I'd love to have a decent bike. I'd go out for hours, probably days to be honest.

Still, can't you just get a gravel bike like the rest of us middle-aged music nerds?

I’ve got one as my “everything” bike!

It works in the mountains, though a little long for that, and drop bars on trails are ok but a little weird if ya gotta brake a bunch

eephus wrote: Two bike things:

1. Looking for a mountain bike. Full suspension. My friend Howard told me about this new thing called "downcountry" that is basically exactly what I want, but I'm used to riding bikes with zero shocks on trails so anything squishier will seem good to me probably.

Not midlife-crisis-level of spend, but something in the last few years, aluminum or carbon, L or XL fit for 6-foot-tall rider. If anyone has anything they want to unload or sees something cool, please fee free to let me know.

2. Selling my 2015 Kona Humuhumu, which is a very cool sort of klunker/cruiser/giant BMX thing. Single speed, 29" wheels. Has a rack and decent flat pedals and a water bottle holder. LMK if you are interested.

I am really curious what you end up getting. I recently went from a 30 year old Barracuda with no shocks to a low mid line Kona with front suspension. It makes a huge difference on all of the roots on the trails here in northern Florida. We also just ended up buying an old but barely used full suspension bike that we converted to a 1x12 for my wife. I have to say I do enjoy the luxurious feel of it. But I do not like its 26’ wheels and older geometry. I had not heard of downciuntry bikes but am now going to read as much as I can.

Jon

Barbo wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2024 1:46 pm

eephus wrote: Two bike things:

1. Looking for a mountain bike. Full suspension. My friend Howard told me about this new thing called "downcountry" that is basically exactly what I want, but I'm used to riding bikes with zero shocks on trails so anything squishier will seem good to me probably.

Not midlife-crisis-level of spend, but something in the last few years, aluminum or carbon, L or XL fit for 6-foot-tall rider. If anyone has anything they want to unload or sees something cool, please fee free to let me know.

2. Selling my 2015 Kona Humuhumu, which is a very cool sort of klunker/cruiser/giant BMX thing. Single speed, 29" wheels. Has a rack and decent flat pedals and a water bottle holder. LMK if you are interested.

I am really curious what you end up getting. I recently went from a 30 year old Barracuda with no shocks to a low mid line Kona with front suspension. It makes a huge difference on all of the roots on the trails here in northern Florida. We also just ended up buying an old but barely used full suspension bike that we converted to a 1x12 for my wife. I have to say I do enjoy the luxurious feel of it. But I do not like its 26’ wheels and older geometry. I had not heard of downciuntry bikes but am now going to read as much as I can.

Jon

Did you get a Honzo? I just test rode one, and I liked it.

I'm sorta split between the Honzo/Big Honzo kind of lightish-hardtail thing and a full suspension bike that is good for crosscountry as well.

Among the latter bikes that seem most in tune with what i want are the Kona Hei Hei and Trek Top Fuel--the latter coming in like 10000000 different varieties that sort of baffle me.

I'm told that "have you broken your collarbone yet" is the question for old men who are wanting to ride a mountain bike more in their dotage, same as "have you broken a wrist yet" is the question to ask anyone over the age of 40 who gets back into skateboarding.

After a few months not really enjoying this Cannondale Synapse 3 it is up for sale.


I picked up this 1985 or so Cannondale CAAD3 in beautiful condition for a steal. So much better. I really do not like straight forks.


I'll miss the new-fangled indexed handlebar shifting system, but previously I had down tube forever, so I'm used to it. Disc brakes, whatever.

^That Cannon dale looks to be in a superb condition period, but especially for it's age, was it kept under a blanket?

benadrian wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2024 12:30 pm

emmanuelle cunt wrote: I've completed a 300km ride last month and I'm really happy with myself about it.

That is awesome. Was it some kind of official randonneur brevet kind of route, or just a personal thing?

Thank you! Purely personal, I just wanted to do it since I would feel lame for not trying and I already did 250 (to visit same location) last year so it seemed challenging but doable, and it was. I was planning to close it in 14hours, but I hit some obstacles - flat, a bit of a detour to get a cable for the battery charger and the worst - cobblestones, sandy gravel on the verge on being rideable (or below - I had to walk the bike for short bits) and then some exceptionally shitty roads (of the 'our of the 3 potholes on on top of each other pick the smallest one you need to ride through) around 230 to 250 km mark, so the 304km's took 15hours plus or minus one or two minutes.

I've was motivated to make it before 9 PM as a store I had presents for my hosts to pick up was closing at that time so I've managed to average 30km/h per hour for the last 25-30 km's (minus going through a city and stopping to buy something to drink) which I thought was way beyond me.

The bike setup was exactly the same as last year (first post on page 15).

emmanuelle cunt wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2024 8:51 am ^That Cannon dale looks to be in a superb condition period, but especially for it's age, was it kept under a blanket?

Dude said he used to own a bike shop and was obsessive about his bikes. Rode it yesterday and one of the spokes broke!

I realize I've not gone on here about my latest bike obsession and project.

So, my spouse and I are fortunate enough to have a vacation rental in Portugal. We'd go over there and I'd always be renting a bike. It just made more sense to get a bike to keep over there. Because I can't say no to a project, I decided to build up the most fitting, budget bike that could handle the challenges of Portugal. I ended up with a steel frame, late 90s cyclocross bike. I swapped stuff out with parts that I specifically liked. I think I spent about $500-$600 on the whole thing.

I took it over to PT, and it was a blast. It can do road riding very well. It can do dirt roads, gravel, rough adventures, etc. It uses all the most common cycling standards, so I can cheaply find spares if something breaks. It looks a bit old and beat up, so it's much less of a theft risk. Here's a photo. Sorry I don't have anything better quickly available.


Setubal Ride on the Fuji by benadrian, on Flickr.

This bike lit a fire under me. I had a modern, carbon adventure bike, but it's kind of set up for one thing. I had a steel commuter, but it feels like a station wagon. I missed having a zippy, steel frame, no nonsense, grab-and-go bike. Also, a bike with common standards and external cabling is so easy to work on. I missed having a bike where I could just quickly swap components to try things out.

So anyway, after some buy-n-sell, I ended up with a Milwaukee steel frame and fork, the house brand of Ben's Cycles in Milwaukee, WI. I had a mission to set it up with all used parts, and I did that without much fuss at all. I did get a new chain and new cables, because those are just always better new, and people use them until they are destroyed. Also, it uses mid-reach brakes, and can take up to 35mm wide tires, which I very much enjoy.


Milwaukee Bike Company Road model by benadrian, on Flickr

Here is the stripped down, fully manual machine. So far, so awesome. Even though everything is used, I splurged a little more than on the Portugal bike. I got a nice stem and seatpost, and made sure I found my preferred model of saddle. All in all, I think that's about $1,200 in bits.

Beautiful bikes, Ben!

benadrian wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2024 10:34 am Milwaukee steel frame and fork, the house brand of Ben's Cycles in Milwaukee, WI.

Oh cool! That's a great shop, and I know a few people with those frames. Looks great!