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Dec 26, 2016 10:50:14 GMT
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hey, not been on here for a while.
The old black MTB that I commented could be a Sonic the hedgehog bike, but without the all enclosing plastic body panels. Well I cant remember if it had a manufacturer name on the frame. Probably just a far east manufacturer, that would sell a container load of bikes to a distributor. Who would put on there brand stickers and accessories.
It was a 15" or so frame, with 24" wheels. So with a long enough seat pin. I could ride it. I'm 5'8" tall.
As for Raleigh Dirtcross. I had the 24" wheeled one, as you showed a pic of. Had the 20" wheeled one too. 24" one had a high BB. So when I had the seat at a suitable height. I needed a stepladder to get on it. Didn't have the 24" bike for long. I had got the Dirtcrosses, as I'm keen on Grifters, and thought Dirtcross was the modern version of them.
The Apollo Sublime bike. that's got the little triangle at the seat cluster. Hey Ive always liked the style of those bikes. Theres various models, with canti or V brakes. A couple different sizes. the bigger bikes have a bigger triangle at the seat cluster. I found one, outside the dump gates, when going to work. So got off the bus just there. took the bike away. It was rough. some paint stripped off. parts missing. I cut part of the little triangle off the frame. so there was a straight line from headstock to rear axle. But didn't do much more with it. I stripped it. rebuilt the 24" alloys to single speed. cut the brake pivots off the forks. fitted the wheels and forks, to my 70s Raleigh Phaser. A kids roadster, that I was building up in a BMX theme. Had red Ski grips, red Aeroroyal saddle, red weinmann 1000 brakes, red BMX 3 piece alloy cranks. On a silver painted frame.
The Apollo Beach Cruiser. I saw one of those in the bike cage at the local dump. I asked the worker. He said that bikes aren't allowed out of there, as theres rules and cameras there. I went to the Council Access office. They eventually sent me an email that bikes go to the bike recycling places in town. Where they will try to sell them for £50. Hey I'm of the view that second hand bikes are £15. Maybe a bit more for something really nice. Prices that I could buy them for. With out scaring the moths in my wallet too much.
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Dec 30, 2016 11:29:59 GMT
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Dec 31, 2016 12:49:25 GMT
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A quick update before the year ends, I hope you've all had a Merry Christmas, and have not eaten too much like i have!! If however you have eaten too much, and your new years resolution is to get fitter, lose a bit of weight etc remember this... I sell bikes, and at the moment, have quite a lot i need to sell lol! Anyhoo, alecw35 i reckon you might be right, that sonic bike may well be very similar to the frame that i have without the plastic bits. I shall endeavour to do something with that frame early next year (or this year if you're reading it now in 2017!) I have no idea what as yet, but i'm thinking a coat or paint, and new components to make it a rideable machine again! With the sale of the Magna, my attention was turned briefly from the Mustang to the Murray Timber Mountain. This was only really due to the fact that i had some bits kicking about and i figured they would be better on a bike, than in the shed! So without further ado, some pictures!   As no doubt you can see i have removed the 26" wheels with faded orange tyres on them, and replaced them with 700c wheels, also with orange tyres! Personally i think it looks all the better for it!  The brakes are probably going to feel a bit notchy though, if they stop me at all lol! And thats pretty much the extent of my cycle tinkering during December, and this is because i have been on holiday, touring the Christmas markets and drinking too much Mulled wine in Belgium and Germany! I'm not going to bore you with the details as i feel that many of you have probably already read about it in my other thread of babble but if you havn't, and have nothing better to do and feel you want to know more, just click the link! So, while i was driving about on holiday i always seem to look at the bikes, and what surprises me most is that nearly all the bikes i saw, are of a style that we, here in England would probably consider to be old fashioned! Or just plain old! There would appear to be very few mountain bikes, and the ones you seem to see, are of course old ones! Anyhoo, as i'm sure you know older style bikes, so i do tend put on my anorak, and take photos of them. So for this update, i will just share the photos with you guys!  First up, a Raleigh Mustang! This is the first Raleigh Mustang i've seen out in the wild for ever!! I can't remember the last time i saw one outside Pistonpopper towers! Now for some more random bike photos...    Look at the tyres on that thing!!   Cool tandem where the child, or maybe dwarf sits at the front, and the adult, or maybe giant sits at the back and does all the steering, and braking!  