If you could have one bike to commute on

gtvlusso

¡Bye Ya! wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

My very own fixie (see sig) would be perfect - Although I must say that DDD's Lotus bike looks so well designed - it is a study in pure speed and exhuberence.

I don't think I would go with a carbon road bike....bit too aggressive for bimbling about the town on....and wit would get nicked.

I like the fixie. By the height of your saddle relative to the bars I guess you'd be flat out riding that thing. I favour the head first approach myself. And with the help of a declining top tube like yours; even better. What kind of frame is it?

Barron - British built Reynolds 531lugged Time Trial frame built by Barry Barron of Stowe in Lincolnshire in 1982 for a racer called Barry Frow.

It is a fairlylo pro frame and shoves you quite forward and head down on the riding position.

it is pretty nimble for a TT frame!

il_principe

NGale wrote:

I have simple tastes...

Or no taste.

Trek Shrek.

Bristol Dave

If I had the money to burn I would love one of these (minus the lady of course - Mrs Dave has her limits!). I would need top hat and tails plus a big old 'tash to carry it off properly though.

BD

SimonLyons

-- Bristol Dave.

Penny farthing looks good.
I just checked out how much they cost ~170quid.

I wonder how it rides.

Roastie

The Hundredth Idiot wrote:

Sweet - I love that sort of thing. Their randonee models are even nicer (IMHO). But, even if I was in the US, they've got a 5 year waiting list! :shock:

So maybe something from, say, Villiers Velo. Just need to save my pennies - x 200,000! BIt like using a Bristol for a commute rather than DDD et al's Subaru Impreza gadget fest.

Look at the lugs on that!

I'd wait 5 years for a Sacha White creation . The rando bikes are lovely too. But then again, what Vanilla isn't gorgeous?

I do like the Villiers Velo bikes too, I'd love to see one in the metal. My favourite local builder is probably Robin Mather, especially some his lugged builds. He is a real artist.

I like the analogy to commuting by Bristol (or Impreza as it may be), spot on. While technically I love carbon superbikes, I do battle to get terribly excited by a plastic bike that has come out of a mould.

lardboy

I'd love one of these, mainly because of the looks you'd attract , as people would expect it to fall apart like a clown car at any moment.

Roastie

lardboy wrote:

I'd love one of these, mainly because of the looks you'd attract , as people would expect it to fall apart like a clown car at any moment.

I bumped into a dude (student) on the train to Oxford with one. He'd "found it in his Dad's shed" and was just using it to get around - it was an original, and still in pretty good nick. He did know what it was, so it wasn't that bad.

stuaff

lardboy

Roastie wrote:

lardboy wrote:

I'd love one of these, mainly because of the looks you'd attract , as people would expect it to fall apart like a clown car at any moment.

I bumped into a dude (student) on the train to Oxford with one. He'd "found it in his Dad's shed" and was just using it to get around - it was an original, and still in pretty good nick. He did know what it was, so it wasn't that bad.

I hope you offered him £50 for it?

Roastie

lardboy wrote:

Roastie wrote:

lardboy wrote:

I'd love one of these, mainly because of the looks you'd attract , as people would expect it to fall apart like a clown car at any moment.

I bumped into a dude (student) on the train to Oxford with one. He'd "found it in his Dad's shed" and was just using it to get around - it was an original, and still in pretty good nick. He did know what it was, so it wasn't that bad.

I hope you offered him £50 for it?

I did, £100 in fact, but he said there was no way he'd part with it.

secretsam

Just one bike?

Dunno, something Audax-ish therefore 'guards, with strong but supple wheels, and totally ace brakes for those London Cab moments...possibly steel, why not? Perhaps I'd go to Argos or (drool) Roberts - the 953 Audax machine tested in C+ last year was (adopts his former Bristol accent) so utterly f'kin' gert lush it was untrue.

