My main bike, which I think might get replaced soon, is a Marin Larkspur

It has a long aluminum frame that is too rigid & it feels like you are pulling a trailer when riding in grass.

 

 

      FRAME

    * Tubing: 7005 Series Double Butted Aluminum with Edge Top and Down Tubes

    * Fork: Cromoly Rigid Fork

    * Headset: Double Sealed 1-1/8" Threaded

 

      DRIVE TRAIN

    * Shifters: Shimano Acera

    * Front Derailleur: Nexave C-100

    * Rear Derailleur: Shimano Acera

    * Cassette: 8 speed 11-32

    * Chain: IG 31

    * Crankset: Suntour CR-410 48/38/28

    * Bottom Bracket: Cartridge Sealed

    * Brakes: Forged Alloy Linear Pull Power Modulator

    * Brake Levers: Integrated with Shifters

 

      WHEELS

    * Rear Hub: Alloy Double Sealed 36 Hole

    * Front Hub: Alloy Double Sealed 36 Hole

    * Rims: Alex TA-19, 700c 36 Hole, Double Wall CNC Side Walls

    * Spokes: 14 guage Stainless

    * Tires: 700x 35c City Tread

 

      SADDLE / BAR / STEM / PEDALS

    * Saddle: WTB Comfort V, with Love Channel and Comfort Zone

    * Seat Post: InSync Bum Suspension

    * Handlebar: Double Butted Alloy 1" Rise

    * Stem: Forged Alloy 30 Degree Rise

    * Grips: Dual Density

    * Pedals: Composite

2001 Bianchi Eros--a splendid steel ride with those Campagnolo Ergopower shifters and a zero-flex rear triangle.

 

This picture is the year 2000 model.  Believe it or not, I waited until the next model year because I did not like the color.  I got the 2001 in celeste which is Bianchi's signature color and, by legend, is the color of the Queen of Italy's eyes.  Actually, it looks like Deanna's cat's eyes.

 

This bicycle had similar geometry to the Nashbar bicycle that I bought on price in the 1980s, but its optimized frame tubing and light weight wheels and components put it way out ahead of the Nashbar 200ETS.  The benefit of the zero flex frame is that no energy is lost in pedaling and I could tell that I had more endurance and speed when I switched to this bicycle.

 

This bicycle has an incredibly comfortable riding position up on those Campy brake/shifter hoods.  The Shimano-equipped bicycles I rode were unsatisfactory, so I went Italian.  With Campy, though, you get race bicycle gearing, which means the lowest gearing is 30t in front and 26t in back.  After an off season due to an overtraining injury, I changed those for a 28t front and 28t rear so that I could handle those humbling 16% grades in the valleys of the Portage Escarpment.  The Campy setup prohibits me from making the gearing any lower.

 

My only laments are that the headset failed in about 1200 miles and the paint job does not compare with my Trek.  It scratched easily, especially in the first season while the paint was still curing.  It has a lot of "crazing" lines in it now.

 

I probably have 2700 miles on it.  With 28mm tyres, I have found it to perform well on very-nicely-tended rail trails like Pine Creek Trail in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania.  The modern Eros comes with a carbon fork and a "threadless" headset.  I would buy it again.

 

 

 

I ride a big blue bike that says 'univega' an the side. I call her the 'univega.' I got it from an aunt as a freebee and I love it to death.

My bike is some craptastic thing that occasionally gets me to places in between walking and driving distance from home.  That is, if it still exists... I last locked it up outside my building in November and keep forgetting about it!

I'm pretty sure I've posted these somewhere before, but here goes again. This is my city bike; distances aren't great and there are no hills here, and this works just fine. It's a Raleigh DL-1, a model developed for English policemen and postmen in the 1930s. This one is more than 30 years old; it has a 24-inch frame, 28x1 1/2-inch wheels, Sturmey-Archer AW 3-speed hub, rod brakes, a long wheelbase and low frame angles. It's very stable and rides comfortably on bricks and rough pavement. Although it weighs 34 pounds, it rolls pretty nicely.

