- Location
- the post-brexit wasteland
there was a tv program where a chap was putting together such a machine. was all going swimmingly until he put campag record groupset on it; that will need at least annual replacement at eye-watering cost…
You perfect bike.
- Thread starter Oldhippy
- Start date
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Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
I think my Xtracycle, seen above on the commute from work last year, is probably the nearest to a perfect bike, and I certainly hope it will last as long as I do: the long tail allows for transporting children, books, shopping, bicycle frames, large bags of compost and probably a fair bit more besides, and gives a lot of flexibility to be spontaneous about it too.
On the other hand it isn't as heavy as our steel and plywood Bakfiets and has a mountain bike gears and feels a lot like a normal bike when riding so it can be used for touring an longer distances if I am in the mood, and the central seat is very nice and comfortable compared to the usual position over the back wheel.
The only real issues are that the long cable routing to the rear mech and brakes which make gear changes suggestions unless I keep it fairly well maintained, and the cable gets gummed up with ice in winter. Also I have to buy two chans for every change and tandem cables for the back, and it can be a bit awkward on trains, which is why I now have a commuter bike to fill in those particular gaps.
I've noticed that being car free often means having several bikes to cover all the things you would normally expect from a car...
kayakerles
Have a nice ride.
- Location
- Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
That unicylcer in China was a great find! Thanks for the share, Cycleops. I'll be checking out related links later.
Another example of fake news 😂
All uphill
Still rolling along
- Location
- Somerset
I have other bikes but this one always makes me smile. I bought it soon after retiring so I could do some practical mechanical stuff, and decide what kind of bike I wanted.
It's a 1995 Marin Stinson steel frame and fork. Just about everything else has been changed; I built the wheels using YouTube as my tutor; it's had drop bars, bar end friction shifters, and is now back to flat bars.
I did a couple of mini-tours in 2019 on this bike, comfortably covering 50 to 60 miles a day. Now I have a new bike from Spa it's relegated to my round town bike.
Unexpectedly the knowledge I gained has come in useful and I am now the neighbourhood bike fixer!
It's a 1995 Marin Stinson steel frame and fork. Just about everything else has been changed; I built the wheels using YouTube as my tutor; it's had drop bars, bar end friction shifters, and is now back to flat bars.
I did a couple of mini-tours in 2019 on this bike, comfortably covering 50 to 60 miles a day. Now I have a new bike from Spa it's relegated to my round town bike.
Unexpectedly the knowledge I gained has come in useful and I am now the neighbourhood bike fixer!
Scotchlovingcylist
Formerly known as Speedfreak
As others have shown, I also have a few bikes and couldn't consider any one as perfect.
This is quickly becoming my favourite though with a few upgrade/downgrades.
Commuter, utility, rides with daughter and will be doing a few short tours this year which ticks most of the boxes for what I need a bike to do.
It's going to end up with a new groupset this year if I ever decide on what I want/what's in stock and possibly some new bars and a shorter stem to make it a little more comfortable.
This is quickly becoming my favourite though with a few upgrade/downgrades.
Commuter, utility, rides with daughter and will be doing a few short tours this year which ticks most of the boxes for what I need a bike to do.
It's going to end up with a new groupset this year if I ever decide on what I want/what's in stock and possibly some new bars and a shorter stem to make it a little more comfortable.
Once a Wheeler
…always a wheeler
Why did you remove the VN logos, did you want it blend in and not be noticed?
Van nick logos are not very good, crappy vinyl stickers, so got rid. Looks far better without.
Mine have survived intact for 13 years
No doubt, but they just look crap
The perfect bike is the one you are riding 😁. This one has toured on 3 continents, an ebay find £200 for the frame ( cannondale changed the sizing for frames) and this was an xl but old large was the only bidder
. Aluminium frames are strong just look at a certain Dutch touring bike company . Cannondale made really nice hard tails suitable for touring.
