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I like the bike talk! It had never occurred to me that you could customize them like that.
You can if it’s a “real” bike. A lot of the cheapies they sell at big box stores use non-standard parts which are both impossible to upgrade and eventually impossible to repair/replace.
And even if you can upgrade them, it’s not economically sensible.
That’s a very decent looking Rav4 Pete, and I dig the bike too! 🙂 I ride (not lately, due to assorted pains) an early 90’s Bridgestone-labelled slightly dinged up mountain bike that I bought at a neighbor’s garage sale years ago for $60. I changed the stem and seat for a more comfortable ride/posture, and it’s great, even if I’m not using it too much lately.
https://imgur.com/a/Y6sbVop
If I had more sense, I’d probably be driving a Toyota crossover instead of assorted old Volvos as I do.
Biketopian!
Love the bike content. I have an electric bike I am converting from belt drive, back into chain drive. It’s gotten stalled, when I ordered a drive cassette that was too wide. But you are motivating me to finish it.
What’s the motivation for “downgrading” the drivetrain?
I like to actually pedal, and being able to shift to more efficient gears is the motivation. But yes, for the drive unit, the energy transfer is definitely a downgrade.
I would recommend taking those Hot Wheels out of the packages so that you can play with them. It’s fun, I promise.
I’m in favor of more bike content. My own accumulation of bike and bike-adjacent nonsense consists of an Itera plastic bicycle, an EV Global Motors Mini-E-Bike (Lee Iacocca’s contribution to the field), a Higgins Ultralite racing tricycle, and two Lyman Electric Quads, so my capacity for poor decision-making is, perhaps unsurprisingly, not confined to cars.
I would definitely enjoy more bike content. I love transportation machines, motorized or otherwise. Can we get a deep dive into the science of Soap Box racers?
I watched a couple of Red Bull Soapbox videos the other day and I have to say, that made it pretty clear that there’s more to soapbox racers than just slapping some wheels under a box. Soap Box and Cyclekarts both I think would be interesting here on occasion.
I remember them doing almost an entire episode dedicated to a soap box derby on American Hot Rods back in the day, it was fascinating; and I’m sure they’ve made some significant strides with the modern materials and manufacturing available to hobbyists in the last ten years.
We had an Adult Soap Box even some years ago that lasted a few years. We had two categories, speed and art. Seeing the first one bit me and I swore that I would BE in the next one. Our local Maker Space (The Curious Forge, https://thecuriousforge.org/) started to exist soon after. I welded two bikes together with an office seat between and let the artists loose. Had a blast! My first welding project, and not one weld broke. Here is me in an action shot.
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOCPUX5kAmh8f4zGfW63Ez2YeFLS6rTApVoJ7X5
That’s awesome!!
I actually built up a mountain bike years ago starting with a carbon-fiber frame. Sourced all my own components and did the asembly in the basement. Managed a summer where I rode the rails-to-trails in western PA for over 1,000 miles and pulled a century on it. It was much more complicated than I expected. Today I ride a ‘bent to go a little easier on my old knees.
A few times that I’ve gone into a bike shop looking for parts I’ve gotten the distinct impression that the mechanics think I’m wasting their time or taking a service job from them by doing DIY.
You need to find a better bike shop. They’re not all like that.
I thought I was a member but I’m not getting the link? Anyhow, just yesterday I sold a bike a lot like that. Electra Ticino 8D, circa 2010. Beautiful bike and surprisingly quick, gorgeous hammer-finish aluminium fenders, bought as a grad-school graduation present to myself. Not very comfortable, but sometimes for fashion we must suffer. Anyways, my situation changed a lot and that bike wasn’t the best for it, so I got a Trek hybrid. I call it the Camry, but it does the job it’s made for.
Always here for biketopian. Right now I can’t think of a machine designed for transportation that I wouldn’t read about, prove me wrong….
I like old bikes, 80-90s japanese steel road bikes are sweet, I also used to have an early fat downtube c-dale and Trek 420. Now I limit myself to 1 bike which currently means a modern gravel bike. 1X drivetrains are great, the bike is stable and the cockpit is comfortable. I have used it for bike packing and 4 season commuting with studded tires, and with a rack on back its great for trips to the farmers market. I would like to find a really nice older steel bike to retrofit with a modern 1X drivetrain/brifters/disc brakes, but I also don’t need another project.
Circa 1986 Miyata here, 18 speeds with 3 chainrings. Fine for long rides.
I have a ’89 Miyata 1000LT. I upgraded it to brifter 10×3 because the shifters were bad and changed the stem and handlebar (center sleeve came loose on the original bars) out for Nittos, but it’s got the original radial tires and the Biopace rings. Great bike, the quality of the frame really comes through in the feel. My 1912 Iver Johnson is like that, too. Funny thing is that both of them have tubes built similarly to guns (rifled in the Miyata, bored from steel billets in the Iver). For whatever reason, though, my knees do not like the Miyata. The frame is the right size, I tried swapping out the Biopace, moving the seat up, down, back, forth, got a taller stem for the bars thinking maybe I was too far forward, but none of it seems to matter. I really like the bike and it’s about the only normal looking one I own, so I find it frustrating.
Moar biketopian please!
Seconded!