 

This bike looks like crap, but I keep it in good mechanical condition and well-lubricated; last year I gave it a new set of tires. It's unattractive to casual thieves, but I lock it up just the same.

 

 

 

 

I have a '94 Redline Proline BMX racebike. It's got a number plate, pads -- the whole bit. A BMX's simplicity makes a great way to get around locally. Obviously, it sucks ass if you go more than 10 miles.

It's a Raleigh DL-1, a model developed for English policemen and postmen in the 1930s. This one is more than 30 years old; it has a 24-inch frame, 28x1 1/2-inch wheels, Sturmey-Archer AW 3-speed hub, rod brakes, a long wheelbase and low frame angles.

With the chainring with the geese in the chromed stamping.  That is very quaint and gives the bike character!  I did not know that rod brakes could be done on the rear wheel.  Apparently, a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub cannot incorporate a coaster brake.  My brother had a 2-speed bicycle that you would just "tap lightly" in reverse to shift gears.  If you reversed the pedals hard, it stopped like a Bendix coaster brake.   

 

With that significant rake of the front fork, your bicycle must handle bumps very well.

With the chainring with the geese in the chromed stamping.  That is very quaint and gives the bike character!  I did not know that rod brakes could be done on the rear wheel.  Apparently, a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub cannot incorporate a coaster brake.  My brother had a 2-speed bicycle that you would just "tap lightly" in reverse to shift gears.  If you reversed the pedals hard, it stopped like a Bendix coaster brake.   

 

With that significant rake of the front fork, your bicycle must handle bumps very well.

 

< :speech: >

The "geese" are actually herons, the Raleigh Logo. There's a tag in the shape of a heron on the stem, mostly obscured by the brake rods, and a similar decal on the seat post.

 

Sturmey-Archer made hubs in a variety of configurations; There was a four-speed that shifted with a cable just like the three-speed, and a five-speed that had a cable going into each end. It was all done with constant-mesh planetary gear sets and overrunning clutches (ratchets), and power was routed through them via different paths by means of clutches. Low gear is a reduction, middle gear is direct-drive, and high gear is a step-up. In high gear sometimes you can hear the overrunning clutch clicking, and it makes a whirring sound when you coast. I've taken apart both three-speed and four-speed hubs (and put them back together successfully) and the mechanism is quite clever.

 

I think there was a 3-speed with a built-in coaster brake, and I know there was a model with an internal-expanding drum brake, that could be used with a front hub that also incorporated a drum brake. They could be used with either rod- or cable-connected setups.

 

Sturmey-Archer also made a Dynohub, a generator hub with the armature fixed to the axle and a powerful segmented permanent magnet ring in the rotating portion of the hub. It was frictionless and absolutely quiet, and didn't consume any power unless the light was turned on. The Dynohub was available either as a front hub or in combination with the 3-speed rear hub. An optional gadget with the dynohob was a three-cell battery holder with a rectifier. It mounted on the seat post and kept the lights on when you stopped at a stop light or stop sign.

 

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. There was also a light-weight close-ratio 3-speed hub that was used on the Raleigh Record Ace, an aluminum-framed racing bike. My older cousin had one when I was a teenager and I lusted for it mightily but never got to ride it.

 

There are still some of the old English-built Raleighs around, pre-Raleigh USA. You can spot them by the heron logo and the complex crown rolled into the wheel rims. They're a better bike than the Raleigh USA, and I've seen several in bike racks around the University of Chicago campus. Rudge and Robin Hood were also made by Raleigh and are very similar, and another good find is the authentic Hercules built in Birmingham, England. It's a whole different bike from the one built under license in the USA by AMC and sold in discount stores in the fifties and sixties. It has a lugged frame and uses a hub that is branded Hercules but looks like a Sturmey-Archer. The US-built knockoff uses an early Shimano hub that is badly engineered, prone to failure and no longer repairable.

</ :speech: >

I have an unknown road bike I purchased for $10. I repaired it then repainted it and now its in great condition.

 

For mountain biking, I have a hard-tail Giant Rainer. I prefer hard-tails to full-suspensions personally.

check out how fast i go

 

Born to be wild!

