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Post by tihomir88 on Nov 23, 2023 8:26:58 GMT -5
Anyone into this great activity?
It is a funny story but I know at least 3 fellow collectors which are avid cyclist as well.
There is a correlations probably. 
Below is my bicycle ownership history:
No 1. Cross GRX7 29 inch
It all started back in 2015 with this electric green Cross GR7 29 inch. Cross is an entry-level, budget-oriented brand. I put on it around 2000 km. No upgrades.
It was a good bike which I sold to a colleague of mine, and he still uses it as a "daily driver". Being a 250-300 euro bicycle, it was no suitable for the forest/mountain. Testted it, shot the mechanical disk brakes while in the mountain once, and decided that I need something better.
No 2. Scott Aspect 910 29 inch
After discovering that cheap bicycles are no no in the mountain, in 2016 I made one significant step up buying this marvelous Scott. Hydraulic brakes, air fork, proper frame geometry and -1.5 kg less than the previous one. I used this quite extensively, only bough a pair of magnesium pedals and new set of Maxxis tyres. After a serious crash, I repaired it and gave it to my dad who uses it up to this day and is quite happy with it.
No 3. Drag Swoop Pro 27.5 inch
After 2 years of happy hard-tailing and 4500-5000 kms, I ve decided that full-suspension is the next logical step. Drag is another Bulgarian brand but unlike Cross it offers mid to high-end bikes, even carbon fiber full-suspension bikes. Swoop model is aluminium however and kind of entry-level enduro bike. Unfortunately the quality control and assembly was below average. The bike cost me a good 1200-1300 euros but leaks from the rear shock were regular problem, also some parts just fell ... while riding it. After just 700-800 kms I had enough with it. Sold it at a big loss with upgraded handle bar, magnesium pedals, some other minor parts. At least it looked mean.
No. 4 Orange G2 26 inch
Just before the pandemic, I colleague of mine gifted me this interesting Orange bicycle. Orange is a British brand, and the guy bought it when he was a student in GB. Used it rarely and at some point he just abandoned it. Compared to previous bicycles it was a big downgrade but it had hydraulic disc brakes at least. I rode it as it is couple of months and quite liked it. Decided is it worth it to restore it because the brand is very rare in my country. I bought brand new handlebar, brand new air fork Manitou Markohor, new Maxxiss foldable tyres and revised the drivetrain. Boy, I loved that little Orange. I sold it because 26 inches frames are too small for me. Still regretting the decision to sell it but the time was right. At some point there were no new bicycles due to shortages of parts and logistics problems. So, I got quite a good deal for it.
No. 5 Drag Grace 27.5 inch
Another Drag bicycle, this time for my girlfriend/now wife Jenn. She told me the story how being the smallest in a big family, never had the chance to own a bicycle. I decided it will be a good memory to gift her with one. Look how happy she is, and then she learnt the hard way that riding means physical effort. Hahah. We still own this white pearl gem, it is almost stock, I only changed the handlebar to a wider one.
No 6. Oryx Nine C18 29 inch
After buying a brand new Manitou fork for my Orange, I was impressed how good these forks are for their price. I started to look around for bicycles with the same fork and stumbled on this rather rare Bulgarian made bicycle. From 2021 up to now, I put on this some 2000 km and I am quite happy with it. Of course some changes were made, like the handle bar which is 800 mm wide and the pedals. I just love the simple dark grey color.
No 7. Btwin 500 Unicorn 14 inch
Being a dad already, I was impatient to teach my little Ivet to ride a bicycle. Hoping she will be more interested than her mom . This is a Decathlon kids bicycle, which is quite ok for 3 years old. And it is pink of course. Here is the pink arrow, pink dress , she has a pink helmet but haircut is more important...  . Ivet quite likes riding but I am still chasing her by foot in the parks, hopefully next summer we will start riding together.
I am planning to buy some old Peugeot road bicycle and restore in the future, I quite like these old ones...
