bikes

[Joust Ostrich]

Having nightmare flashbacks recalling attempting to true those Shimano wheels.

Are they Shimano, or are they those Rolf wheels that blew up frequently?

Either way, I wouldn't work on them.

[apport]

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Having nightmare flashbacks recalling attempting to true those Shimano wheels.

[close]

Are they Shimano, or are they those Rolf wheels that blew up frequently?

Either way, I wouldn't work on them.

they’re shimano, a cheap craigslist find from years and years ago. i just thought they looked cool, but they’ve held up very well, even after lending the bike to a friend who bunnyhopped it a few times on a drunken night ride. i won’t be terribly pressed if a spoke flies off and they fold completely in half.

[manysnakes]

My feeling with paired spoke wheels is that any pair still in operation in 2022 is the outlier and probably isn’t going to suddenly fall apart like they did in 2005.

[Síota]

I haven't been able to get an 20" inner tube that can handle at 2"4' tire in weeks. I'm sure I can online but I would rather support local shops..it's like 2 years ago again when you couldn't find shit.
Lucky I have other bikes but I give it till Friday then interweb shopping.

[323-BALM]

Roasted the local and bought the boy his first geared bike. A good day.

[Willie]

Trying to buy my kid a bike and it’s unexpectedly difficult.

He’s maybe 5’ tall at the moment but will likely be pushing 6’ in a few years. I don’t want to spend big $$ on something he’ll grow out of but it also feels wasteful buying a piece of shit to tide him over.

The weird thing is that on a bike with older geometry like my 90’s mountain bike (26” tires) it’s not that tough - he could ride a slightly too big 19-20” frame and it would still fit him by the time he turns 20. With the newer style frames he barely fits a Small but that would be too small once he hits 5’6”.

Maybe we’re looking at the wrong brands but I’m thinking of something without suspension, regular old caliper brakes, 21 or 14 speed, for some off road use but not much. Essentially, a 1990’s mountain bike. Any pointers in that general direction?

[GardenSkater77]

Trying to buy my kid a bike and it’s unexpectedly difficult.

He’s maybe 5’ tall at the moment but will likely be pushing 6’ in a few years. I don’t want to spend big $$ on something he’ll grow out of but it also feels wasteful buying a piece of shit to tide him over.

The weird thing is that on a bike with older geometry like my 90’s mountain bike (26” tires) it’s not that tough - he could ride a slightly too big 19-20” frame and it would still fit him by the time he turns 20. With the newer style frames he barely fits a Small but that would be too small once he hits 5’6”.

Maybe we’re looking at the wrong brands but I’m thinking of something without suspension, regular old caliper brakes, 21 or 14 speed, for some off road use but not much. Essentially, a 1990’s mountain bike. Any pointers in that general direction?

This is what you described:

https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/d/gladwyne-specialized-rockhopper-ultra/7496129213.html

I’ve had two Specialized Rock Hoppers for 20+ years. They are great bikes. I’d sell you mine (19”) but I am going to put my son on it when he turns 12. My 13 y.o. Daughter rides my wife’s 19”. She is 5’7” and it fits her perfectly.

[Willie]

Oooh, that’s super nice! I showed it to my son and he was interested. 

How heavy are those? My only reservation is those all steel bikes can weigh a ton. My daughter has my sister’s old Fuji hybrid and it’s easily twice the weight of my wife’s new aluminum frame bike. My kid has to lug it up stairs in and out of the house and I kinda worry about my bike rack falling off with all 4 of them loaded!


Good looking out man. Might hit that guy up. Thanks!

[GardenSkater77]

Oooh, that’s super nice! I showed it to my son and he was interested. 

How heavy are those? My only reservation is those all steel bikes can weigh a ton. My daughter has my sister’s old Fuji hybrid and it’s easily twice the weight of my wife’s new aluminum frame bike. My kid has to lug it up stairs in and out of the house and I kinda worry about my bike rack falling off with all 4 of them loaded!


Good looking out man. Might hit that guy up. Thanks!

Unfortunately, the posting is down so it may have been sold.

The bike weighs between 27-30 lbs.

Glad to hear your son has no issue with used bikes. That particular bike sold for around $380 in 1998 when my 5’6” friend bought it. A year later he moved out west and sold it to me for a song. I’m 6’1” so I had to change out the handle bars and a bike expert would say my geometry is off, but I actually turned the bike into a single speed and ride it like a BMX. I always prefer smaller frames than what is recommended.

Would your son like a single speed commuter? I have an SE draft that is very light and I ride it everywhere except climbing and soft dirt trails. It’s a very solid bike.

[_UniversalTruth_]

Is anyone watching Tour de France? I saw that Palace x Rapha x Cannondale collaboration on insta but then it also appeared on tv when Magnus Cort Nielsen won the climbing parts yesterday. Seems like palace is all over the place with the marketing... the colours are not too nice but they were probably just supposed to attract attention and Magnus put a bit of fun into this race with his attitude which was good to see.