 

The Pope, ClvLndr and I have the biggest ride!  HA!  :mrgreen:

 

Rob...That picture can't be any cuter!  Its adorable!!

Any opinions on Trek v Giant ?

I am currently looking at the Trek 1000 & the Giant OCR 3

Any opinions on Trek v Giant ?  I am currently looking at the Trek 1000 & the Giant OCR 3

My mountain bike is a Trek 930FS -FS.  "Minus FS" means that I replaced the suspension fork with a rigid fork. (That's my project bike--I am going to have to write it up).  I would definitely buy another Trek.  That bicycle has an excellent paint job.  I have dropped it a few times and the worst I have seen is that I scratched a decal.  I wish I could say that about my Bianchi. I have good impressions of Giant.  I think my '89 Nashbar was actually made in the Giant plant in Taiwan where they make a huge number of frames for many makes. 

I've always been a Giant fan, but my friend rides Trek road bikes often and never has any problems with it. It's probably comparing apples versus apples.

Here's what I've got.

 

 

It's a pretty decent bike considering I didn't want to drop 4 figures for a bike yet.

Okay, so basically that bike was crap. It broke... I got rid of it and bought this one. They're building it now and it should be ready tomorrow. I'm so excited!

 

You broke it ?

:-)

Where are you getting this new bike ?

Yeah, I broke it. Part of rear gear stuff broke. Sorry, not a technical term there—I'm too new at biking to know everything's proper name. But I got the new bike at the Trek store up in West Chester. I was actually able to pick it up yesterday. I took it on a nice hilly ride for about an hour. That kicked my butt.

Thanks, I was thinking of going to the same place & getting, I think, the same bike.

Toyota Matrix ;)

 

Speaking of which, do you see much of those in Cincy? I know there are a lot of them in Cleveland, but Toyota doesn't sell them in the southern US because "they love their trucks and SUVs".

I need a bike.  I am 6'0" tall, what size bike is right for me?

i drive a rental car about twice a year, which sucks monitarily because i have to buy the insurance as i don't have car insurance.

 

otherwise, i usually ride the "iron pony"

 

or a big bendy bus (coming soon to a euclid avenue near you)

I need a bike.  I am 6'0" tall, what size bike is right for me?

 

An old guy's opinions:

 

That question doesn't have a standard answer, because different people are proportioned differently. I'm only a little over 5' 10" but I'm comfortable on a 24- or 25-inch frame because I'm long-legged for my height. I know other people taller than I am who have to stretch to reach the pedals on my bikes.

 

The best way to pick the proper frame size is to go to a good bike shop and have a capable salesperson help you find the best fit. You need to check out both the frame size and the reach to the handlebars when you're in a riding position, to avoid back, neck and shoulder discomfort.

 

Bike configurations differ greatly according to their intended use, and the only real way to tell what you like is a test ride. If you plan to ride on city streets and paved roadways, you'll find that the fatter the tire, the more energy it takes to maintain a given speed. Generally, I go for the simplest, lightest bike that will serve my purpose.

 

Don't buy discount store bikes from the likes of Wal-Mart. They're usually poorly made, sometimes with components that don't even match up right, and often assembled by people who don't know a pipe wrench from a sledgehammer. You always pay for everything you get (but you don't always get everything you pay for).

Yeah, Rob's dead on with his answer on bike size. I'm 5'11" or just a touch more and ride a 56 cm but having someone at a local bike store help you with that is the best way to go.

I don't have an actual photo of mine, but its pretty damn close to this- a '65 Vespa. I've been seeing tons of scooters around the City as of late.

 

Toyota Matrix ;)

 

Speaking of which, do you see much of those in Cincy? I know there are a lot of them in Cleveland, but Toyota doesn't sell them in the southern US because "they love their trucks and SUVs".

 

hey I have one of those too!!

I've been dying to get a Vespa. Well, any scooter would really do as long as it still had the classic old school scooter look.

A bike, its a black mountian bike, not to amazing.

Dont have any pictures, or anything.

