While my Mongoose gets me too and from work dependably, the thing is so heavy and bulky that riding it into the wind is a real bitch, especially since I can’t even pretend to ride the thing in an aerodynamic fashion, it’s a mountain/road hybrid after all.
When I was a kid I had a sweet bike, with a big fat back tire that was perfect for laying a nice thick piece of rubber down when I skidded out. The only problem was that it was red, white and blue, and not a very aesthetically pleasing design either. So I took the thing apart, painted it black and silver, wrote a name I’ve since forgotten on the top tube, and basically pimped it out for an 8–10 year old.
Now I want to do the same, but this time I want to build my own road bike. This biggest obstacle to this project is that I’m no bike geek; I don’t know what brand of frame to look for, who makes good rims, gears, shifters, brakes, etc. The learning curve will be kind of steep if I’m to get anywhere with this. The biggest help for this will be the few folks I know who are hardcore cyclists; Lou, Jeff and Andy, I’ll be on y’all like Mama Cass on a ham sandwich about this, once I’ve got the renovations under control.
I don’t build ’em I ride ’em.
I did replace my rear derailuer last week finally after Fing it up last summer in a crash. Some how I got all the gears to work except for the lowest and that I think is due to a frayed cable. I bought a new cable and will probably install it after I try to climb a hill sometime this summer and have to stop because my lowest gear isn’t available. I must admit tho that I really don’t understand how I got it to work except that maybe I got lucky.
I’m so lazy a bike mechanic that I once went on a 50 mile ride without brakes. I remember coasting down a hill with my foot in the gravel ’cause I got tired of walking down hills on that ride.
I put a banana seat and high handle bars on my Huffy cruiser when I was a kid. The cool guy down the street whose pimped out bike LOOKED like a chopper laughed when he saw it and said my bike looked gay. All true. If I win the lottery I will hire a sound man and a bike mechanic.
I’ve thought about buying a road bike for long rides but I won’t do it. I rode a road bike from 1984 to 1991. I went mainly from Tremont to University Circle back then. Millions of flat tires. Once I could afford a hybrid I never looked back.
I like to ride from my house to wherever. I’m not the kind of rider that straps his bike onto a car to get to a road bike friendly bike path though I do own a bike rack that I used once. Admittedly I do get a little annoyed by the drag of my mountain bike when I’m on the trail trying to haul ass but I really enjoy not having to dance around hazards and curbs once I get back in the city.
Tour de France starts today. Best time of year.
flat tires/smat tires.
ever since i had a road bike all i do is look back [at dudes on mountain bikes]. the opinion that road bikes won’t do in the city is hogwash, especially for anyone whoever watched the tour de france [cobble stone streets, etc.]. if one has a fear of flats, consider a decent pair of continental road tires.
good luck on your project, look for a decent pre-1985 double-butted frame and get double wall rims for the curbs, ‘xero’ make decent priced quality built wheels and consider the OCBC, they have classes for building bikes.
let me know if you need a sissybar..