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Post by WallOfCars on Nov 23, 2023 10:45:19 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing your avid cycling interest! It really is a great way to get around fast and cheap in certain environments (ask Tom about this!).
Indeed, at times I've very much enjoyed riding for 'fitness'. Have owned several, nothing too fancy. Had a Maruishi (Japanese Made) in the the 1980s-1990s. A variety of Schwinns and then my last was a Diamondback that clocked over 4,000 miles. It now resides in the garage in 'pieces'. My future home's location has endless paths, trails, parks etc and look forward to getting a new bike then!
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Post by Tom on Nov 23, 2023 14:57:06 GMT -5
This is my folding bike. It goes on public transport for free, so this cheap secondhand bike pays for itself. Alu frame, 3-speed and more pleasant transport than it looks  This is my fun ride, a single speed no-frills bike that I got as payment for a photography job. I took the bottle holder off and changed the seat and seat post since this picture. I use it in dry weather only, come monsoon season it gets disassembled, cleaned, greased and put in storage  My commuter bike looks like this- this is actually my old bike as the new one's similar but with a sprung front fork and seat post. It's an 8-speed with roller (drum) brakes  My commutes and shopping alone are 8000 km/year, with all extra (social visits and the odd fun ride) I easily go to 11-12k. This means that I wear out bikes at quite the pace. As a new good commuter bike sets you back an easy 1200-1400 euros and is a good target for thieves, I prefer buying them used and fixing them when they fail. Until something expensive breaks, then I get another cheap used bike. Besides these there's a 1970s Koga Miyata road racer that needs fixing up i.postimg.cc/WzkbbT7v/Koga-Miyata-Gentsracer-58ct-1.jpg I'm not going to list my entire history. Wouldn't be surprised if I've had over 50 and I don't have pictures anyway. |
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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Nov 23, 2023 18:46:35 GMT -5
Great theme!  I’ve had this Schwinn for around 8 or 9 years! I use it mainly to run errands nearby!  And I bought this one about two years ago and it’s the one I use for my nightly and weekend rides!  |
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Post by alex on Nov 24, 2023 23:29:18 GMT -5
I used to race a bit. Here are my bikes on the back of my truck.
I still have the bikes. I wish I had kept the truck.
It was a long time ago, but I have fond memories.
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Post by dcast on Nov 25, 2023 4:15:31 GMT -5
I'm "casual" cyclist in summer time. My bike is cheap supermarket bike from 2008, a Columbic Michigan, 21 speed (3x7), I guess some sort of "all terrain" bike. At most I've driven it about 200-300 km in a year, but last summer only less than 90 km's according to Google maps tracking data. Weather wasn't very good this summer. I once had to adjust the gear shifter cable, tighten front wheel bearing nuts as they had gotten loose, creating quite a play to the front wheel, and front brakes needed some adjusting as well. Good thing I did that, because shortly afterwards had a close call, almost crashed with a car that suddenly and carelessly came in front of me from parkinglot, so needed to brake hard and evade, in order to avoid hitting the car. Added also front and rear LED lights to the bike, as the law changed, that when it's dark, it's mandatory to have lights in the bike. White light to the front, red light at the back. I also wear helmet every time I drive the bike. |
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Post by tihomir88 on Nov 27, 2023 9:06:00 GMT -5
So many nice bicycles, guys! Thank you for sharing your rides. I am so in love with the 60s - 70s road bikes, I am looking for something like this, but I have some doubts. I am not particularly skinny these days, my weight is 92-94 kg so with some packpack, helmet, clothes I will pass 95-6 kg easily. Mountain bike frames are good for 115-120 kg of load, but would a vintage road frame sustain/withold such weight? I have never ever tried this type of bicycles. And usually the guys which I encounter riding these are quite fit and slim.  |
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Post by Tom on Nov 27, 2023 12:31:19 GMT -5
A steel-frame bike should be fine.
