[downinflames68]

It's my first road bike. Going to ride it to work tomorrow, and start commuting via bicycle instead of car. Can't wait. Paid $250 for it, and she looks like this:



only black handlebar tape, a color matched light purple water bottle holder, a vetta SL black seat, and old ass tires. Still, love the thing so far. Went for a ride, MAN is she fast. I've never had a road bike before, so I'm kind of geeked about it. Also, it has a biopace crank, which means the main gear is slightly oval shaped. Supposedly it removes the dead spot when pedaling, I don't know, feels nice to ride though!

I just spent 1.5 hours cleaning her up and using some soft scrub all over the frame, and metal polish on the components. Looks pretty! Going to get some new tires, maybe some new wheels for it, and definitely a new seat. Anybody else riding something strange? Please share!

[PB2K]

two hundred fifty American dollars .

but this is mine



it came without bottle holder, so I added my personal preference

[iMOTOR]

Now you just need clip-less pedals and shoes.

[Spheric Harlot]

I dunno.

Peugeot bikes tend to have really weird geometry. I just can't ride them.

[BadKosh]

I still have mine from 1985. Works like new. I added toe clips and a carry frame in back of the seat.

[Phileas]

My commuter bike, takes me to and from work. Just picked up a Brooks saddle for it. Next steps are to replace the bar with a bullbar and add brown leather handles and tape. Those ovoid gears can have a have a tendency to **** your knees up, so if you're sensitive there I'd swap them.





Once you've got used to the freedom and speed of a bike you'll never use a car again to get to work - always assuming you've got a reasonable commute of course.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Once you've got used to the freedom and speed of a bike you'll never use a car again to get to work - always assuming you've got a reasonable commute of course.

What's your season in Toronto? 7-8 months a year?

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

What's your season in Toronto? 7-8 months a year?

Depends on the weather. I've got, mad, friends who bike through winter. The average cyclist stores the bike away in November, takes it out again in March.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Yeah, I was always amazed by the number of winter bikers in Edmonton. It takes real cahones to be riding a bike in -35!

[Laminar]

Bridgestone Bicycle Catalogue 1987-24

Mine is bright red with yellow handlebar tape and lettering.

[Laminar]

Old cameraphone pic:

[brassplayersrock²]

Laminar, could you provide more pics of your bike please? I really like it.

[Laminar]

That's where it sits now. Ever since I discovered I could travel on two wheels and NOT pedal, I've ridden it once.

[brassplayersrock²]

Awww, poor bike :’( It should be ridden at least once a month.

[downinflames68]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

That's where it sits now. Ever since I discovered I could travel on two wheels and NOT pedal, I've ridden it once.

Heh. Internal combustion is fun, but I like getting exercise, plus, a 20lb roadbike is a completley different feeling than a 500+lb motorcycle. It just feels so responsive and directly connected to the road. I can feel the different surfaces I'm riding on, from asphalt to concrete to pebbles and grains of sand. Pretty crazy feeling. Both would be fun though!

PS: Ding fries are done! Ding fries are done!

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

Heh. Internal combustion is fun, but I like getting exercise, plus, a 20lb roadbike is a completley different feeling than a 500+lb motorcycle. It just feels so responsive and directly connected to the road.

It was astonishing going to a road bike from the heavy-ass dual suspension mountain bike I had been riding.

[downinflames68]

Yeah, night and day difference on the pavement.

[imitchellg5]

Peugeot make bikes? I guess at least they can't have electrical fits like four-wheeled Peugeots.

[Spheric Harlot]

As wikipedia tells us,

The company's entry into the vehicle market was by means of crinoline dresses, which used steel rods, leading to umbrella frames, saw blades, wire wheels, and ultimately bicycles.[4] Armand Peugeot introduced his "Le Grand Bi" penny-farthing in 1882, along with a range of other bicycles. Peugeot bicycles continued to be built until very recently, although the car company and bike company parted ways in 1926.

[imitchellg5]

I don't believe it unless I read it in a book.

[downinflames68]

Not really sure how that's funny. I obviously knew way more than you guys about that subject, because I was well read about it. Go drive your accord.

[Spheric Harlot]

It's odd how you can know everything about a subject and still be wrong.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

Not really sure how that's funny.

This just in! Brunt of joke doesn't find joke funny. More at 11!

[downinflames68]

[iLikebeer]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

I don't believe it unless I read it in a book.

If you like books, you should read this. http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lou...2/#post2598957

[Doc HM]

My old Peugeot.


Peugeot also make salt and pepper grinders ( and have for over 100 years)

[downinflames68]

Yeah, there's a box for one at work that we keep x-acto knives in. I thought it was strange....

[brassplayersrock²]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

My old Peugeot.