So a Roberts custom built Audax machine, in good old Reynolds something or other. With Campagnolo, just for a bit of extra class. And a lock you could secure the QE2 with .

secretsam

The Roberts in question:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/articl ... %2Farticle

O'Day

gtvlusso wrote:

¡Bye Ya! wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

My very own fixie (see sig) would be perfect - Although I must say that DDD's Lotus bike looks so well designed - it is a study in pure speed and exhuberence.

I don't think I would go with a carbon road bike....bit too aggressive for bimbling about the town on....and wit would get nicked.

I like the fixie. By the height of your saddle relative to the bars I guess you'd be flat out riding that thing. I favour the head first approach myself. And with the help of a declining top tube like yours; even better. What kind of frame is it?

Barron - British built Reynolds 531lugged Time Trial frame built by Barry Barron of Stowe in Lincolnshire in 1982 for a racer called Barry Frow.

It is a fairlylo pro frame and shoves you quite forward and head down on the riding position.

it is pretty nimble for a TT frame!

It's got pedigree! I'm impressed that it has such a history and likewise that you actually know it. I have a bass guitar like that, but no such wellbred cycles, alas.

My own tange prestige tt-style frame has a compact enough set of angles to make for a bit of toe jam if my foot rides too far forward on its flat pedals. I can see you've a bit more space pedal-to-wheel which, as you say, would freshen the handling nicely. Looking good.

Agent57

SecretSam wrote:

The Roberts in question:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/articl ... %2Farticle

Oooh, yeah, baby.

jedster

Condor Ti Fixie

problem would be where to lock it up...

secretsam

jedster wrote:

Condor Ti Fixie

problem would be where to lock it up...

a bank vault

jedster

a bank vault

yeah, either that or wire it up to a 10kv line...
[/quote]

NGale

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Rich158 wrote:

NGale wrote:

I have simple tastes...

+1

I've been commuting on my dream bike for the last 2 weeks It's not quite a 6.9 pro though, only a lowly 5.2

They had a 6.9 Pro out at Evans in Spitalfields when I was in there with my dad once, he nearly passed out when I turned the price ticket over

The Chap has had one now since December (in fact brought it the week I met him), and he would rather let me near his car before he would that bike. It is rather lovely though.

As for 'no taste' well that's opinion. I am a fan of Trek have been for a long time and always found them to be good bikes, so it's all opinion

DonDaddyD

NGale wrote:

The Chap

Has the 'Good Commander' had a Sean Coombs change Puff Daddy to P.Diddy? Or do you have a new boyfriend?

NGale

DonDaddyD wrote:

NGale wrote:

The Chap

Has the 'Good Commander' had a Sean Coombs change Puff Daddy to P.Diddy? Or do you have a new boyfriend?

the same one, just easier to type..although his name would be easier again I suppose.

CiB

Sorry guys.



A vision of beauty and the original dull family saloon that became something special. Anyone who's had a Golf GTi, 205GTi, Sunbeam Lotus, or any quick road car based on a shopping trolley, give your thanks to this and a mix of Ford and Colin Chapman.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

(It's a Lotus Cortina from the mid-60s for those who haven't clocked it)

cjcp

The Bat Bike. Now we're cooking on gas. Comes equipped with a Scooter-Dispersal System:

gtvlusso

¡Bye Ya! wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

¡Bye Ya! wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

My very own fixie (see sig) would be perfect - Although I must say that DDD's Lotus bike looks so well designed - it is a study in pure speed and exhuberence.

I don't think I would go with a carbon road bike....bit too aggressive for bimbling about the town on....and wit would get nicked.

I like the fixie. By the height of your saddle relative to the bars I guess you'd be flat out riding that thing. I favour the head first approach myself. And with the help of a declining top tube like yours; even better. What kind of frame is it?

Barron - British built Reynolds 531lugged Time Trial frame built by Barry Barron of Stowe in Lincolnshire in 1982 for a racer called Barry Frow.

