My old guy bike

[maddmaxx ★]

I built bicycles for myself and others for a number of years.  They were a mixed bag of road, mtn and time trial bikes and I used the building as my school to learn what there was to learn and to try a number of different things for hands on experience.  Most of this was in the years pre plastic frames and all the builds were budget builds that I ended up selling below cost to recoup funds to begin the next build.  Along the way I've had folks write back that they rode my bike in a century and they liked it and that the hardtail I sold to a newly married guy at a very attractive price got him back into biking with something the new marriage could afford.  I specialized in NOS, new old stock purchased on ebay or from clearance sales at places like Cambridge Bikes, Supergo (while it still existed), Performance Bikes and even a shop in Ireland, Chain Reaction Cycles.  I built 8 speed bikes when 9 speed was in vogue and 9 speed when 10's came along because the prices for last years gear were so good.  With one exception I built hardtails because the frames were inexpensive on ebay.

So after all those years I decided to build one more for myself as I entered my 70's.  It would include what I had learned along the way and it would fit my abilities at that older age and it would also fit within my fixed income budget.  It would have to be a compromise between trail riding and road riding but didn't require hard core mtn riding.  It would also have to fit a body that wasn't as flexible as it use to be and a more upright position that suited a bad back.  It would have disc brakes because..........I like disc brakes having once almost melted a tube and the bead on my front tire while descending a long ride at speeds well over 40 mph. So I opened the book of notes on what I had built before and figured out what dimensions would fit the new requirements.  Then I found the perfect frame to give me the starting dimensions I needed.  That frame was on a Diamondback Clarity II women's specific design for a sort of sport bike hybrid with fittings for discs.  The bike was sold in places like Dick's Sporting Goods for 600 and even through Nashbar.  In a fit of clearance Nashbar sold me the whole bike for $300.  From that bike I used the frame, fork, seat post and handlebar.  The running gear was 7 speed freewheel style found on inexpensive bikes so all that was sold along with the wheels as I didn't want to be limited in gearing then or in the future should I change my mind.  The same for the square spindle bottom bracket and triple chainset.  The inexpensive disc brakes were scrapped.  I recovered about half of the 300 with the sales.

From my spare parts drawers and through some internet grabs a new set of Shimano Sora 9 speed drive train (much better than the older 8 speed) was fitted but with an 8 speed cassette, a compact double crankset from the Shimano display at a show and brand new Sora 8 speed flat bar road bike brifters ($45 from Ireland).  That took care of the gearing.  A pair of Shimano RX05 wheels splined for Shimano brake rotors took care of that along with a matching set of Shimano splined rotors and an adapter for 6 bolt rotors should that be necessary at a later date.  Avid mechanical road disk brakes finished the stopping.  Then I topped the rig off with 32 mm tires from Kenda with an inverted tread to ride smoothly on the road and still provide a bit of traction on the trails.  The larger tire size (from 23mm) made up for the lack of carbon fork and handlebar.

There it is.  An inexpensive sort of primitive bicycle that fits me and my riding style and budget.  The 8 speed drive train is almost bulletproof and the chain doesn't wear out or stretch for a year or two of riding.  The gearing is currently 34/50 by 11/32, all the gears I need as I don't ride in groups and don't need very narrow range shifts.

[donkpow]

Did you get a bell?

[maddmaxx ★]

2 minutes ago, donkpow said:

Did you get a bell?

No bell.  No reflectors.  I'm probably a failure as an old guy.

I do have tiny little 4" bar ends though for different hand positions.

[dinneR ★]

11 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

I built bicycles for myself and others for a number of years.  They were a mixed bag of road, mtn and time trial bikes and I used the building as my school to learn what there was to learn and to try a number of different things for hands on experience.  Most of this was in the years pre plastic frames and all the builds were budget builds that I ended up selling below cost to recoup funds to begin the next build.  Along the way I've had folks write back that they rode my bike in a century and they liked it and that the hardtail I sold to a newly married guy at a very attractive price got him back into biking with something the new marriage could afford.  I specialized in NOS, new old stock purchased on ebay or from clearance sales at places like Cambridge Bikes, Supergo (while it still existed), Performance Bikes and even a shop in Ireland, Chain Reaction Cycles.  I built 8 speed bikes when 9 speed was in vogue and 9 speed when 10's came along because the prices for last years gear were so good.  With one exception I built hardtails because the frames were inexpensive on ebay.

So after all those years I decided to build one more for myself as I entered my 70's.  It would include what I had learned along the way and it would fit my abilities at that older age and it would also fit within my fixed income budget.  It would have to be a compromise between trail riding and road riding but didn't require hard core mtn riding.  It would also have to fit a body that wasn't as flexible as it use to be and a more upright position that suited a bad back.  It would have disc brakes because..........I like disc brakes having once almost melted a tube and the bead on my front tire while descending a long ride at speeds well over 40 mph. So I opened the book of notes on what I had built before and figured out what dimensions would fit the new requirements.  Then I found the perfect frame to give me the starting dimensions I needed.  That frame was on a Diamondback Clarity II women's specific design for a sort of sport bike hybrid with fittings for discs.  The bike was sold in places like Dick's Sporting Goods for 600 and even through Nashbar.  In a fit of clearance Nashbar sold me the whole bike for $300.  From that bike I used the frame, fork, seat post and handlebar.  The running gear was 7 speed freewheel style found on inexpensive bikes so all that was sold along with the wheels as I didn't want to be limited in gearing then or in the future should I change my mind.  The same for the square spindle bottom bracket and triple chainset.  The inexpensive disc brakes were scrapped.  I recovered about half of the 300 with the sales.

From my spare parts drawers and through some internet grabs a new set of Shimano Sora 9 speed drive train (much better than the older 8 speed) was fitted but with an 8 speed cassette, a compact double crankset from the Shimano display at a show and brand new Sora 8 speed flat bar road bike brifters ($45 from Ireland).  That took care of the gearing.  A pair of Shimano RX05 wheels splined for Shimano brake rotors took care of that along with a matching set of Shimano splined rotors and an adapter for 6 bolt rotors should that be necessary at a later date.  Avid mechanical road disk brakes finished the stopping.  Then I topped the rig off with 32 mm tires from Kenda with an inverted tread to ride smoothly on the road and still provide a bit of traction on the trails.  The larger tire size (from 23mm) made up for the lack of carbon fork and handlebar.

There it is.  An inexpensive sort of primitive bicycle that fits me and my riding style and budget.  The 8 speed drive train is almost bulletproof and the chain doesn't wear out or stretch for a year or two of riding.  The gearing is currently 34/50 by 11/32, all the gears I need as I don't ride in groups and don't need very narrow range shifts.

Are you channeling Mick? 

I like bells. I have three of them.

[maddmaxx ★]

Just now, dennis said:

Are you channeling Mick? 

I like bells. I have three of them.

Too long?  

I generally don't like bells.  That's not because they don't work but rather a negative connotation from the people who ride up and down my trail ringing the bell like mad and not slowing down for anyone or anything.  I actually prefer to slow down and announce myself like "one bicycle and I will be passing to your left".  I often get thanked for that greeting and sometimes I even meet some people worth having a conversation with.

[Razors Edge ★]

1 hour ago, maddmaxx said:

No bell.  No reflectors.  I'm probably a failure as an old guy.

I do have tiny little 4" bar ends though for different hand positions.

And no photos!!! WTF???

[Tizeye]

Forget the bell. How about streamers? That would make Kirby happy.

[maddmaxx ★]

23 minutes ago, Tizeye said:

Forget the bell. How about streamers? That would make Kirby happy.

Nope, no screamers, happy or otherwise