Your 'Best' Bike? « CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

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Your 'Best' Bike?

(26 posts)

Started 13 years ago by Wilmington's Cow
Latest reply from Aphid

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cotic soul

Wilmington's Cow
Member

I may love the fixed wheel; I might whoop with joy at a geared road-bike fast descent; and the upcoming 30's Sunbeam may well have style by the bucketload, but...

I've been sorting my far-too-underused mountain bike over the weekend. Got a shock pump so got rid of the squiiiiiishy feeling in the forks; brakes are bled and probably working better than when I first got them. It's the first bike I built up from the frame (which in itself gives it a significance, but also because there was a lot going on in my life at the same time). A Cotic Soul from the time Cotic only made the Soul. Time to get up ridiculously early one weekend morning and go for a solitary spin on the Glentress Red Route to re-acquaint myself.

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"'Best' Bike"

Has to be the '86 AM (mine for about 6 years).

'Well' used; rack held on with jubilee clips; rusty in places etc.

Just sorted front suspension, rides like a dream.

"Best" bike a newer variation that is 'too nice to use on a daily basis' - must sell.

Posted 13 years ago #
Min
Member

Looked very nice.

I think probably my Orbit since it can properly be described as "unique". I have never seen one like it, certainly not that colour any way. In fact I have never seen any bike that colour (luminous, eyeball melting pink). And it looks really cute with its teeny frame and huge wheels.

Posted 13 years ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

Early 90s Klein mtbs had eyeball meltingly pink and green frames. Just the right clash of colours when coupled with the purple anodising craze. :-D

My best bike was specifically designed to be my ideal bike. I built my Lightning up from a frame that I had brought over from the US, and all the components were hand-picked for lightness or toughness. On average it sees three out of every four miles I ride.

Posted 13 years ago #
Wilmington's Cow
Member

I could spoil your uniqueness by posting a pic of my brother's On-One 456 in shocking metallic pink... :P And 'cute' bikes? :D

Best bike is stored 'inside' the office today. Not locking that one up outside.

Posted 13 years ago #
steveo
Member

My old mtb is a nice metallic orange. Just after i bought it i seen another and chased the dude down in the car becuase i was convinced it must be mine wasn't till i got closer i realised the forks were different so subtly pulled off down a side street...

Posted 13 years ago #
Min
Member

LOL, good job you noticed before trying to rob the bike off the guy!

"Early 90s Klein mtbs had eyeball meltingly pink and green frames. Just the right clash of colours when coupled with the purple anodising craze. :-D"

How many of them are still around and in their eyeball melting colours though eh? And blue anodising is MUCH better. :-P

"I could spoil your uniqueness by posting a pic of my brother's On-One 456 in shocking metallic pink... :P And 'cute' bikes? :D"

I bet it won't be the same kind of pink though. I have seen pink bikes around but none are quite as pink as mine. And er, yeah, it kind of looks like it will grow in to its wheels in the same way a puppy will grow into its paws. :-(

Posted 13 years ago #
Wilmington's Cow
Member

I guess it 'aint 'neon'... ;)

I want to see this bike now...

Posted 13 years ago #
Min
Member

It is already on here but unfortunately I am mostly standing in front of it. I'll try and get a better picture up when I am at home.

http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=824

And your bro's bike is definately PINK!

Posted 13 years ago #
Min
Member

Here it is.

I'm not sure the camera has been built yet that can really take the colour on, but the closeup is a little bit brighter.

Posted 13 years ago #
Wilmington's Cow
Member

Yowza!

(am I allowed to say the pic with you in front is better? :P )

You need a pink seatbolt lever thingy to go with that though!

Posted 13 years ago #
Min
Member

"(am I allowed to say the pic with you in front is better? :P )"

Well the clashing yellow and khaki jersey does add even more to the effect.. :-P

"You need a pink seatbolt lever thingy to go with that though! "

Nah, needs a blue one to NOT go with it. :-) Well it came with blue hubs so it seemed a shame not to add blue skewers and bar tape. Though the current fixie trend of dayglo colours is beginning to shame me in to thinking of toning it down a bit. Though if I just wait long enough it'll go away again..

Posted 13 years ago #
Cyclingmollie
Member

Min, I was just going to say that's actually quite a fashionable colour scheme but you beat me to it. The white saddle is also de la mode.
How long 'til my aluminium Tifosi road bike in a blue fade with yellow highlights comes back into fashion?
Correct - it was never in fashion.

Posted 13 years ago #
gembo
Member

I have a Specialized Secteur - drab silver grey colour, too dull to post picture. Too nice to use, except on Sundays.