It is a fairlylo pro frame and shoves you quite forward and head down on the riding position.

it is pretty nimble for a TT frame!

It's got pedigree! I'm impressed that it has such a history and likewise that you actually know it. I have a bass guitar like that, but no such wellbred cycles, alas.

My own tange prestige tt-style frame has a compact enough set of angles to make for a bit of toe jam if my foot rides too far forward on its flat pedals. I can see you've a bit more space pedal-to-wheel which, as you say, would freshen the handling nicely. Looking good.

Tange prestige sounds good - pics anywhere?

I wrote to Barry Barron and told him that I had bought the frame - I was using it for TT at the time, but have fixie'd it for commuting. He was quite impressed and proud that it was still running!
Funny thing with musical instuments and bikes - they become more than the object - my old Fender Strat is beaten to hell and abused, but I would never sell it as I love the sound! Same with my fixie as I love the design, colour, look and feel......Prob bit OTT!

Roastie

ChrisInBicester wrote:

Lotus Cortina

While I share your taste in cars (tho' admittedly mine would be a BDA-engined RS1600), I don't think that qualifies as a bike.

DonDaddyD

You guys are OLD....

Sometimes I feel like getting my Dad to post on the site, he's in his 40s around your Age Group/generation....

Say, what was it like watching Black and White TV's and having milk at school?

roger_merriman

DonDaddyD wrote:

You guys are OLD....

Sometimes I feel like getting my Dad to post on the site, he's in his 40s around your Age Group/generation....

Say, what was it like watching Black and White TV's and having milk at school?

not sure i'm old yet but i remember milk at school and black and white TV though as i didn't watch much tv as a kid, and never have really, when i was a singlton i didn't bother with a TV which always got the TV licencing folk confused.

CiB

Roastie wrote:

ChrisInBicester wrote:

Lotus Cortina

While I share your taste in cars (tho' admittedly mine would be a BDA-engined RS1600), I don't think that qualifies as a bike.

Good call. We used to compete in an RS1800, then a bonkers RS2 on road events till the RACMSA watered that sort of thing down a bit, just after we bent it in Wales. Awesome car; mad to drive and a complete rocketship.

DonDaddyD wrote:

You guys are OLD....

Sometimes I feel like getting my Dad to post on the site, he's in his 40s around your Age Group/generation....

Say, what was it like watching Black and White TV's and having milk at school?

Monochrome TV was great - Pogles Wood was an early favourite of mine. ATV existed but I don't recall watching it much back then [Blue Peter not Magpie type of thing...], and you had to have a different telly to get BBC2 when that arrived. My Grandad was the 2nd in the village to have colour, just in time for the Chelsea Leeds Cup Final replay.

School milk? I didn't like it much tbh - it was in cold pasteurized half-pints and we were more in the habit of scooping milk warm from the milk churns to pour over our weetabix before we went off to school. By bike obviously, or sometimes in the Land Rover if we'd had to round the cows up after they'd got out of the bottom field.

Eeeh. They wert days.

vorsprung

DonDaddyD wrote:

You guys are OLD....
what was it like watching Black and White TV's and having milk at school?

sometime i would get an extra 1/3 of a pint bottle coz the other kids didn't like it
of course b&w tv was more groovy in an op-art kinda stylee

Eau Rouge

ChrisInBicester wrote:

give your thanks to this and a mix of Ford and Colin Chapman.

and Jimmy Clark and his three-wheeling cornering.


For two weeks I had a no-holds-barred Wilier Le Roi, top end Ritchey everything, full last-years Record, Racing Zeros, the works. That was nice. I'd go with a Cento Uno Supperleggera now.

Runoutofgears

I recall the milk was not so good in the summer as it used to warm up in the corner of the class room before we got to it.

TV's used to break down a lot more often, usually on christmas day.

Sorry what has any of this got to do with the topic, what ever that was?