^well of course you cant go wrong with a brand spankin new scoot!- I'd recommend the Vespa PX150- still has that vintage look and requires shifting like the old bikes- IMHO a twist n' go just isnt that exciting. Also, if you do buy a brand new Vespa it will last forever.

Ok... I'm thinking about getting a bike. I live around UC and need something inexpensive... can I get a decent, dependable bike for under $200? If so, where. I haven't begun looking yet...

Pretty good question...the bike shop on McMillan is really expensive. Apparently department store bikes aren't so good. Theres a shop on Smith Rd. in Norwood thats probably pretty inexpensive. I went in there a few times...they had a lot of used bikes. I found a shorter bus route.. the 24 from Short Vine to observatory...much quicker than taking the 51 so Im holding off on getting a bike.

Ok... I'm thinking about getting a bike. I live around UC and need something inexpensive... can I get a decent, dependable bike for under $200? If so, where. I haven't begun looking yet...

Offhand, I would say no

you might drop these guys a line.

http://www.myspace.com/mobobicyclecoop

The Cinti Cycle Club has classifieds, too

http://www.cincinnaticycleclub.org/

2003 Specialized road bike. It's deep blue and it's my baby :)

2001 specialized fsr-xc, more or less stock drivetrain wise, mostly shimano deore xt, brakes are all various avid bits and pieces. i've replaced with handlebars, seat/seatpost, etc with lighter components (raceface, easton,e tc). overall performs well. i used to do mostly pretty rough trail riding, but more and more i'm doing mostly city riding, to the extent i've put partial road slicks on it. currently debating selling it and getting something more rigid, full suspension around town is kinda overkill. either that or i may replace my rear shock with something i can lock out

I have a genuine buddy 125 scooter. Love the Vespas, but this is about 1/2 the cost with twice the warranty (kind of like the difference between and acura and a honda-both good quality) As it happens I can beat a Vespa off the line any day. My gas milage is better too (lighter scooter)

 

http://genuinescooters.com/buddy.html

 

"twist and go" is nice for congested city driving -just my opinion

 

If weather wasn't an issue I'd buy one of those and drive it all year around. Aside from the good gas milage, they look extremely fun. A lot of people in Florida have them, I noticed.

Hey Peabody, do you have to have a motorcycle license to operate one of those? Do they require license plates and insurance? Are there any weird laws associated with 'em? I might consider getting one. Also, are they pretty easy to steal? I  want one of these to drive to work this summer but Im staying in East Price Hill this summer, not the best neighborhood.

yes, you do need a motorcycle license. Not too big a deal  and I can offer tips for getting the license if you get to that point. They do require plates and insurance. The insurance,  esp if you opt out of your personal injury is very cheap (I have medical insurance so I did not get the medical coverage). -I pay $140 a year and it covers theft, damage, if I hit other people, property etc.  For most the insurance would be even less, but I live in a statistically high crime area so it is higher.  Hidden cost is good safety gear.  Although tempting do not concider the 50cc, not fast enough for day to day riding. Where in FL are you? the drivers are horribly aggressive there, you have to be really careful and not be tempted to forgo safety gear b/c of the heat (ie helmet).

 

Even though the steering column locks,they are easy to steal b/c they are light. still they can be locked up. I have never locked mine though b/c it lives in a garage at night and my work place has a parking attendant. Still I do live it out in front of many places (stores, restaurants, businesses etc)and have been lucky.  They are extremely fun for sure. It is hard to fully explain how much. I hate driving a car now more than ever.  You should not take them on the interstate even though they can go 65-70 mph. Still I find I make good time around town b/c I can maneuver around stopped cars that I cannot when in a car.

 

no weird laws-although in when you have your permit there are rules about not riding on "conjested" roadways, at night, or with a passenger -some of these rules exist during the first year of your licensure. Anyway I am sure I have bored everyone that is not going out right now to get one...so anyone can feel free to PM as well. Oh did I mention I get 90-100 per gallon, are easy on the enviroment (the 4 stroke engines at least) and help unclog our roads? 

I don't live in Florida, I was referring to when I was down in Panama City Beach and various other places. Hmm I might consider it if I can pull enough money together.

You.

 

 

Giggity.