight is not as
good as it once was.
Last year, I decide to do some hobby studies at TAFE and broaden my
range of welding skills (thinking model live steam engines, bicycle
racks, bicycle trailers and maybe bicycle frames eventually). Thus, two
nights a week I am driving to TAFE and start thinking that I should be
going by bicycle, especially since I find a route that is largely off
road or back streets.
It only takes one trawl through the collection of old lights and
generators to realise that it is going to have to be a rechargeable
battery system. My initial lighting system was my old Union, Sanyo, etc
6v halogen lights from the generator days onto a very little gel 6v
battery a few years old. It is fiddly and not too reliable and quickly
reminds me of what I disliked about the old lights.
So whilst doing a bit internet research I come across Fat Hippy's and
Moz's pages and some others. Ok, I buy the towball cap and a couple of
halogens and think about putting it all together. Firstly I change tack
from the tow ball design and decide to build a metal box/cover around a
centre and side lights set up. Eventually I add a top light that is a
halogen car spot (hint dump the car globes as they are really 14v). So
that is how it all "evolved". All are individually switched - the switch
box is an evolving design atm.
The battery I am currently running is a 12v 18Amphour SLA from Jaycar,
with one of their "automatic plug pack chargers. It is weighty at 6kg,
but is economical and within budget. In fact, any one could buy a
smaller SLA and the automatic charger and be safe in fiddling with it,
so long as you understand how to wire a circuit.
I've used NiCads and other batteries over the years and recognise they
are lighter, but expensive for the same capacity and of limited life
span. Picky on discharge and recharge as well.
The SLA size is a compromise. Theoretically I should have a 60Amphour to
run 50W front and 20W rear. These are my really bright lights intended
for very busy roads with lots of cross lights from signs, etc. A 50W
also is good for up to 40Kms/hr on the darkest road with my bad
eyesight. On my commute, I only run this for 10 minutes max as I leave
TAFE, so I wasn't too worried about over extending the battery.
My normal lighting is the 20W front and 6W rear, which is just over the
C/10 rating of the SLA. (C is the Amphour rating) The front light is
good for me to 25kms/hr on dark roads and covers all the back streets
and grass fields I cover riding home.
The two x 20W side lights were intended for bush track riding. They are
angled off to give a broad pool of light for when I have weave and
dodge. They work a lot better than the single light.
The rear also has a 6 LED emergency flasher mounted on a plate that
bolts to the rack. Someone claimed that the flashing light attracts the
drivers attention, but the solid light is necessary for them to judge
the distance. So, I have them both. It really is cheap insurance and a
hell of a lot cheaper than medical bills. Also, I ride with a white Bell
helment and reflective vest.
Okay, this battery is weighty, especially when I'm also pulling one of
my home built bob style trailers, but it can handle everything at once
and it is quite good for training, i.e I zoom along when I take it off
{:-).
Future plans are to build my own led lights, which should lighten the
battery load. I'm also interested in the Luxeon (?) 50W & 32W led lights
mentioned is Silicon Chip magazine recently.
It is unlikely I will ever get a lighter battery, as I want to start
taking along a GPS enable laptop for detailed route logging on my day
rides.
Someday, this will get onto my www pages complete with the photos.
Chester1
forks. It started life with a coaster brake, then I fitted a five speed
cluster with friction levers, and now it has a 7 speed with indexed
downtube levers..doesn't change perfectly but it works ok.
It has aluminium rims (27 x 1 1/4) and non stainless spokes that are so
old now they are beginning to break..I have replaced 3 so far in the
back wheel. The group set is a mixture of Exchage, RX100 and RSX mainly,
along with a few nameless bits. K Mart tyres with thick treads (at least
they look thick) which makes it good for the bumps, gutters, glass and
potholes on the way to work. I have Mr Tuffys inside the tyres for extra
protection against punctures. I use SPD pedals. The headlight and
tailight are Cateye (halogen on the front and an old but bright 3 LED
number on the back).