[sometimeperhaps]

Is anyone watching Tour de France? I saw that Palace x Rapha x Cannondale collaboration on insta but then it also appeared on tv when Magnus Cort Nielsen won the climbing parts yesterday. Seems like palace is all over the place with the marketing... the colours are not too nice but they were probably just supposed to attract attention and Magnus put a bit of fun into this race with his attitude which was good to see.

I’m a pretty low key appearance wise guy but I love the look of that bike and the teams kit overall. I think there was some Palace x Rapha gear a few years back too.

Magnus also seems like a good dude, I appreciate that he seems to be enjoying his time at the front. Only follow cycling during the tour, but I’ll be routing for him this year.

[buffalo hunter]

EF "Rapha"/Palace line coming soon, probably after the tour. They had one a few years back also. The EF team car has a Palace decal.

[Hash Slinging Slasher]

EF's the only team keeping cycling culture interesting!!

and I know it's an early stage but shoutout to Magnus for putting it on in his home country. what a guy.

[Frank]

bought another retro mtb today so i can switch from the one with the seized seatpost. and it's so fucking nice, omg. i'll be easily making that hundo back when i sell off all the parts after i stripped down the seized post frame.

its a 93 mongoose iboc zero g, has a newish shimano 21 gear drivetrain but otherwise it seems to be stock. rides very nicely. even tho i hate setting up cantis and v-brakes these at least already work nicely. i really don't need to do anything on this bike yet. the preowner maintained it very well. it's also even smaller than the other one which was barely my size, so another win.

i'm also eyeing a partsbike for a tenner on marketplace for its wheels and the frame. maybe the crank will be good as well, but the rest seems too deteriorated to use. frame looks dope tho.

[Beeda Weeda]

pic? 1990s hard tails are so sick.

[Frank]

pic? 1990s hard tails are so sick.

was too dark to take a pic of mine when i got home, but it's this model and colorway. mine has a flatbar setup tho.



i did some research and apparently this was way before mongoose went to become a walmart bike brand and actually made very solid bikes. some people are still very happy with them after all these years.

i rode it home and it's an upgrade for sure. overall has just nicer and less worn down parts than my last one, crank feels nice. i'm gonna be modding it a bit for sure tho. take some things like the flimsy stand off, maybe put a different stem on it.

[GardenSkater77]

@Frank

That’s a dope bike. Love the look of a chrome bicycle.

BTW—When I was a BMX kid 88’-92’. The most desired bikes were:

Redline
GT
Haro
Mongoose

I had a Raleigh Racer which was a good bike but was not a freestyle bike.

In 93’ Mongoose would have just been entering the newer Mountain Bike market. I would imagine they would have not skimped on quality as their brand was still well respected.

[Frank]

thanks man.

i was thinking about stripping the decals on mine but it would be a shame kind of...

i'm on an absolute parts purchasing roll, holy shit. made another great deal for two chainrings.
a brandnew sugino and a slightly worn ta specialites one for 25 euros. they'll go on the commuter i'm slowly building up for a year now.

they still sell mongoose bmx bikes over here, saw that when i googled the bike.

[Beeda Weeda]

Expand Quote

pic? 1990s hard tails are so sick.

[close]

was too dark to take a pic of mine when i got home, but it's this model and colorway. mine has a flatbar setup tho.



i did some research and apparently this was way before mongoose went to become a walmart bike brand and actually made very solid bikes. some people are still very happy with them after all these years.

i rode it home and it's an upgrade for sure. overall has just nicer and less worn down parts than my last one, crank feels nice. i'm gonna be modding it a bit for sure tho. take some things like the flimsy stand off, maybe put a different stem on it.

so pretty. I want to pick up something like that to mod.

[Frank]

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Expand Quote

pic? 1990s hard tails are so sick.

[close]

was too dark to take a pic of mine when i got home, but it's this model and colorway. mine has a flatbar setup tho.



i did some research and apparently this was way before mongoose went to become a walmart bike brand and actually made very solid bikes. some people are still very happy with them after all these years.

i rode it home and it's an upgrade for sure. overall has just nicer and less worn down parts than my last one, crank feels nice. i'm gonna be modding it a bit for sure tho. take some things like the flimsy stand off, maybe put a different stem on it.

[close]

so pretty. I want to pick up something like that to mod.

very pretty bike, managed to have a pic taken of me with mine, kind of a post a fit crossover.

[GardenSkater77]

Sticker is tight yo.

[Beeda Weeda]

fit looks tight too,
are those 27C wheels? The first one with the drops looks like it has 26s

Your bike looks great. I love those frames.

[Frank]

fit looks tight too,
are those 27C wheels? The first one with the drops looks like it has 26s

Your bike looks great. I love those frames.

those are 26 inch wheels 47-559 tyres. it probably looks big because the frame is xs and i'm short af.

i inspected the bike a bit further and noticed the front tyre is super worn out and the back isn't that new either. thought about going a bit wider and get 2.1 inch wide tyres. and the pedals are super small. i'll probably switch them to the bmx-platform ones off of my singlespeed.