Peugeot also make salt and pepper grinders ( and have for over 100 years)

Do you have anymore pictures of those cars that you can post here?

[Goldfinger]

Cool bike Rob. Don't forget to get some good cycling shorts. Your ass will thank you.

I got a bike myself 10 days ago. A Bianchi. Second hand as well.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

Peugeot also make salt and pepper grinders ( and have for over 100 years)

Indeed they do - I have a pair of Peugeot salt and pepper grinders, quality stuff!

[Googer-Giger]

Maybe I am the odd man out here for riding a non-vintage bike, I must say it's great to see people commuting on bikes. It's kind of depressing to see everyone cooped up in their cars, getting lazier everyday. I don't commute to school everyday on a bike, but on sunny days I do. For most college students it's either because they dont have a car or are cheap, I have a perfectly good truck I can drive, I just like getting the exercise.



I have a rockhopper too, sometimes I trail ride a little.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Googer-Giger 

For most college students it's either because they dont have a car or are cheap

Parking a bike on campus is a little easier.

[imitchellg5]

And as aforementioned, way cheaper than parking a car.

[Laminar]

It wasn't an issue of cost. You can't buy a permit to park anywhere convenient on campus. With a bike, I can park next to any building I wanted.

[imitchellg5]

Oh sorry, I thought you were speaking in general terms, not specifically.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

Oh sorry, I thought you were speaking in general terms, not specifically.

Is it uncommon for parking a bicycle to be more convenient than a car?

[imitchellg5]

No. What I was saying is that in addition to being easier, it's cheaper, because most campuses these days require parking permits. My school is $300 per semester, and I've heard that's pretty cheap for some places.

[brassplayersrock²]

$500 per semester in boston for car permits.

[knifecarrier2]

Just put 32 miles under her. Also, upgraded to white tires last season:



Love this bike. It's so high end, and the biopace (elliptical) chainrings are badass.

[abbaZaba]

looks nice and fruity

[euphras]

I can´t believe, you paid 250 bucks for a twenty* years old bike. Fifty, up to eighty $ seems justified. But anyways, every kilometre done by bike rather than a car is worth it.


*as indicated by Biopace cranks

[Don Pickett]

Be careful with the new wheels. That bike is old enough that it may have narrower dropout spacing than modern frames.

[nostalgiaCa$h]

Originally Posted by abbaZaba 

looks nice and fruity

meh, it's from the 90s. A real man doesn't let pastels bother him.

[abbaZaba]

you should put clipless pedals on that. platform pedals on a road bike is like calling a Mac a MAC

[besson3c]

You should drive a Dodge Durango rather than that piece of crap.

[d4nth3m4n]

Originally Posted by Don Pickett 

Be careful with the new wheels. That bike is old enough that it may have narrower dropout spacing than modern frames.

This guy knows what's up. Your rear stays are spaced at 126mm where the current standard is 130mm (the switch came with the change to 8 speed- the spacing between cogs in 5-8 is the same, only once 9 speed cassettes come around did the cogs get tighter packed).

A steel frame like yours can be coldset (bent) or you can force the issue when you put in the wheel. That being said, there are a ton of great older wheels out there. I just picked up a hardly used pair of campy hubbed mavic open4cd wheels (with bonus crappy fuji 10 speed!) for $50.

If you're enjoying that bike, you'd be amazed what integrated shifting (brifters) can do for you. If you have any questions, I'm on AIM sometimes, pretty sure I have your handle in there still.

[Don Pickett]

Some more random thoughts: take it to your local bike shop and have it serviced. There's no telling how well it was taken care of, so the bottom bracket and headset may need to be rebuilt, the brakes adjusted, etc. You might also want to change the tubes, as they get brittle after a while, which can make them flat easily.

[ghporter]

Folks, giving advice about what to do NOW about a bike the poster bought LAST YEAR, and has apparently been using for all this time isn't very useful. It looks, in the latest picture, like the bike has not only been kept up well but is in great shape.

I'm curious about the white tires. Why? The last time I had white on my bike tires was when I was 12.

My current bike is a several-years old Rockhopper which I need to clean up and service now that it's not going to be terribly cold here anymore. We finally have not only bike lanes (where one can challenge the guys in F350s for who is going to occupy the lane) but trails! Paved and away from traffic, well maintained and safe trails for bikes! Wow!

[Doc HM]

Hey Knifecarrier, you've got a bike just like Rob's (apart from the white wheels I guess). I assume it's a different bike because Rob said you weren't him in the mod bashing thread.

[nostalgiaCa$h]

I know, right? All it takes is a little googling and you can find lots pix of bikes like mine.

Hey, I just added some fenders and rewrapped the handlebars to be less "fruity." Sweet, eh?