So its big, old and heavy, (but then I'm big, old and heavy too). I keep
the maintenance up to it, so it is well suited for the rough sort of
ride to work and home again..short but furious. I'm really rather
attached to it, and hope to keep it going for some years yet.
Suzy Jackson
news:3ed8a...@news.chariot.net.au...
> My commuter is 21 years old, the only original parts being the frame and
> forks. It started life with a coaster brake, then I fitted a five speed
> cluster with friction levers, and now it has a 7 speed with indexed
> downtube levers..doesn't change perfectly but it works ok.
Reminds me of the story of the axe...
My commuter (which I also race on) started life sixteen years ago as a 10
speed Avanti strada, which my parents bought for me second hand. This was a
cheap lugged steel bike, with no-name components and chromed steel (yuck!)
27" rims.
One of the first upgrades I made to it was to fit downtube levers in place
of the original stem mounted levers. I used the original Shimano 105 ones.
I also fitted a matching 105 front and rear derailleur. Next I bought a
cheap SR alloy stem and Suntour alloy cranks.
After a year or so, the back wheel packed it in, so I built a new wheel with
a Suntour hub and Nisi rim. This was the first wheel I ever made. I laced
it 36 x four cross because the book I had on wheel building (De la Rosa and
Kolin) said that was the way you were supposed to do it.
Unfortunately that wheel didn't last very long. Just a few months later, I
snapped the frame. I went bikeless for a few months, while I saved up for a
"decent" frame. I chose a Tange-2 lugged steel frame this time, and
transferred all my parts to it. The wheels wouldn't fit (being 27" rather
than 700c) so I built a new set with Mavic MA4 rims and my first ever Campy
parts, a pair of Athena hubs. These ones were laced 36 x 3 cross, with DT
double butted spokes.
Over the next few years, I replaced most of the other components, mainly
with newer Shimano 600 and 105, or with Campy Athena. The old bars went in
favour of a set of Cinelli "Giro de Italia" bars, and a matching Cinelli XA
stem, and I found some 105 aero brake levers cheap at a bike shop. The
gearing went from the original five speed, to six (when I bought the new
frame) to seven speeds, and I even went indexed with a pair of 600 levers.
I also got into racing a bit, and found a pair of single rims, which I laced
28 x 2 cross to Suntour superb hubs with aero spokes. At much the same
time, I bought a pair of Open 4 CD rims to lace up as general purpose
wheels.
More recently I was looking in a bike shop, and noticed they had a pair of
eight speed Campy Chorus hubs on sale. I already had a set of rims that
would suit at home, so I snapped them up, and laced up a pair of wheels with
my Open 4 CD rims and these new Chorus hubs, laced 32 x 3 cross with DT
double butted spokes. I found out pretty quickly that eight speed had been
discontinued by Campy, and the cassettes were a tad hard to find, so I
ordered a nine speed freehub assembly to go on the hub (there goes the
saving!) and put a nine speed cassette on. I ran my old seven speed levers
in friction mode with this wheel for about a fortnight before swapping the
derailleurs to Campy Chorus, and buying a pair of Record nine speed
down-tube levers to index with the new nine speed cassette.
Now being built in the late eighties, and also being built when I was a
teenager, and everyone thought I was still growing, the frame was always too
big for me. A couple of years ago I rectified this by buying a third frame.
This one is my current frame; a Colnago Dream Plus. Of course my old
headset and bottom bracket wouldn't fit on this, it being threadless and
Italian, and nor would the stem and seatpost. I was a bit annoyed to find
that they'd also quietly changed the diameter of handlebars in the
intervening period, so had to get new handlebars. This time I went for a
Record bottom bracket (it was on sale), Chorus headset, Chorus seatpost, ITM
millennium stem, and ITM "pro 260" bars. There were no mounts for my lovely
downtube levers, so I splurged and went ergo, with a set of Record ergos
(pre carbon) which I picked up for a song.
