Great blog- I'm happy to see people glorifying repurposed bikes and parts. Like Angus said, there are many bicycles already in existence which, with a little attention and modification, are better suited to many riders' and potential riders' needs and budgets than the majority of new bikes for sale in bike shops and department stores. The problem is simply that people are unwilling or unable to make the necessary adjustments, despite the beautiful simplicity of the bicycle and the many resources available.
I've only bought one new bike- the rest of mine are salvaged and cobbled together to my liking.
My Schwinn World
Sport has more miles on it than any bike I've owned. The 4130 frame is in great
shape; I sanded off all the surface rust when I acquired the frame and sprayed
it with a two-part hardening clear coat paint. I fitted the frame with Mavic
Cosmos wheels and jumbled together old Shimano 105, 600, and ultegra parts to
make up the drivetrain. All parts on the bike, aside from the brake calipers,
cassette, and 6700 bar-ends, were bought used at the Iowa
City Bike Library. Here's the result:
 |
| All photos credit Peter Szabo |
I've commuted on
this bike since 2009, ridden it on many miles of rural Iowa gravel roads, and
taken it on its share of centuries.
My Trek 520 has
been my new bike of choice for long rides, gravel, trail, and the occasional
commute. It doesn't feel as fast as the World Sport does, but on calm days I
manage an average speed of around 18 mph on ~50 mile rides. Here it is in Des
Moines:
This bike has been
wonderful so far, and there is much I look forward to adding to it.
A year ago as I was
preparing to move out of my apartment, I looked at my spare parts and thought
that “there must be at least a full bike’s worth of parts there.”
I bought the clean
white housing and the rear brake cable, but nearly everything else was just
waiting to be put to use. I rode it a handful of times this past summer, but
not enough to warrant keeping it around. I will probably sell it in the spring.
Last week, I found
a Univega frame at Working Bikes. You can guess why I've decided to
sell the Raleigh. I built the Univega up as a beater cyclocross bike, but it is
still awaiting a wheelset. It's pictured with the wheels from the 520. I
haven't decided if I will race this season, but if I do, all I'll need is a set
of appropriate tires:
The build was fun
for a few reasons. The trickiest part
was putting together cantilever brakes that would reach from the 26” wheel
positioned posts to the rims of the 700c wheels. Here’s how it turned out:
They were both
finds in a spare parts drawer, and the springs needed to be replaced in order
to suit the position of the arms. The
other wonky thing about this bike is the chain guide. I wanted to make this bike a 1x9 because I
didn’t want to buy a front derailleur, so this is how I’ve kept the chain on
its ring so far:
It's parts from a
reflector bracket, and so far the chain has not slipped from the front ring.
I'll still be cautious while riding, but I've been pretty rigorous with it so
far.
Among a few other
things, I can’t decide what color I want to paint the frame (or whether to
paint it at all). I’ve considered olive
green with tan Big Bens and slate blue with gray cruiser tires, but right now
the bike mostly still looks like that.
Feel free to offer advice!
These two are from
the Schwinn in the field and the train:
The time I
transported my ladder with my b.o.b. trailer and a skateboard:
The four mile trip went... without a hitch... :/
2 comments:
where did u buy the cantilever adjuster?
Shay- I'm not sure what you are referring to as the cantilever adjuster. If you are asking about the brakes on the 1x9 Univega, I rummaged through a brake parts drawer at my LBS and found parts that allowed the brake pads to reach the 700c braking surface from the 26er canti posts. I lucked out and have not realized a need for a travel agent or any other adapter. I've probably put at least 250 miles on the bike and I love the way it rides.
If that didn't answer your question, feel free to clarify.
Post a Comment