This i like, and it was at this point that i felt a firm grip on my shoulder, i turned around to be greeted by two policemen. Apparently they had been watching me photographing the bikes, and were very interested to learn who i was, and what i was doing. After showing them my driving licence which they laughed at, i then had to explain why i was photographing bikes, and was i intending to steal them? The funny thing is, if i was intending to steal them would i say, I'm photographing these bikes as i intend to come back later on, under the cover of darkness, and steal them? No, probably not! Anyway, i've always felt that when you're dealing with the Police, the truth is the only way forward, no matter how bizarre it may sound! Besides after they had looked at my driving licence where i look like a homicidal maniac, what did i have to lose? So i told them about my little thread here on Retro Rides. Which was met with, can you prove that? I said yes, if you have internet access as my phone (which i then produced and caused even more laughter at the state, and age of it!) doesn't even have a camera, let alone internet access! One of the policemen took their phones out, and before too long was reading this thread! OK, he said, have a good day, and off they went! The thing was after this i felt very self concious about photographing other bikes, it never crossed my mind that taking pictures of bicycles might look a bit dodgy to the boys in blue... Still, i carried on but only took a couple more as i felt i was now being watched lol!  Obviously Father Christmas was in town on his bike!  This put me in mind of my Puch Mountain Cougar back home!  The thing that strikes me as a bit odd however is this, of all the bikes that i had seen that had been, let's say, customised, they had all been done in the same manner... BADLY!! The above picture of the pink, or perhaps faded red bike, and the one above that of the green and yellow bike are prime examples. Look at the paint, there's obviously been no strip down of the bike to re-paint it, infact i don't even think it was cleaned or sanded, or prepared in any way, shape, or form before paint, it was simply just blasted over with an aerosol can!! I really can't decide if someone had vandalised the bike, or this was someones attempt at a restoration, or personalisation? But this seems to be the way it's done over there, i saw bikes that were clearly painted with household gloss, either applied with a yardbroom, or just poured over the frame!! The funny thing was, they were all in good roadworthy condition as far as i could tell, but the paintwork was attrocious! Why? Why go to all the bother of re-painting your bike (which is clearly loved), then make a half-arsed bodge of it? The only thing i could think of is it's a fashion thing (I know nothing about fashion, and never have done!) Perhaps it the rat-look applied to bikes? Is this what the cool kids of mainland Europe are doing now? I dunno, but i'm fairly sure i won't be following their lead, even though i'm probably missing out on something here lol. One last photo, and this is a bit of a cry for help from me...  This chaingaurd! They seem to be everywhere, and on every bike no matter what it's manufacturer is, which leads me to think that it's an aftermarket thing, sold at what ever the European equivelent to Halfrauds is. You may remember way back in my first post of this thread i talked very briefly about my Triumph Palm Beach which i am very slowly gathering parts for before i restore it. Well, i'd quite like one of these chaingaurds for it, so if anyone can point me in the direction of where i can buy one from that would be great. And that is it until next year, thanks for reading... Happy New Year everyone, have a great one!!  |
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melle
South West
It'll come out in the wash.
Posts: 2,010
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Dec 31, 2016 20:52:09 GMT
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The thing that strikes me as a bit odd however is this, of all the bikes that i had seen that had been, let's say, customised [...] Why? This is common practice in cities in the Lowlands, where both bicycles and thieves are ubiquitous. People "personalise" their bikes in the (probably idle) hope this will stop them from being stolen. If you fancy seeing a few more in the same fashion, go to Amsterdam next time! |
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www.saabv4.com'70 Saab 96 V4 "The Devil's Own V4" '77 Saab 95 V4 van conversion project '88 Saab 900i 8V
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Hello all As an ex-Dutchy I have had many many bikes. Many bikes got stolen, written of, sold and given away. Most of my daily bikes were "tip" bikes. Cheapies done up. Some were done up really well some were quick jobs just to get to school. When I was about 25 or so I got in to MTB's and spend a small fortune on a Proflex Animal. A super bike. I took it with me when we moved to Australia. I sold it here fairly soon after. My wife and I both bought a brand new Batavus Apache bike. A bit of a his and hers thing. They were not cheap bikes. They are some sort of a hybrid thing. We still have them. They are now about 20 years old and hardly used. My wife's bike hasn't been used in the last 10 years. My one not in the last 12 or 13 years. I still play with bikes and have to do with this mob.... www.traction.community/ |
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I like the idea of your Traction programme rblote , quick question, is it popular with the kids? I ask this as at the primary school were the Pistonpoppets go, about 80% of the kids don't have bikes, or even any interest in bikes. They do all seem to have those hideous micro-scooters though! When my eldest was seven she built her first bike from a bike, and other bits of bikes from the tip. When she rode it into school one morning the headmaster said to her that she had quite an interesting bike. To which she piped up, thanks, i built it myself! He was gobsmacked, and so impressed that he actually dragged her up in assembly to show the rest of the pupils her bike! But to be fair they weren't interested at all, but the teachers seemed to be. I found it really odd, because when i were a lad, everyone rode bikes, we all had them, but that no longer seems to be the way. I've asked some of the other parents why their kids don't have bikes (They're a different generation to me, i'm atleast ten years older than 95% of the other parents) And they say that they wouldn't let their kids have bikes, they're too dangerous! (Whaaaaaaat?) Although, i have noticed quite a few more bikes in the bike shed since Christmas, maybe the times are changing! Anyhoo, i sold a load of bike parts about two years ago to a guy who was trying to start a project much like yours. I told him that it sounded like an interesting project, and if he liked as he was local i could send more bikes to him if he left his contact details. He left them with me, and i've offered quite a few bikes, and bike bits since, but he's never got back to me, which makes me think that his project didn't go well. Pity really, because kids would probably get a great deal out of working on their own bike projects, and building something they can ride, i know my kids do! Speaking of my kids, Pistonpoppet the younger has had a bit of a growth spurt, as seven year olds tend to do, and i noticed the other day that she looked a little hunched up on her Puky bike  Which is a shame really, as she's only had it for just over a year, and really loves the thing. So i said to her that we would go to the tip, and buy her another bike. But she was adamant that she wanted to stay with this one, i must admit, it's a unique looking bike, and i quite like it myself, but it's no good if she's too big for it. Down at the tip i thought that pickins were slim, and there was nothing that caught my eye for her (Plenty for me, but i've got enough!) I wanted to get her something beach cruisery, or choppery like her elder sisters bike, or something like this Puky, but just a bit bigger, but there was nothing like that there, pleanty of BMXs, a couple of small full suspension mountain bikes that looked like brand new (but weighed more than my car!) But nothing unique, or special! Anyhoo, i was all for leaving empty handed but then she said she could see something behind the other bikes, and could i dig it out! She pointed it out, and i started to remove the bikes that were stacked on top of it to reveal...  An old, and very well used 20" wheeled mountain bike from the early nineties!! But not just any old mountain bike...  Cool, she exclaimed upon seeing it, a Raleigh Mustang, like yours Dad!! Now you and I can go out riding on our Mustangs, it'll be awesome!! Well i don't know if it will be awesome if the truth be known, but i think it is kinda cool that we've both got Mustangs. Apparently she's going to do it up in a similar manner to mine, kind of just a good cleaning, with new wheels and tyres etc! I'm interested to see where she takes this, but i do know that she's very keen to get out there on it! Watch This space... I dunno, don't see a Raleigh Mustang for years and years then two pop up in the wild in the space of a fortnight! Incidentally, if anyone wants the Puky bike, let me know! Whilst we were at the tip, and i was trying my hardest not to buy anything i did have to have this.  A Giant racing bike, you didn't really think i left the tip empty handed did you? As i'm sure you're aware, racing bikes are not my forte, but i think i have some 700C wheels kicking about, and can probably turn this frame and other bits into a rideable bike without too much effort, and then... Sell it! Just giving it a quike look over it needs wheels and tyres, brakes, pedals, and a saddle, and then it should be good to go! It looks in good shape, and is ridiculously light, infact i've tied it to a concrete block tonight to stop it floating away! Anyhoo, i'll have a look through my stash and put it together somehow! I might even ride it about a bit, although i've never been a fan of drop handlebars, and hunched in a racing type pose is never good for someone with a figure like mine, you know the type, belly still stuffed with far too muck Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, mince pies, and mulled wine! I do really need to get out on my bike! |
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A Giant racing bike, you didn't really think i left the tip empty handed did you? As i'm sure you're aware, racing bikes are not my forte, but i think i have some 700C wheels kicking about, and can probably turn this frame and other bits into a rideable bike without too much effort, and then... Sell it! Give me a shout when you do, might be interested for a summer 'ride-to-work'. Although I'm also not sure on the racing bars... |
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I used to love going the tip for old bikes, had some blinders like Raleigh Bombers, Stylers and my mountain bike was a tip find, 09 Specialized Hardrock. Then the guy that used to keep them to one side for me left, some jobsworth came in and if they see you even thinking about taking or asking you get shouted that "they're for recycling".... that's what I'm doing. But the new managers translation of recycling is "throw them behind one of the skips and take them all to the car boot on Sunday asking waaaay over the odds". Shame really.
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melle
South West
It'll come out in the wash.
Posts: 2,010
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This thread is a trip down memory lane from time to time. I have a 1993 Hardrock (or what's left of it), bought new from my pocket money savings! Dug it out last week, the steel frame and forks are in pretty good nick but in bad need of a fresh coat of paint. Very tempted to build it up with new parts, was a nice bike that I've put thousands of cycling holiday miles on.
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www.saabv4.com'70 Saab 96 V4 "The Devil's Own V4" '77 Saab 95 V4 van conversion project '88 Saab 900i 8V
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I'm kinda lucky at my local tip astranaut , i've been frequenting it so often i'm on first name terms with most of them lol. The thing that i have noticed is that by getting to know them, and chatting to the guys who work there, i do seem to get a better deal than most. This works well for me, and to be honest, they're a good bunch of fellas who work at my local tip, and i like them. melle , build your '93 Hardrock, then ride it, you'll probably be very surprised at just how good it is! Don't forget to share the build with the rest of us though! Aaaaand speaking of the tip, and building things, i had a bit of a lucky find on Sunday, this...  Now i don't know about you, but the first thing i thought when i saw that was that it belongs with this... From a previous tip adventure! So a fiver was handed over and i had a seat for my racer! I had a good hunt round to see if i could find any of the other missing parts, but no luck. I did manage to find a pair of wheels for it, but they were both made from steel, and very rusty. However, they did have fairly good and narrow racing tyres, made by Continental no less! I soon had them off the wheels, and i was on my way! As it's been a slow week at work, and i had literally nothing to do, I had a plan, and that plan meant a sacrifice! Of this...  I'll be honest, sacrificing my Raleigh Record for it's aluminium wheels didn't please me at all. I've had this little machine for over twenty years after dragging its frame out of a skip by the roadside, but needs must, and as i have plans for new wheels for my Triumph Palm Beach i figured that eventually i'd put the Triumph wheels on the Raleigh, put the new wheels on the Triumph, and everything would be ok, we'd all have wheels! I then went diggin through my parts bin for pedals, and anything else i might need, and this brings me this...  So, jobs left to do? Well, it still needs brakes, i've got nothing that fits it at all! Yes i've tried robbing the Record for it's brakes, but they're too long, and the blocks would rub the spokes, and i have a feeling that would feel very unrefined! Apart from that, it could do with a good wash, and then it will be released back into the wild as racing bikes just aren't my thing, but it is incredibly light, i've never felt a bike as light as this! So mikeyp247 as you asked first, you can have first dibs! Get ready to break into your piggy bank lol! Back at Pistonpopper towers there was more bike building fun to be had, but this time i was just in a supervisory role, as my youngest Pistonpoppet, the seven year old, was chomping at the bit, and ready to start working on her Mustang! However, in between buying her Mustang i had been to the tip (obviously) and commandeered a far newer, and better Dawes aluminium framed, 20" wheel mountain bike in metallic red no less! I showed it to Pistonpoppet the younger who simply said, NO! She then said, but we'll have the good bits of it for my Mustang! Fair enough i thought, i'd have done the same thing! So i lugged the pair of bikes into Pistonpopper towers, she got out her tools, and we set to work!  Incidentally, this isn't the full extent of her tool kit, both of my little girls have little 'barn door' type tool boxes stuffed with fairly good quality, if a little old and well used tools, that i have picked up for them as and when i've seen them! I think it's important to have tools, and to know how to use them, i have friends who are my age (late 40's) Who don't own any tools, one of them doesn't even own a ruler!!  Frankly i despair at this, anyhoo, i'm getting away from the point.... So, the Mustang felt very heavy as i carried it in, far heavier than the Dawes, and to be fair, far heavier than my sadly long gone now Mangna Fugitive!! Infact it felt so heavy i decided to weigh the thing! The Mustang weighed in at 28.4 pounds!! Or if you are newer than me, 12.9 kilograms! For the sake of comparison i figured that i might as well weigh the Dawes, which felt much lighter as i was carrying it, that weighed in at 22.7 pounds, or if you must, 10.3 kilograms! After asking Mrs Pistonpopper if she would like me to weigh her, a request that i might add that was firmly declined by the use of just two words, the second one being 'OFF' work started to commence on the Mustang, and the Dawes! Pretty soon it became apparent to me that we weren't just swapping the rusty steel wheels on the Mustang for the bright aluminium wheels of the Dawes, off came everything, wheels, seat, handlebars, the lot until we had two frames, and lots of bits! Then came the re-build, being a mean old Daddy i made her put together the Dawes with all the cast off Mustang parts first, she asked why, as it was the Mustang she wanted. I told her that a complete bike is easier to sell, plus, practice! She wanted to get stuck into her Mustang, but reluctantly built the Dawes up! Before bed time the Mustang had gone from this... Which i didn't think was too bad in the first place, to this...  Which i'm sure that you can see is far better! Actually, although it looks pretty much the same in the photos, it is quite different when it's stood infront of you! I'm guessing that some of you now may be wondering what the Mustang weighs now, right? Well, it now weighs in at a far more svelte 19.8 pounds, or again for you metric types, 9.3 kilograms! Thats a weight saving of 8.6 pounds (3.9 kgs) That's massive on such a small machine! This also means that as we pretty much swapped everything from the Dawes onto the Mustang and vice versa, that the steel frame of the Mustang must be lighter than the Aluminium frame of the Dawes! There are of course still jobs left to do on it, she's decided to upgrade to Vee brakes as i have some in my stash, also new levers, and wires, and then some new grips, and then it will be ready to roll! She wanted to finish it off tonight, and go for a ride, but i said that i didn't have the parts, and even if we did finish it off, we couldn't go for a ride as it would be dark outside, besides, we needed to go shopping so she'd have to wait for the weekend! She wasn't happy about that, but accepted it as long as we buy her something while we're out! (also there was nothing she could do about it!) I agreed... To be fair this usually means a Hotwheels car, or hot chocolate sachets, or something else small. Wandering around home bargains she suddenly pipes up, can i borrow four pounds please? I said, sure, when will i get it back, and how much interest will i earn on my loan? She said that i would never get it back, and what is there to be interested in anyway? So i said, oh, so it's a gift? Yes she said, it's a gift, can i have four pounds please Daddy? I said, sure, but what for? Her reply was that she needed stuff! And off she went to get her stuff. She came back and put her stuff into my basket, and what was it you may ask?  Lights, apparently now we can go out after school in the dark! In the end it didn't cost me £4, it cost me £12 as i ended up buying us all a set, cant wait to get the flashing tyre valve lights on my bike... Very manly!! Speaking of my bike, following the purchase of literally a shed load of bikes, and following the sale of the Magna Fugitive, seeing that my Mustang isn't ready to roll just yet i figured that i would use one of the bikes from the shed load. The bike i chose is this 'REAL'  I don't know who makes these (if you know share the knowledge), but my feeling is this is made for Halfrauds! However it's not bad, i like how it looks, and it rides very nicely, but those mudguards are UGLY! Anyway, i thought that i would take it for a ride this morning, as i've not been out for a ride since before Christmas and to be fair, all of those mince pies have had a detrimental effect on my trousers... They're a little snug! It was wet and muddy on my ride, and is has to be said that although those mudguards are hideously ugly and quite large...   They offer little to no protection from the mud and water at all, and i arrived at work sporting a rather large muddy wet stripe up my bum and back, and a fair amount up my front too! Those damn things have since been dispatched to the bin, and i am on the hunt for something a little more functional, and better looking! Never a dull moment (or a dry one lately it would seem!) |
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Jan 10, 2017 12:24:03 GMT
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So mikeyp247 as you asked first, you can have first dibs! Get ready to break into your piggy bank lol! Piggybank (and more importantly, large hammer) at the ready - PM me a price you have in mind (and your location, seem to remember you are quite a drive from me up in the Midlands) and if it all stacks up I'm in. |
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mikeyp247 PM sent. The Giant racing bike is done.  Well, it's done as far as i am concerned, it's not perfect by a long way, but it's pretty good. The perfectionist would probably fit better brakes, better wheels, and the gears could do with a little tweaking as it jumps out of gear every once in a while, but as far as i'm concerned, it's done! I've had a browse of 'tinternet to see if i could find how it should look, and managed to find several images, all looking similar to this one  As you can see, a far swankier set of rims than i managed to track down for it, and probably far lighter too. But no matter, it's still incredibly light, and still easily picked up by just your little pinky! After raiding my parts stash for wheels, and very very skinny tyres, i hit it hard again for a set of brakes for it. This proved a little more difficult. I managed to find some light aluminium brakes, but i could only find one that had short enough arms for the job. These i fitted to the front, and pondered what the heck i was going to do to retard the motion of the rear wheel. After sifting through various friends bicycle parts stashes i was still empty handed, it was no good, i had to head to halfrauds! Once inside i was soon thinking to myself that i wasn't paying that much for a set of brakes for a bike i was going to sell! There had to be another way. It was at this point that a friend of a friend on farcebook offered me proper money for just the frame! It was a close call, and i almost took it, but to be honest i wanted to put it together, i wanted to ride it. To find out what a hideously expensive, and extremely lightweight racer was like to ride, and what i really didn't want to do was to sell it to a cycle dealer, who would probably just fling it together with parts bin stuff like i have, and then punt it on for a huge profit! I wanted it to go to someone who was going to enjoy it for themselves, so i turned him down. Time will tell if i've done the right thing or not! Anyway. By this point the Racer was starting to look like a complete bike, but i was still lacking that rear brake, i discussed this with several friends and in the end, the opinion was that i should make an adapter, so that i could bolt the calipers with the longer arms on slightly higher than they would originally be mounted on the frame. So that's what i did in the end, i was a bit dubious at first, but it works well, and even looks ok too!  As i've had no work on for a while, i decided to get it finished, and today with the sun out i decided to take it for a bit of a spin, before putting it up for grabs. It's safe to say that i am not a fan of racing bikes, i don't like the riding position, but i was looking forward to riding this bike. I headed out, and before long i was blezzing through the countryside thinking to myself, this isn't for me! I'm sure that everyone who saw me was probably thinking that i had stolen this bike! Why you might ask, well, i'm not the lycra wearing cyclist you might think i am. No instead i was blasting along in my padded lumberjack shirt, camouflage combat trousers, and steel toe cap boots! The sun may well have been out, but it was a cold day, and i was chilly! I can only imagine that i looked like the offspring of Mr T and Desperate Dan! Not a good look, but i was warm(ish!) Have you ever noticed how guys who ride racing bikes never look happy? They're like the Joggers of the cycling world, do you ever see a jogger smiling when they're running? No, and similarly you don't see guys on racing bikes smiling when they're riding either, they all look so serious, why is this? Well, today i joined this serious looking bunch of cyclists, i didn't smile once when i was riding the Giant, and this is why. Firstly i am a man in his late forties, and not a the peak of physical fitness. Secondly, and perhaps far more importantly i am not the right height for my weight, by all accounts i should be somewhere in the region of 7" tall, sadly i am only 5" 10' so clearly i need to grow another 14' or so, i just haven't worked out how! Dammit! Anyway as i cut my way through the cold afternoon air my main thought was that if i were keeping the bike, the dropped handlebars would need to go and be replaced by a set of straight handlebars. So that when i am riding, i am not hunched up on the bike with my belly bouncing off my thighs. Not a pretty picture i can assure you! Other personal changes if i were to keep it would be to the seat, man alive that thing is small, i realise i have an ample amount of padding around the back door, but clearly not enough as ten hours later as i sit here writing this i've just had to check to see if that saddle is still stuck up my bum! It isn't, but it's still not comfy! Sticking with the saddle for a moment if i may, the other thing to note is that after riding it for an hour or so my gentlemans vegetables went numb! That is a very weird sensation i can tell you, pins and needles in such a delicate area is not something i recommend! Moving on... Quickly! The thing is, apart from these little niggles, it really isn't a bad bike to ride at all, it's light, it handles well, and it even looks good! The other thing that's worth remembering is that all these little niggles, with the exception of it skipping out of gear from time to time will be niggles that are specific to me (and perhaps other people who share my love of cakes and pies!) The next guy who has it will no doubt be thinner, younger, better looking, or whatever and this will fit him (or her) like a glove, and they'll love it!  And i shall wish them all the best with it, because this is a really superb bike, even though it's probably nowhere near as good as it could be, or was when it was new, and had all it's original components, it's still really really good! It just needs a little fettling, and tweaking to make the most of what it is! But for me, i can genuinely say that my fettling and tweaking days with it are over. It's been fun, even if it was slightly uncomfortable fun, but as far as i'm concerened our little affair is over, although i am going to wash it a bit first. But then it's time to move it on, and time for me to get my lardy ass back in the relative comfort of a mountain bike saddle! I can't wait! 
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,586
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Jan 20, 2017 13:09:38 GMT
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Good job with the racer, surely a set of cow horns would solve all of your problems !
I've been banned from getting any more bikes from the tip, the ladies bike I got is still sat in the shed. I might get some new tyres for it and use it to ride down the town if I need to go there. I could probably leave it unlocked and it won't get pinched, I do live in Andover though !
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Jan 20, 2017 22:42:55 GMT
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quite a nice looking bike as always PP, though i am thoroughly with you on racers.
For me, even if I ignore my dodgy back, I am 6" 3' and all legs (better description when of a female that... ehem) when I bend to reach the handlebars my rear is so far in the air it feels like i'd end up steering with my face. I'm sure, and have been told, that saddles are so small and granite hard for a good reason (whatever it may be?) but they always make me think that if i were to ride one i had better do so in the festive season, so i can at least treat everyone to a rendition of 'I'm walking in the air'.
chuckles here re serious racer-rider face thing, when i see them they inevitably have the sort of look that makes you want to tell them a really awful joke just to see what happens! from my friends list, these are always the people who tell me that the saddles they have on their bikes are 'quite comfortable actually' which i guess may explain the face.....
Its good that there are people who like and suit these bikes though (dfferent strokes for different folks i suppose :-P), and the tech is pretty awesome on these bikes these days. Anyway, well done for building it though, and going for a ride. I would have just left it at building it!
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Last Edit: Jan 20, 2017 23:57:39 GMT by s1105117
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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My Klunkerz. duncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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Jan 20, 2017 23:43:41 GMT
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Saddles are small and rock hard because the padding is supposed to be in your shorts! That way the padding moves with you and reduces chafing... Good job on getting it usable and giving it a nice shake-down ride. Doesn't sound like it fits you very well though, so it's probably just as well you are moving it on... Cheers Duncan |
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I like the idea of your Traction programme rblote , quick question, is it popular with the kids? I ask this as at the primary school were the Pistonpoppets go, about 80% of the kids don't have bikes, or even any interest in bikes. They do all seem to have those hideous micro-scooters though! When my eldest was seven she built her first bike from a bike, and other bits of bikes from the tip. When she rode it into school one morning the headmaster said to her that she had quite an interesting bike. To which she piped up, thanks, i built it myself! He was gobsmacked, and so impressed that he actually dragged her up in assembly to show the rest of the pupils her bike! But to be fair they weren't interested at all, but the teachers seemed to be. I found it really odd, because when i were a lad, everyone rode bikes, we all had them, but that no longer seems to be the way. I've asked some of the other parents why their kids don't have bikes (They're a different generation to me, i'm atleast ten years older than 95% of the other parents) And they say that they wouldn't let their kids have bikes, they're too dangerous! (Whaaaaaaat?) Although, i have noticed quite a few more bikes in the bike shed since Christmas, maybe the times are changing! Anyhoo, i sold a load of bike parts about two years ago to a guy who was trying to start a project much like yours. I told him that it sounded like an interesting project, and if he liked as he was local i could send more bikes to him if he left his contact details. He left them with me, and i've offered quite a few bikes, and bike bits since, but he's never got back to me, which makes me think that his project didn't go well. Pity really, because kids would probably get a great deal out of working on their own bike projects, and building something they can ride, i know my kids do! Speaking of my kids, Pistonpoppet the younger has had a bit of a growth spurt, as seven year olds tend to do, and i noticed the other day that she looked a little hunched up on her Puky bike Which is a shame really, as she's only had it for just over a year, and really loves the thing. So i said to her that we would go to the tip, and buy her another bike. But she was adamant that she wanted to stay with this one, i must admit, it's a unique looking bike, and i quite like it myself, but it's no good if she's too big for it. Down at the tip i thought that pickins were slim, and there was nothing that caught my eye for her (Plenty for me, but i've got enough!) I wanted to get her something beach cruisery, or choppery like her elder sisters bike, or something like this Puky, but just a bit bigger, but there was nothing like that there, pleanty of BMXs, a couple of small full suspension mountain bikes that looked like brand new (but weighed more than my car!) But nothing unique, or special! Anyhoo, i was all for leaving empty handed but then she said she could see something behind the other bikes, and could i dig it out! She pointed it out, and i started to remove the bikes that were stacked on top of it to reveal... An old, and very well used 20" wheeled mountain bike from the early nineties!! But not just any old mountain bike... Cool, she exclaimed upon seeing it, a Raleigh Mustang, like yours Dad!! Now you and I can go out riding on our Mustangs, it'll be awesome!! Well i don't know if it will be awesome if the truth be known, but i think it is kinda cool that we've both got Mustangs. Apparently she's going to do it up in a similar manner to mine, kind of just a good cleaning, with new wheels and tyres etc! I'm interested to see where she takes this, but i do know that she's very keen to get out there on it! Watch This space... I dunno, don't see a Raleigh Mustang for years and years then two pop up in the wild in the space of a fortnight! Incidentally, if anyone wants the Puky bike, let me know! Whilst we were at the tip, and i was trying my hardest not to buy anything i did have to have this. A Giant racing bike, you didn't really think i left the tip empty handed did you? As i'm sure you're aware, racing bikes are not my forte, but i think i have some 700C wheels kicking about, and can probably turn this frame and other bits into a rideable bike without too much effort, and then... Sell it! Just giving it a quike look over it needs wheels and tyres, brakes, pedals, and a saddle, and then it should be good to go! It looks in good shape, and is ridiculously light, infact i've tied it to a concrete block tonight to stop it floating away! Anyhoo, i'll have a look through my stash and put it together somehow! I might even ride it about a bit, although i've never been a fan of drop handlebars, and hunched in a racing type pose is never good for someone with a figure like mine, you know the type, belly still stuffed with far too muck Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, mince pies, and mulled wine! I do really need to get out on my bike! Hi mate, yes it is very popular. Thing is bike are all donated. Kids pull these bikes appart, sand them back, paint them and built them back up again. They built their own bike. Sometimes we built one to keep and 1 to be sold. I can highly recommend a program like this. |
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Jan 22, 2017 22:47:38 GMT
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We have far too many MAMIL's around here, and you're right, they never look happy. I wouldn't be either, if I looked like a giant ponce with a suppository seat.
I'll stick to my MTB's. I like being able to jump gutters etc without popping tyres on landing.
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I've been banned from getting any more bikes from the tip Ha Ha, yeah, me too, whenever i have to make a trip to the tip the last thing Mrs Pistonpopper says to me is, "don't come back with more than youve taken, infact, better yet, come home with NOTHING at all!" the tech is pretty awesome on these bikes these days. Anyway, well done for building it though, and going for a ride. I would have just left it at building it! I must admit that even with the bits and pieces that i've used on it, i am pretty impressed with how it's built, and the various bits that were still attached to the frame, like for example the gear shifter/brake lever arrangement, all one thing! Amazing, and it's a really nice piece too. I reckon the bike itself wouldve cost a few bob new! But it's not just that, its the lightness of the thing, i mean seriously, how do they make it so light, witchcraft? It feels weightless! Saddles are small and rock hard because the padding is supposed to be in your shorts! That way the padding moves with you and reduces chafing... I see, well i don't see me going out and buying any padded shorts anytime soon, unless maybe i find some with the padding in the front! Seriously, i mean, women can buy padded bras in order to presumably entice the fellas, why can't i find padded shorts to entice the ladies!! Crikey i hope mrs Pistonpopper isn't reading this lol! Erm, anyway, i think i'm heading off topic! Doesn't sound like it fits you very well though, so it's probably just as well you are moving it on... Doesn't sound like it fits me very well!?... This is me on it...  I'd say doesn't fit me very well is an understatement lol, but it's not just that, i don't think it suits me very well, or maybe i'm just not suited to it! We have far too many MAMIL's around here, and you're right, they never look happy. I wouldn't be either, if I looked like a giant ponce with a suppository seat. I'm not much good at acronyms... Must be my age, everyday i'll read a post here on Retro Rides and find myself wondering, what the heck does that mean? This is then followed up by some internet searching taking place! Mamil or MAMIL (an acronym standing for "middle-aged man in lycra".) is someone who rides an expensive racing bicycle for leisure, wearing professional style body-hugging jerseys and shorts. The word was reportedly coined by British marketing research firm Mintel in 2010. Ah yes, that makes perfect sense, i can see it clearly now... Hmm, if only i had my shizzle together like you hip kids, reading a post would take me half the time lol. Still, every days a skool day! |
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 Now then, some time ago you may remember that i bought myself a shed full of cycles amoungst which was this little treasure...  A Real Easy mountain bike with just a hint of Beach Cruiser thrown in for good measure. As i was between bikes at the time i decided that those hideously ugly mudguards had to go, and that was about it really, it would be ready to ride. However i've been short of work for a little while now, and as such have had a bit of spare time and this is where the plan to ditch the mudguards and just ride it started to go a bit awry! Suddenly i was raiding my parts shed, and stripping yet another bike down to carry out a few mods. This is what i came up with, and you need to remember that there was really no need for any of this, this bike rides very nicely before the voices in my head start telling me to carry out a few mods! Before too long i was looking at this...  Wheels from the previously meantioned Murray Timber Mountain, tyres switched with the tyres from a bike from the shed load, forks from an incomplete bike in my garage that i'll never do anything with (especially now!) Bear trap pedals (which will probably chew on my leg at some point!) from my stash of spares. Brake levers and gear selectors also from my stash of spares. After a couple of days tinkering with it, it was ready for wires, or cables if you prefer. I could've probably re-used, or swapped some cables for some on another bike, but i looked at them all and i thought in the end it was going to be better to have all new cables. Off i went to my local Halfrauds to buy a set of new cables for it. I had pretty soon located the cables and was standing there wondering why i was going to need to spend £9 on each brake cable, and £8 on each gear cable? Did i really need to spend £34 just to ride my bike? There was no way i was paying that, back to the bike shed to try and cobble together a decent set of used cables to do the job. But before doing this Mrs Pistonpopper informed me it was time to do the weekly shopping, and we headed off to ASDA where i spied with my little eye, this...  A complete set of brake and gear cables, all for a monsterous £4!! In the trolley they went! Then Last night at Pistonpopper Towers i busied myself wiring my new ride, ready for the test ride which i had penciled in for this morning... If it wasn't raining! This morning was mildly moist under foot, but no matter, it was only under foot, and not falling from the sky, and besides, i had also managed to find some mudguards to fit just on the off chance i got rained on!  And this was what i was going to be riding! It has to be said that the addition of the suspension front forks (which i honesly don't need) has probably doubled the weight of the thing! But thats ok, i figured that the more weight i was having to propel, the faster my (still) unburned off mince pies would be gone! Besides...  Just look at it... AWESOME!! I really like how it looks, but better yet, i really like how it rides, aaaaand, several hours later i don't still feel like i've got a seat rammed up my bum, which personally i feel is a bonus!  So what was my ride like, well ignoring the fact that there seemed to be an abnormal amount of people walking in zombie like fashion, completely taking up the whole width of the cyclepath, which induced a rage in my that made me want to just scythe through them as fast as i could cutting them all down like a hot knife through a leper!! It was ok really! The bike rides very very nicely, yes it is heavier, but this seems to have given it a feeling of solidity, and this makes it feel of a higher quality than either it, or the parts i have used on it actually are. Those bear trap pedals although looking extremely fierce offer a good about of grip for my feet, and i really doubt that my feet will slip from them until i am riding in shorts, and have no protection on my legs at all! The tyres, although quite fat are road tyres, and make the bike feel quite comfortable on the road, and seem to hold the road very well, plus as an added bonus, they have a reflective band around them, which is pretty damn bright! The gears shift nicely, and it's easy to pedal, and the brakes stop the bike on a dime, well, they would if i were riding in Americaland, here... They stop on a penny! All in all, it is a pretty darn nice machine to ride, don't get me wrong, it's no Magna Fugitive, but it's right up there lol! Anyhoo, as good as my ride was, it was completely overshadowed by seeing this...  Bambi! (sorry about the curse word photo, it's a camerafone type one which i've zoomed right in on!) I just saw it as i was riding along out the corner of my eye! I slowly went back, and parked the bike up to try and get closer. I got my camera out, and slowly approached it, but it was on to me, and looked quite quizzically at me (perhaps it's Bambi Gascoigne!) as i took a step, then stopped to let it get used to me. It would then go back to eating, i'd take a few steps, creeping up on it, camera poised and at the ready. It would look up, i'd stop, and wait for it to go back to eating! This went on for about ten minutes, and i got to within about 50 feet of it (15.24 for you metric types!) But then, the same group who i should've cut down earlier came walking around the corner, all talking loudly amoungst themselves! That was it, Bambi was off, and so was i before i had to try and get passed that group of elderly inconsiderate b'stards again! |
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,586
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Halfords was always the place for cheap tat in the past but now it's expensive tat! I looked at the brake cables etc and it actually worked out only slightly cheaper then buying a complete brake setup.
I'll keep an eye out in Asda for cables, not sure ours will have them. Wilkos are the next best place near to me.
I must get out for a ride, just wish it would stop raining.
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Frankly i despair at this, anyhoo, i'm getting away from the point.... So, the Mustang felt very heavy as i carried it in, far heavier than the Dawes, and to be fair, far heavier than my sadly long gone now Mangna Fugitive!! Infact it felt so heavy i decided to weigh the thing! The Mustang weighed in at 28.4 pounds!! Or if you are newer than me, 12.9 kilograms! For the sake of comparison i figured that i might as well weigh the Dawes, which felt much lighter as i was carrying it, that weighed in at 22.7 pounds, or if you must, 10.3 kilograms! After asking Mrs Pistonpopper if she would like me to weigh her, a request that i might add that was firmly declined by the use of just two words, the second one being 'OFF' work started to commence on the Mustang, and the Dawes! Pretty soon it became apparent to me that we weren't just swapping the rusty steel wheels on the Mustang for the bright aluminium wheels of the Dawes, off came everything, wheels, seat, handlebars, the lot until we had two frames, and lots of bits! Then came the re-build, being a mean old Daddy i made her put together the Dawes with all the cast off Mustang parts first, she asked why, as it was the Mustang she wanted. I told her that a complete bike is easier to sell, plus, practice! She wanted to get stuck into her Mustang, but reluctantly built the Dawes up! Before bed time the Mustang had gone from this...