Since then I've continued to replace bits, either as they wear out, as they
break, but mainly when I see something in a bike shop that I simply must
have. The brake callipers went fairly quickly, replaced by Campy Chorus
differential ones, and more recently I replaced the bars (bent in a crash)
with Deda ones, and the seatpost with a pretty carbon fibre Record one.
People give me funny looks when I refer to my Colnago race bike as a "bitsa"
but in reality that's what it is. Just nice bits.
Now I'm looking at building another set of wheels, with Chorus or Record
hubs and Open pro rims, that I can set aside for racing only, so I don't
wear out those expensive racing tyres quite so quickly by commuting on them.
In the meantime I rebuilt my old Tange frame bike with my old seven speed
wheels and derailleurs, with the intention of commuting on that. Of course
I don't, and it sits idle in my garage while I ride my race bike to work. I
can't bear to part with it though, as it has far more sentimental value than
the couple of hundred dollars someone would pay for it.
I really hate to think how much money I've passed over the counter of the
various bike shops I've frequented over the last couple of decades.
Regards,
Suzy
--
---
Suzy Jackson su...@bigpond.com http://www.suzyj.net
John Stevenson
> Wondering what everyone commutes on?
My all-time favourite commuting bike was stolen from outside a pub in
Leeds in about 1987.
It was a Raleigh 531 frame and fork in almost-but-not-quite-racing-bike
geometry with cantilever brakes added and enough space for mudguards and
fairly fat tyres.
It had a front low-rider pannier rack, and best of all, it had a
Sturmey-Archer three-speed *fixed* hub gear, a rare and wonderful piece
of kit that SA long ago stopped making because only a few loonies
understood the point of them (and because they were finicky things with
a tendency to find neutral gears where there should be none).
Oh, and it was painted a really tasteless piggy pink powdercoat that you
didn't have to get very close to see the red and white pigments in.
hippy
> An older road frame with (near) horizontal dropouts is all that's needed.
I have
> a Raleigh Flyer frame and fork hanging in the garage I'll give to you!
That's very generous of you. :-)
> Here's what I did to make a fixed wheeler: used an old Sugino 65mm
crankset and
Is the 65mm crankset important or is that just 'your' size?
> hacksawed off the 52 rivetted-on steel chainring; got a 14T track rear
sprocket
> (1/8") and screwed it onto the freewheel hub - with serious amounts of
loctite;
> followed that with a BB lockring and ditto for the loctite. Use a
chainwhip to
> tighten the sprocket very tight and use whatever you have to tighten the
> lockring seriously too.
Is that 14T track sprocket the same as a BMX sprocket?
How did you decide the gear ratio?
What is the reason for the BB lockring - just another level of
protection to stop the sprocket coming loose?
> I took some time adjusting the spacers and dishing on the rear wheel to
get
> perfect chainline. Bought a cheap BMX 1/8" chain for about $8 and was
ready
Is it really necessary to mess with the dishing? Could I simply space the
sprocket
in/out or will this not leave enough thread for the sprocket to hold on to?
> Now, riding a fixie is very different to a typical roadie. You HAVE TO
> pedal the whole ride, and if you forget and try to take a rest the bike
> will just about push your knee through the top of your head - no jest.
hmm sounds like fun... not! ;-)
> It's very easy to get to the point of feeling out of control going down
> steeper hills and the brakes are the only thing that will save you. It
> is possible to apply some back pressure on the pedals, but not when your
> cadence is around 120rpm. The bike will try to spit you off if you can't
> maintain pedal speed.
Hmm, if/when I get one of these built, it'll be a good test of my spinning
ability!
> I'm serious about the Raleigh. It's a 56cm c-c.
Hey, that's my size too! :-)
Do you live in/near Melbourne?
Cheers for that... fixie and home-made lights will be built before I die, I
promise ;-)
hip
SteppenW
upgrade) rather than revolution (open the wallet and spend).
You've inspired me to attempt to build my first set of wheels. Well, they
won't be any >less< straight than my current pair of potato-crisps.
As for commuting? How unlucky can you be - I work 500m from home. Then
again, I get to ride the trails at lunchtime, so it all works out in the
end.