Posted 13 years ago #
wee folding bike
Member

Been thinking about this for a couple of days.

Brompton S2L-X Superlight, matt black and bare titanium.

Bottom gear of 54" means the standing start acceleration isn't great, a top gear of 74" means you spin out early and it doesn't go out in the rain but it is lovely.

Posted 13 years ago #
kyuss
Member

Hello peeps!

Best bikes eh? That would be my Racelight KiC2.

Here's the glamour shot:

And here she is now (upgraded to Ultegra):

Doesn't get used as much as it should. I even considered selling but after a 40 jaunt out to West Linton at the weekend I'm not sure I can part with it.

Posted 13 years ago #
Min
Member

Hello. White seems to be another trend at the moment! Are those white tyres in the first pic?

"Correct - it was never in fashion. "

Well then it will never go out, best of both worlds!

Posted 13 years ago #
Smudge
Member

My "best bike" has to be my MTB, Charge Duster Prestige frame in (apparently fashionable?) white with deore geartrain, slx shifters and avid juicy brakes. It's a far better bike than I'll ever be an off road rider, but it is very lovely :-)
Funnily enough it also has Marzocchi Bomber'04 forks, which are a bit on the soft side... what pressure did you put yours to Anth?

Posted 13 years ago #
Aphid
Member

My best bike? The Striker I had as a kid. Great days pelting down bridle paths and manhandling the damn thing over stiles with flares on. I was basically living in a 1970s childrens film foundation movie, minus the diamond thieves.

My least favourite bike is my ridgeback velocity. Cheap parts, the chain started to show rust in weeks, the rear mech sheared and would not connect when going up hill (no idea), the V-brakes lost bits no bike shop recognised ("its from thailand mate"), and the front wheel buckled when I hit a pot hole (and it's more a MTB rim). Awful. Awful. Part of me wants to turn it into a fixie hybrid for the winter, and part of me wants to burn it.

Posted 13 years ago #
gembo
Member

@ aphid - Striker was that the 3-speed grifter? That ridgeback velocity sounds very bad, it always looked quite nifty in the pictures I saw. I occasionally wonder about parts. I have a range from generic/unbranded up to half decent, indeed 105 on my secteur but I don't want to use it in case I waste the bike. I am very rough on my bikes and I am inclined to the view that on my daily commute which was 20 miles the generic parts lasted the same length of time as the ones with the quality labels?? Could this be a new string???.

Posted 13 years ago #
Aphid
Member

I cannot remember gears on the Striker(its 30 years ago..). The striker was much smaller than a grifter, I remember a neighbour had a grifter which I was too small for, whilst I was fine on the Striker. Both were bombproof and would take out small trees though.

The Velocity was a poor purchase although the frame is fine (alu). I had a really good trek 720 with mainly shimano parts and they lasted for 6 years with only minor repairs. The Velocity is 3 years old and has new back wheel, new rear mech, new front and back brakes, new chain and new pedals. The front wheel needs to be replaced as well. There is no way that amount of wear is pilot error and is mainly down to poorly made parts, or parts that do not work together.

Do I replace it... or do I strip it and spend several 100 on rebuilding the frame as a fixie commuter....

Posted 13 years ago #
ravenbait
Member

I couldn't possibly choose between them. They get jealous enough of each other as it is.

But the Pinarello is ever so pretty.

Sam

Posted 13 years ago #
recombodna
Member

http://wifflelevertofull.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/strika.jpg It was called a STRIKA and they never had gears.

My wife has a velocity and it's been a great bike. Never had a problem. maybe you got a dodgy chinese copy.If you've replaced all these parts surely it should be a good bike by now??

Posted 13 years ago #
spytfyre
Member

Best bike?
The one I am on at whatever time I am on a bike (providing it's not going: bang, clank, rattle, tinkle, bend, snap or thwack)

Posted 13 years ago #
Cyclingmollie
Member

Ravenbait: "But the Pinarello is ever so pretty."

That's what we needed, some bike pron.

Posted 13 years ago #
Aphid
Member

Thanks for the link Recombodna; I have no recollection of it being called a strika and I would swear blind it was red "STRIKER" on a silver background, heh.

The ridgeback bike is still so-so as I replaced the parts with the cheapest bits I could find as I didn't want to throw good money after bad. I wondered if it might have been an "end of the month" bike (aka Soviet cars) where cheap parts are rushed in to finish off the quota.

Bike pron?... Bianchi pron

Posted 13 years ago #