Pete, yes to more Biketopia content, but please, please tell me you aren’t using WD-40 for routine lubrication… That sucks about the seatstay boss, but you can always figure something out if you want to use a rear rack.
Thomas, your energy and general great outlook on life is a pleasant thing to read in the morning. Thank you.
Ha ha, I actually considered going back and retaking the photo without the WD-40 lest anyone think I don’t know about proper bicycle lubrication! I was only using it to remove sticker adhesive, I promise ✌️
Whew. Bike mechanic cred is restored (in my mind anyway). Good find on the dad bike, by the way.
“Dad Bike “ makes good copy but you have made a City Bike and can proudly call it that.
Yes to Biketopia! I just replaced my ’96 Gary Fisher Aquila with a bike made by a German company called Anjoni, which as far as I can tell doesn’t sell new bikes here in the States, so someone must have moved from Europe with it. That Gary Fisher was bought new by my stepdad in 1996, and 20 years ago I took it over and proceeded to beat it mercilessly. It’s now hanging in my garage, once I get done replacing every moving part it’ll make a great bike for my wife to cruise around on with our kids!
The cool thing about fenders is that when you pass someone with all the spandex etc, they got passed by some geezer with fenders which is a little embarrassing. The rest of the time you are just some guy with fenders.
Sort of like having a really fast Plymouth Valiant
What I really want is to make a stupid fast slant six Valiant. That would be a very joyful build for me.
If you aren’t familiar with it already, look up the HyperPak option developed for the slant six, so they could take the Valiant racing in the (short lived) Cannonball Compact Car racing series. The series was Falcons and Corvairs and Valiants and Tempests and Larks racing around Daytona, which I always thought was a fun idea!
“I was surprised when one of the chainstay bosses popped right off the frame as I twisted the wrench”
Correction: That is the seatstay:
https://rehook.bike/blogs/saddle-slang-the-dictionary-of-cycling-lingo/seatstays
The chainstay is the arm parallel to the chain travel:
https://bikefaff.com/what-is-a-chainstay-on-a-bike/
“If you’d like to see more “Biketopian” content, let me know in the comments. I have way too many 80s and 90s project bikes back home in Texas to revive/restore/restomod, and I’d be happy to share them with you.”
Yes please! I have way too many 80′ full tourers and ATBs of my own.
Oh derp, of course I know it’s a seat stay! I am embarrassed, sir
A new-to-you bike and a new-to-you car sounds like a perfect week. I’m all for biketopian!
I have 8 bikes, so I’m all for more bike content. Several of them are pretty heavily customized with weird features and one’s an antique by any measure (~1912). One I need to get rid of, but can’t figure out how to do so. It’s a ’61 Columbia Firebolt, step through frame that I converted to a 6 speed freewheel I had left over from an overpriced mixte build I did for my sister and a rear disc using one of those adapter kits as part of a quick bike build contest entry. The kit works pretty well and seems solid (it felt pretty sketchy until everything was assembled), but it’s not something I would take down steep hills or use much in traffic just to be safe (I don’t actually ride it as it’s way too small for me and my weight and height do not help the flexible flier situation). Problem is that a front brake can’t be added without changing the fork, which is not worth doing (not just a fork and brake, but also a head set that would fit a modern fork to an old American standard frame. I’ve done it, but it isn’t worth it for this bike). The kind of person who would want an old girl’s middleweight cruiser probably won’t be mechanically inclined to keep an eye on the brake and be able to work on it, but anyone who is so inclined, wouldn’t want an old girl’s middleweight cruiser. It is a nice emerald green, though!
Good stuff, Pete!
If you have any interest in a mostly-original 1991 KHS Montaña Comp (in the blue and pink racing livery) hmu in Discord 😀
I know some of the words Peter used.
(pssst… Well written Peter, oddly enough one of the things that stood out the most to me was consistently putting the relevant image directly above the paragraph talking about it. Many times here I don’t know if the text is referring to the image above or below it, and sometimes it changes mid-article. Maybe others disagree on this style choice or even having a suggested guideline, but I find it both more flowing and engaging.)
Wow, this post struck a chord with me both as a lifelong bicycle lover, and someone who JUSTMISSED buying a 1997 pastel yellow Boxster on FBM about a year ago.
Pete: Let me be the first to say “Yes” to some Biketopia content, especially of the 80’s / 90’s heyday (or at least I think it was, as so much changed over those two decades). My current project: resto-modding a 1994 GT Arette hybrid. I had previously found a unicorn 1993 Timberline in great condition that I cleaned up and updated, but I feel for the type of around town riding, the 700c wheels are a better fit. So, yes, I’d love to hear more from you.
Thomas: Enjoy that Boxster! Too many are silver or black or red. I was the second person to reach out to the seller, and of course, the other guy/gal bought it. About 60k miles, 2-owners, no accidents, and service records, about an hour from my house…..and pastel yellow…..that will always be the one that got away!
How much did the bike cost after all the mods you did?
Shhhhhhh
And all for a ‘couple of weeks’ worth of while out of town riding, that’s dedication.
Like that collection, Mark! I recently acquired the new maroon version of the XJ6 coupe, and I can’t decide which of them to display as the more quintessential version of that car. I’m leaning towards the maroon, b/c I prefer its more age-appropriate styled wheels.