The joy of old/knackered bikes.
Discussion
Odd how the little unexpected things can sometimes been more enjoyable that the pre-planned major stuff.
I'll explain: About a month ago I took my CycleScheme voucher and splurged £1200 on my Cube Agree GTC. Carbon frame, 105 gearset and acres of lovelyness. Spent many a time wobbling around getting used to the SPD-SL's, lightening speed and featherweight handling. I think it's marvellous.
Thing is, whilst it's great for a Sunday ride, it's also completely useless for nipping to the shops, popping around a friends, going to the beach. I have to strap on my "special" shoes, you can't really wear a pair of jeans (you need the whole Tour-Of-Britain get-up) and it's far to shiney to lean against a lamppost and waaay too nickable to leave at the railway station. Besides I'd have to buy a gazzillion £ lock to make it secure enough.
So I was at the local tip on Sunday, and they have a YMCA place that accepts 2nd hand stuff. Outside, hiding underneath a childs bike and a 4 wheel old persons shopping trolley was a beige bike-like-object. Asked the man - how much? Ten pounds was the unexpected reply.
Ten pounds? Sold. Didn't even look to see what it was, it had 2 flat tyres, a very rusty chain and generally unloved. So I arrived with a pile of hedge clippings and left with a bike. Result.
When I got home I set to. So what had I bought? Well underneath the dirt it's a Kona Dew. Didn't mean much to me, but I recognised the brand. Its been modified over the years (I'm guessing at 2004 vintage) and has a prestige Bikehut seatpost and seat (nice
), unbranded front brake and Mavic front rim. Rims are 700c with Schwalbe marathon tyres. Someone has added some nice alloy 1/2 length mudguards. Apart from that it's the same as this: http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?...
But the best thing? I pumped up the tyres, sprayed it liberally with some oil and went out. Met some friends at the beach, sitting there with my new sh*tter bike propped near the bench having a beer. No issues with what to wear or fancy shoes. No problems with skipping over kerbs, no worrying about scratching the frame. In fact it was biking at its most basic.
And I love it. I had more fun on my £10 bike in one ride than my spangly carbon fibre jobbie over the last month.
Assume its not just me that seems to have forgotten how enjoyable a bike is when its just a means of getting from A-B?
(for the record, and to maintain the bike+1 rule, this is bike 3, as I have the same problem with my Spez Hardrock - its too nice to leave in random locations)
I'll explain: About a month ago I took my CycleScheme voucher and splurged £1200 on my Cube Agree GTC. Carbon frame, 105 gearset and acres of lovelyness. Spent many a time wobbling around getting used to the SPD-SL's, lightening speed and featherweight handling. I think it's marvellous.
Thing is, whilst it's great for a Sunday ride, it's also completely useless for nipping to the shops, popping around a friends, going to the beach. I have to strap on my "special" shoes, you can't really wear a pair of jeans (you need the whole Tour-Of-Britain get-up) and it's far to shiney to lean against a lamppost and waaay too nickable to leave at the railway station. Besides I'd have to buy a gazzillion £ lock to make it secure enough.
So I was at the local tip on Sunday, and they have a YMCA place that accepts 2nd hand stuff. Outside, hiding underneath a childs bike and a 4 wheel old persons shopping trolley was a beige bike-like-object. Asked the man - how much? Ten pounds was the unexpected reply.
Ten pounds? Sold. Didn't even look to see what it was, it had 2 flat tyres, a very rusty chain and generally unloved. So I arrived with a pile of hedge clippings and left with a bike. Result.
When I got home I set to. So what had I bought? Well underneath the dirt it's a Kona Dew. Didn't mean much to me, but I recognised the brand. Its been modified over the years (I'm guessing at 2004 vintage) and has a prestige Bikehut seatpost and seat (nice
), unbranded front brake and Mavic front rim. Rims are 700c with Schwalbe marathon tyres. Someone has added some nice alloy 1/2 length mudguards. Apart from that it's the same as this: http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?...But the best thing? I pumped up the tyres, sprayed it liberally with some oil and went out. Met some friends at the beach, sitting there with my new sh*tter bike propped near the bench having a beer. No issues with what to wear or fancy shoes. No problems with skipping over kerbs, no worrying about scratching the frame. In fact it was biking at its most basic.
And I love it. I had more fun on my £10 bike in one ride than my spangly carbon fibre jobbie over the last month.
Assume its not just me that seems to have forgotten how enjoyable a bike is when its just a means of getting from A-B?
(for the record, and to maintain the bike+1 rule, this is bike 3, as I have the same problem with my Spez Hardrock - its too nice to leave in random locations)
I've done the same recently. I bought this from eBay for £10.51, Giant Boulder Alu in 6061 Ali.
I managed to get a free set of old wheels (they run true but the bearings are a bit shot) including reasonable tyres and inner tubes from my LBS, had to buy a seat post and clamp (on its way), but other than that it's ready to go. I have an old Halfrauds Apollo Slammer which I've taken the brakes from as they were better (can you believe it?), so in reality I'm now up to 4 bikes but the slammer will either go on eBay for 99p or to the local tip (minus the wheels and salvageable spares).
This will be my 'work' hack and live in the bike shed in all elements!