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Post by Tom on Jan 16, 2024 11:38:16 GMT -5
I did something I didn’t intend to do today: I bought another bike. When I got my used single speed bike two years ago (see the picture elsewhere on this page), it was my satisfaction for a craving I'd had for a long time. I wanted a minimalist bike that was clean-looking and fun to ride on flat terrain. I had some specific wishes for what it had to be like and this bike hit most of them, by coincidence. I've used it for two summers (no mudguards and I wanted to keep it clean and rust-free) racking up some 200 km per week. By now, I had made my plans to build a bike that was 100% my own design and not a compromise. Many people use an old road bike frame for a single speed but those have cable guides everywhere that need to be ground off and need lots of refinishing to remove the blemishes. Besides that, because a single speed bike has no derailleur you need to tension the chain by moving the wheel backward, so it needed horizontal pads which very few road bikes have. A new frame and all assorted parts would cost between 8-900 euros and I'd already started saving for this. The idea was to sell the other bike to recoup some of the costs when it was ready. I planned to do this over a couple of years, no hurry. Because of the minimalist looks I wanted a frame brake for the new bike, which is very common here on basic bikes but for some reason almost nobody does it on a single speed. Today was my day off and after some shopping I decided to drop off some old folding chairs at the thrift store. I made the mistake of walking around the store when I was there, and was surprised to see a used single speed bike in the store. It was ugly (red wheels...), damaged and rusty but it had a frame brake! The wheels were straight, it was complete and actually rode nicely, so after some thought I decided this was too good to leave it there for less than the price of two new tyres.  So I will start taking this apart, cleaning and repainting as soon as the weather improves. I will repaint the wheels, take off the front brake and replace all worn and ugly components. A great summer project, I can source all the parts as I go, no hurry. |
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Post by reeft1 on Jan 18, 2024 12:03:49 GMT -5
Nice project
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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Jan 18, 2024 12:30:47 GMT -5
Very nice!
I was washing my two bicycles earlier today! How often do you guys wash your bikes?
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Post by WallOfCars on Jan 18, 2024 13:08:44 GMT -5
What a lucky find Tom! Please share your progress of your build if you can?
On a separate note, you like single-speed? You're a stronger man than me. I typically only use about 4-5 gears but I bought a really low-budget single speed 1.5 years ago and it was treacherous not having the option of going a little lower or higher. Anyway, I sold it and I'm currently without a bike. Was going to wait until my new house is built, as that locale is a biker's dream...but just might grab one earlier if presented. I mostly walk (nightly) for fitness now, but really want what I consider a 'good' bike again.
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Post by WallOfCars on Jan 18, 2024 13:11:24 GMT -5
Very nice! I was washing my two bicycles earlier today! How often do you guys wash your bikes? Depends on the circumstances Julio. At my hold house I would wash about every 3 months. Current home is by the sea, so should be done at least twice a month (and no, I do NOT ride on the beach). There is just endless salt and very frequent heavy winds here making non-stainless steel metals oxidizing within days of exposure. This is the major reason I do not currently own a car... |
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Post by Tom on Jan 18, 2024 14:16:41 GMT -5
Thanks gents!
Julio, I do 200 km per week on my commuter through all kinds of weather, currently freezing with light snow off and on. Because there's salt on the roads I wash my bike every week, same when it's rainy because there's a lot of mud on the bike paths. In the summer I don't wash it often, just when it looks grimy.
Brooks: will do! Don't expect this to be a quick job, I intend to take my time to find the parts before I dismantle it completely. I might even run it like this for a while to find out which parts I like and which ones need changing.
@single speed: yes, it's completely flat here so I don't really need any gears (though I like them on my commuter bike). It takes some getting used to as pulling away needs more effort, but once you're cruising you can get a surprising turn of speed without any effort. I do 25-30 km/h when I get up to speed. Having your legs do the same cadence for a long time is somewhat hypnotising. It's fun.
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Post by reeft1 on Jan 19, 2024 8:25:21 GMT -5
Very nice! I was washing my two bicycles earlier today! How often do you guys wash your bikes? Never. Am I a bad man? |
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. Ivet quite likes riding but I am still chasing her by foot in the parks, hopefully next summer we will start riding together. 
