Show us your bicycle.

[HOT DAMN!]

[JamesG]

One (of the few) benefit to living next door to a low-income rental duplex is that when the renters skip town or are evicted, the owner lets me pick through any of the junk they invariably leave behind. The last pair of characters left behind a set of little kid's 16" wheel bicycles. The were rough and neglected, but they are just the right size for my 4 yr. old daughter to start to learn on.

So I took them in. White plastic tires and tubes were dry rotted, lots of surface rust. All the bearings were dry and raspy. But I was able to cobble together one good bike from the pair. I'm out about $30 for new tubes and tires and about 5 hrs of rebuilding the wheels and getting off most of the rust with foil.



Chose the blue over the pink frame because my son will probably wind up learning on it too.

The Army aluminum field box behind it was also a bit of booted-out-renter-booty.

[zouch]

MBA,... those kids are so cute.
when have they ever liked something that wasn't the newest thing you don't have yet and therefore need to buy? (they're almost as bad as Buycycling Magazine.)

i wonder what other criteria they could be judging on; they clearly don't seem to recognize any of the points that matter to us,...

Originally Posted by Gummee!

Couple of years ago MBA did a test on shifting. Thumb shifters came in a distant last. ...but what they don't say is you can feel where the shifter is and tell what gear you're in without looking between your legs. You can also roll your knuckle in and shift without using your thumb. ...AND... Friction mode! Bend that der hanger and you can still shift a few gears to get out of the woods without going SS.

All-in-all that new-fangled STI* shit is heavier, more complicated, and for off-roading less able to withstand abuse. I'll pass.

M
(*I have ridden it. I just don't care for it)

[Gummee!]

Originally Posted by zouch

MBA,... those kids are so cute.
when have they ever liked something that wasn't the newest thing you don't have yet and therefore need to buy? (they're almost as bad as Buycycling Magazine.)

i wonder what other criteria they could be judging on; they clearly don't seem to recognize any of the points that matter to us,...

I agree. The newest thing is OBVIOUSLY the bestest and you NEED it RIGHT NOW!!!

When I'm off-roading simpler is better. At some point, you WILL be fixing the bike and which would you rather have? Complicated, heavy stuff or simple and light? Thumbies fit both the latter category.

I've been around long enough that I'm read the reviews and add a few grains of salt to em.

M

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by JamesG

getting off most of the rust with foil.

If you ever get into the resto thing, oxalic acid (wood bleach) is the best thing to use on rusty chrome. I use a plastic tote for a dipping container (silverware tray/drawer organizer for rims), so that I have a lid to put back over it. I usually leave things 24hrs. Using this method completely cleans any surface of rust and doesn't scratch.

Originally Posted by JamesG

The Army aluminum field box behind it was also a bit of booted-out-renter-booty.

Nice score!

[Ricardo Kuhn]

Way more organize..

Is just a shame you can not have a "Inquire/wish" sale at the fleamarket since I'm sure I have something for everybody's needs..

[JamesG]

Wow....

[championsound]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Kuhn

Way more organize..

Is just a shame you can not have a "Inquire/wish" sale at the fleamarket since I'm sure I have something for everybody's needs..

Is that your basement? I'm jealous of the space! The bikes in my bike room get the chance to get to know each other intimately (they scratch the crap out of each other).

[Ricardo Kuhn]

Originally Posted by championsound

Is that your basement? I'm jealous of the space! The bikes in my bike room get the chance to get to know each other intimately (they scratch the crap out of each other).

Yes is a little room downstairs, so yes you can call it a basement..

When a live in Berkeley my apartment was 420square feet and was full of bicycles, skateboards and motorcycle parts including a shitload of rickybars, to the point every wall was cover it, except for 20'' for the pillows to rest..


Now my bicycles and tools occupied about 400square feet and we have a separate place to live (moto parts on the "Garage"), much better this way..

Ps: I'm spending as much time as possible organizing the shop and is looking a lot better than before with bins for every part all level and everything..

[championsound]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Kuhn

400square feet and we have a separate place to live (moto parts on the "Garage"), much better this way..

400sq/ft is still huge! This is my 150sq/ft basement dungeon packed to the rafters. The road, track and cross bikes live here and the mountain bikes live upstairs with me, except for the Brooklyns (which you can barely see in the pics) and the Pugs because they're are too heavy to haul up 4 flights of stairs

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by championsound

You're very fortunate to have that 3Rensho. I always drool over my friend's Zunow.

[Gummee!]

Originally Posted by ducnut

You're very fortunate to have that 3Rensho. I always drool over my friend's Zunow.

Way back when, the Nashbar outlet here in the DC area sold em.

Wish I knew then what I know now.

M

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by Gummee!

Wish I knew then what I know now.

Don't we all.

[Ricardo Kuhn]

Originally Posted by championsound

400sq/ft is still huge! This is my 150sq/ft basement dungeon packed to the rafters. The road, track and cross bikes live here and the mountain bikes live upstairs with me

Oh dude you have the addiction good, beautiful collection, but how do you get to the last bike..??

Have you ever try to hang them some how..

Except for the Brooklyns (which you can barely see in the pics) and the Pugs because they're are too heavy to haul up 4 flights of stairs

Brooklyn, like Brooklyn machine works...?

I always droll about does bikes, even if they are ultra heavy..

[Ricardo Kuhn]

Originally Posted by ducnut

You're very fortunate to have that 3Rensho. I always drool over my friend's Zunow.

My one and only track bike was a 3Rensho, one of the red ones with a "Stiffener" tube from the chainstays to the seat stays following the radius of the rear tire, I actually give away that bike to a friend when I left Colombia, man what a dummy..