I managed to get a free set of old wheels (they run true but the bearings are a bit shot) including reasonable tyres and inner tubes from my LBS, had to buy a seat post and clamp (on its way), but other than that it's ready to go. I have an old Halfrauds Apollo Slammer which I've taken the brakes from as they were better (can you believe it?), so in reality I'm now up to 4 bikes but the slammer will either go on eBay for 99p or to the local tip (minus the wheels and salvageable spares).
This will be my 'work' hack and live in the bike shed in all elements!
Well it's finally built up and ready to go. Total cost was:
£10.51 - Bike Frame
£ 6.79 - Seat post
£ 4.49 - Seat Clamp
£Free - wheels
Total - £21.79
Everything else was cobbled together from other old bits of bikes I had or from my old and now redundant Apollo Slammer.
The wheel and BB bearings aren't the best but as it's only going to be my 'at work' snotter for getting around the various sites, I'm not too worried. I have a proper MTB and Road bike for 'serious biking'.
Click for bigger picture.
£10.51 - Bike Frame
£ 6.79 - Seat post
£ 4.49 - Seat Clamp
£Free - wheels
Total - £21.79
Everything else was cobbled together from other old bits of bikes I had or from my old and now redundant Apollo Slammer.
The wheel and BB bearings aren't the best but as it's only going to be my 'at work' snotter for getting around the various sites, I'm not too worried. I have a proper MTB and Road bike for 'serious biking'.
Click for bigger picture.Couldn't agree more. After a couple of months commuting on my CAAD8 I was loving it, but missing the 'freedom' part. Took my old hybrid out into the forest, just to explore... No route planned, no GPS running, no timing, no lycra, no silly shoes. Just bimbling about, enjoying riding. Brilliant.
And to top it off, next time I got on the CAAD8 I appreciated how goddamn fast it is so much more
And to top it off, next time I got on the CAAD8 I appreciated how goddamn fast it is so much more
Yup. Fully agree.
I found a frame fly tipped in a ditch. I had been badly resprayes and had "Condor" embossed on the seat stays which didn't mean much to me at the time.
I decided to turn it into a fixie, and after much deliberation over chain line, choosing a pearlescent enamel re-paint and wanting to re-use as many bits as possible, I built this:
It's been nicked now, of course, but I got a good 6 years out of it and it was lovely. Look at the Campagnolo Nuevo Record on that....
And this was my dads old commuting bike before he got ill. I reclaimed it and put on a set of bling wheels I had around, and some LX shifters. Runs lovely now for the other half of my daily commute.
Phwoar, XT Parallel push circa 2000!
I found a frame fly tipped in a ditch. I had been badly resprayes and had "Condor" embossed on the seat stays which didn't mean much to me at the time.
I decided to turn it into a fixie, and after much deliberation over chain line, choosing a pearlescent enamel re-paint and wanting to re-use as many bits as possible, I built this:
It's been nicked now, of course, but I got a good 6 years out of it and it was lovely. Look at the Campagnolo Nuevo Record on that....
And this was my dads old commuting bike before he got ill. I reclaimed it and put on a set of bling wheels I had around, and some LX shifters. Runs lovely now for the other half of my daily commute.
Phwoar, XT Parallel push circa 2000!
When I bought my first house, there was a lot to tidy up. At some point I ventured behind the garage and found this rusty, blue bike-shaped-object.
Once upon a time it had a rear derailuer but that was long gone and it had been codged into ghetto singlespeed. The brakes were barely perfunctory if you went very slowly and only on flat ground and, worst of all, the handlebar clamp on the stem was fecked, so you had to get the knack of holding the (swept) bars up level - tricky when negotiating kerbs.
This absolute beater of a bike was used for several years as my beer scooter. I'd arrive at the local and dismount, sending the bike in the general direction of the wall and when I came out a few hours later, it had never been nicked. Surprisingly.
On one occasion, returning home, it withstood the not inconsiderable impact of colliding with a tree stump on my front lawn. Both bike and rider were fine, although the noise disturbed the adjoining neighbour who looked out to see what was going on and saw me passed out, fast asleep on the grass. Happy days.
Once upon a time it had a rear derailuer but that was long gone and it had been codged into ghetto singlespeed. The brakes were barely perfunctory if you went very slowly and only on flat ground and, worst of all, the handlebar clamp on the stem was fecked, so you had to get the knack of holding the (swept) bars up level - tricky when negotiating kerbs.
This absolute beater of a bike was used for several years as my beer scooter. I'd arrive at the local and dismount, sending the bike in the general direction of the wall and when I came out a few hours later, it had never been nicked. Surprisingly.
On one occasion, returning home, it withstood the not inconsiderable impact of colliding with a tree stump on my front lawn. Both bike and rider were fine, although the noise disturbed the adjoining neighbour who looked out to see what was going on and saw me passed out, fast asleep on the grass. Happy days.
thankfully i lost the auction for the rockhopper, looked shagged to be honest with plenty of corrosion on the frame and a lot of knackered bits. had already htought of a strip and repaint over the winter for something to do but glad it is in someone elses hands after all.
saracen is a giggle, bought to take into town and blend in with the other stuff that attracts little attention from thieving scrotes. heavy as sin though and the wheels arent too great but its a hack and that sthe whole point of them.... must not upgrade.... must not upgrade....
saracen is a giggle, bought to take into town and blend in with the other stuff that attracts little attention from thieving scrotes. heavy as sin though and the wheels arent too great but its a hack and that sthe whole point of them.... must not upgrade.... must not upgrade....
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