[Urtripping]

Hey guys, I'm in need of some advice/guidance on a project. I'm trying to buy an old road bike with the intention of converting it to a fixed gear and upgrading most of the components. I found this on Fb marketplace, but I know little about the quality of the frame on something like this.
https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/384857257026702/?search_query=messaging_thread

Also, I saw a few pages back that some people were praising the 80s/90s mountain bike frames for their durability as commuters. Would one of those be a better option for what I'm trying to do? I'm looking at this 90s rockhopper with horizontal dropouts too...

[PuffinMuffin]

Hey guys, I'm in need of some advice/guidance on a project. I'm trying to buy an old road bike with the intention of converting it to a fixed gear and upgrading most of the components. I found this on Fb marketplace, but I know little about the quality of the frame on something like this.
https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/384857257026702/?search_query=messaging_thread

Also, I saw a few pages back that some people were praising the 80s/90s mountain bike frames for their durability as commuters. Would one of those be a better option for what I'm trying to do? I'm looking at this 90s rockhopper with horizontal dropouts too...

It's a mid 80's bike. It's tange, so you'll get a comfy ride but heavy af, probably 25 pounds. Really wide wheelbase so it's going to handle like a school bus. You're going to need new tires. I wouldn't convert it into a fixie personally if the bar ends and RD are working. It's single pivot caliper brakes are a pain. The wheelbase is too wide to look cool as a fixie (imho). Stay away completely if they're 27-inch rims. $125 is a fair price. I wouldn't dump much money into it though.

You'll probably be better off getting a used State or something rather than converting. There are always hidden costs.

[Surf The Earth]

Wife let me cop this brand new single speed. Was in the market for a new bike and since the wheels were discolored from being placed in the shop window the dude let me have it for 280 bucks. Equipped with fairdale skate rack, which i havent got to use in action just yet. Def gonna pimp this out with better components when i can afford to.

[Urtripping]

Thanks a bunch @PuffinMuffin  , I still have my heart set on buying an old bike and converting but information like that helps out a ton for someone as green as me.

I think I'm leaning towards doing something with an old mountain bike... I've seen a few before and after results and I am hooked on that idea.

[Frank]

Thanks a bunch @PuffinMuffin  , I still have my heart set on buying an old bike and converting but information like that helps out a ton for someone as green as me.

I think I'm leaning towards doing something with an old mountain bike... I've seen a few before and after results and I am hooked on that idea.

try to get a frame that has semi horizontal dropouts so you don't need a chain tensioner. also helps with the looks.

i think specialized stumpjumpers have those, some gt frames as well. those would be good to convert to a fixie. you could build it into a tracklocross bike basically. you could just buy an old 90s mtb that has those dropouts and a suitable and well working crank, take the cassette and freewheel off, put a fixed cog on, and leave the middle or outer chainring only. disconnect and strip all gearing parts and possibly brakes and you're done.

i might attempt this when i have enough parts in my used parts bin and find a suitable frame.

EDIT:

forgot to add that the fixed cog and chainring probably demand different chains, but if a bike had a 7 speed cassette, the chain for that might still work on the fixed cog. or you buy a track cog, chainring and chain altogether to be sure. but that would be all you need to buy i guess.

[Urtripping]

Expand Quote

Thanks a bunch @PuffinMuffin  , I still have my heart set on buying an old bike and converting but information like that helps out a ton for someone as green as me.

I think I'm leaning towards doing something with an old mountain bike... I've seen a few before and after results and I am hooked on that idea.

[close]

try to get a frame that has semi horizontal dropouts so you don't need a chain tensioner. also helps with the looks.

i think specialized stumpjumpers have those, some gt frames as well. those would be good to convert to a fixie. you could build it into a tracklocross bike basically. you could just buy an old 90s mtb that has those dropouts and a suitable and well working crank, take the cassette and freewheel off, put a fixed cog on, and leave the middle or outer chainring only. disconnect and strip all gearing parts and possibly brakes and you're done.

i might attempt this when i have enough parts in my used parts bin and find a suitable frame.

EDIT:

forgot to add that the fixed cog and chainring probably demand different chains, but if a bike had a 7 speed cassette, the chain for that might still work on the fixed cog. or you buy a track cog, chainring and chain altogether to be sure. but that would be all you need to buy i guess.

This jz essentially my plan. I am looking for any vintage Specialized frame (almost had the Rockhopper and I'm looking at a Hardrock rn) for those horizontal dropouts, but it seems most older mtb frames have em. I think I can come up with something I'm really happy with and have a lot of fun within my price range. I just want something like a tracklocross/gravel bike like Crust builds. Saw Louie Lopez has one of theirs and fell in love with the stuff they build

[GardenSkater77]

Repost cause we’ve been discussing 90s hard tails. Here is my daughter’s bicycle: