La bicyclette

@mkgearhead looks good. I’m sure there are some great trails in your area! Highly recommend the Trailforks app if it’s not already on your radar.

BTW, my kiddo is absolutely loving your guitar! His right hand rhythm and strumming is on point. We do have some work to do on the left hand. I’ve been keeping it tuned to open E to go easy on mom’s ears. Thank you for your kindness. And enjoy your new hobby… and keep rubber side down!

 

The "Grand Bi" Etablissements Victor Renard (circa 1880)




My favourite, from the Manufacture Française d'Armes et Cycles de Saint-Etienne (1930s) :



D

 

I've seen this cool, 90s bike for sale locally. Model's Horizon by the brand Grisley, which seems to be a rather obscure 90s brand, though well loved in the forums it gets mentioned.

I've been on the lookout for a 80s to 90s road bike in good condition that would only need some TLC to become a good touring bike with the potential to be used for city cycling and this seems about it. Has an aluminum frame in brushed metal with bright colored decals that screams 90s and some pretty good Shimano parts, this would've costed a pretty penny back in the day.

I'm trying to snag it for a good deal and already have a new set of touring tires I was going to use on my junker for it, wish me luck with the negotiations.

 

Good luck!!

 

I picked this one up a couple weeks ago. It’s a Mongoose Juneau. It’s got an aluminum frame so it’s a bit lighter than the steel frame Malus I have. It also has a 2x8 drivetrain so it’s easier to pedal.

 

I took it out for a decent ride yesterday.

 

Nice bike but be careful with those parts especially the shifters,they are obsolete and parts are no longer available,nor are they compatible with anything new.If the shifters fail you are looking at replacing the whole group set .And now with a global parts shortage you may wait a while for new parts.I personally love the older bikes ,but they are a ***** when it comes time to find parts for them.The shopI work at still has to wait for very common parts let alone finding stuff to fix old dinosaurs.

 

Good call. Shimano derraileurs are hard to kill, at very most the rear one may be bent, but the shifter units with plastic gears *may* be toast. In the worst case scenario, I'd buy a single speed freewheel and convert into a city commuter, it would take a while to adapt my routines to that, but I've wanted one of those for ages - hence the preference for the retro aesthetics.

Alternatively, I'd just transplant the 2x8 shifters and its 8 speed freewheel into this one (I know from experience 3 speed front derraileurs work for two speeds, just as well as 6-8 speed rear derraileurs are all the same) and have my steel frame parts bike become the single speed, city ride.

Retro and vintage bike parts are a dread to repair if anything breaks, with or without global parts supply, as companies don't make replacement parts and it's either mending or finding another broken set online you can salvage parts from. As far as restomodding with new stuff, I can't afford more than the mandatory tires, SS cables and hoses, chain, new freewheel depending of its condition, chain and brake pads, all commonplace stuff around here. Other than that, it's just hopefully some enjoyable rainy afternoons in the garage, in the weekends.

 

Needless to say, this deal felt through. Unfortunately, I've never got to hear anything from the seller, whom marked it as sold the next day. What a bummer, it had been up for weeks, but perhaps the person might've sold it a while ago and only then marked it as such, upon receiving more messages. It appeared quite sweet, having an aluminium frame and an old, yet high quality groupset.

Well, in the meantime, I've landed on another deal, this one I've settled in a price and am going to meet the seller this weekend (has been in negotiations for a while). 2016-ish Decathlon Triban 300. I've been on the lookout for a Decathlon bike for ages, they're plentyful around here therefore cheap and are of renowned quality.

Compared to newer/higher end models, this suffers from a few drawbacks, namely a Microshift groupset only sporting a 8 speed cassette on the rear, a steel fork and non tubeless-ready rims. However, counting that upon seeing it, it's all fine, the price I've settled for makes it a great deal nonetheless.

It's easy for me to dismiss the inferior specs when you compare it to my current steel parts bike - though, truth be told, it hasn't failed me nor felt like an handicap (besides safety-wise) for over 3 years - and so I've pondered hard whether later on I'd wish I hadn't been so cheapskate. In the end, it's not the lowest-end bike from the range, the Microshift parts are said to be durable and reliable despite being cheaper in appearance to bigger brand material, the steel fork will contribute for the stealth looks if I end up using it as a commuter as I've always pondered and, while that could change down the line, I wouldn't take full advantage of tubeless ready wheels right away if I opted for those.

For the years I've been road cycling, I've never taken it as a "serious" sport, more than a way to get some peaceful alone time outdoors and have a chance to exercise. You won't find me wearing lycra but comfy MTB clothing, and I won't put clipless pedals on my bike, that not only appear a safety hazard, but make one walk like an idiot if need being. I've been using mine for local countryside rides twice a week and am pondering to be able to take some local gravel trails, take its wheels off and carry it on my car to some places I've always wanted to ride, like the forest of Sintra, and perhaps even use it as a commuters bike, after all the Lisbon City center has plenty of bike lanes and could be a fun activity when better weather allows it. My bike is too undependable for any of that (wouldn't be fun to get my hands covered in oil just before reaching the office - and no, none of the issues can be sorted by means of adjustment - old/ faulty /incompatible parts in the mix) and so a roughed bike that doesn't need to be cutting edge can perfectly fit the bill. Moreover, some beefy Vitória Randoneur all-terrain tires I've bought at discount are already awaiting it.

Let's see if I pull this one off. Bikes, specifically Decathlon's, are being sold for close to or as much as new and, while those don't sell, any under reasonable pricing move fast. I'm lucky this listing appears to have gone under the radar for its poor title and lack of pictures, so let's hope I snag the great price I've settled for. More news ASAP!

 

Update: success! I've met with the seller yesterday and have snagged a great deal on the spot. I had quite an eventful day yesterday as well as some loose ends to sort today, so a poorly lit pic in the garage is all I can provide you for now, but I'll soon complement this with a proper update, when I swap the tires, pedals and give the whole thing a nice cleaning and tune-up.

I've carefully inspected it, made sure the frame and fork were straight and without any cracks, the wheels were true and the gearing functioned flawlessly.



Side by side, you can see what a difference it is from my old bike - they both have 700c wheels and this Triban is the correct size for my height, it's my old one that's much too big. Moreover, while this new bike stands on the fairly heavy side of things as far as road bikes go (13kg according to the spec sheet, much due to the steel fork), it absolutely beats my old one. I've never weighted it, but simply from carrying it over my shoulder, this new one stands not far from half its weight.

Again, I don't want to judge what's still a fairly entry-level bike through the glasses of my old, makeshift one. Still, the old one served perfectly my needs and I reckon its only downfall were the many mechanical issues that made it burdensome to ride (the chain skipping the sprocket teeth at the freewheel, the fork being bent, the front rim being on its last legs and not worth repairing, clanking noises coming off the crank bearings) and what I'd spend properly fixing it wouldn't be worth it.

Besides being more reliable and safe, my new (to me) Triban will also be a great thing to throw on the back of the car and take for rides at Sintra once the weather becomes more inviting, as well as a commuter bike. The fact it's a simpler looking bike, lacking expensive and less durable carbon parts while being simple enough for DIY friendly repairs and maintenance is as good as I could possibly ask. Be sure it'll be well used, ridden hard and loved!

The old one will also be kept, at least for now. According to my calculations and examination of the used market (as well as by using some common sense), I'd make little money selling it (perhaps being even more reasonable to do so in pieces), though both my dad as well as some friends I've regularly invited to go ride with me have always said they'd go if I had a second bike for them to ride on. I'll swap in the newer tires off the new one into this, as well as some needed maintenance to make it safer.

 

Merry Christmas to me. I really enjoy my road riding, but today I scored this well used Giant “Roam 2” so I could hit the trails, for a very very reasonable price. I had to drive 240 kilometres round trip to get it though, lol. Took a shakedown run in the local ravines this afternoon. I’m gonna have to see the boys at my favourite shop for a tire and a tune-up and then it’ll be “let’s get that (under development) local MTB area built!”
If you’ve not grown up by the time you’re 60, you don’t ever have to.

 

Double post. Ooops.

 

This one's mine. I never had a car until 2007, so I biked everywhere. This was the perfect bike for riding around the city. Aluminum frame, single speed, coaster brakes, airless tires. I did eventually break the original front fork, so I replaced it with a steel one from Ebay, and took that opportunity to replace the handlebars and repaint EVH style.

 

Nice bike @otma! This is my pavement peddler, a Devinci Oslo (I’m not a cop or college employee, although I worked as a cleaner there for a few months 42 years ago):

 

Well, I scored at carrier and bought memberships at the two nearest MTB networks, each about 80km away. I have knee pads and gloves in transit from Amazon. Bring on rideable conditions.

 

Yesterday was Day One of the 2022 season for me. I took a spin in the morning, nothing heavy, 12.9 km mostly on the paved city rec paths. I stopped in to visit my favourite bike shop, where the owner graciously tweaked my shifter cable adjustments and offered me some sound advice regarding gear selection and how the chain aligns (or doesn’t) depending on rider input. I went out again in the afternoon and rode down to a local park, then took a creekside trail to a reservoir upstream for an additional 8.1 km, there and back home . It’s a gnarly little trail when it’s snow covered and dotted with patches of ice. Kept the rubber side down though. 21 km ain’t much, but not bad for January, on an unfamiliar bicycle. Here’s to the start of a new season.

 

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your ride today .I was in a nice warm workshop fixing other peoples bikes.It was a nice productive day.