Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Bike 12: Pinarello

I was out and about for a short time today.  I was walking quickly down Congress Street and passed MECA when out of the corner of my eye I spy a black carbon fiber fork with that great little club symbol ;Colnago. I see the worn blue frame with PINARELLO in white lettering.  'Woah-ho-hoah 'I think I wanna see this one.  I quickly grabbed a photo and took peek at it.  

This thing could be real sweet.  However, the bars and stem look horrible.  The carbon fork doesn't seem to match well with the steel frame and the spoke card is cliche. 
 I think Ill keep an eye out for this one on craigslist because the chances are good that a 19 year old art student will need money for beer and pot.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Bike 11: Homemade

Sitting out at lunch the other day in front of the Public Market this guy comes rolling along on this homemade recumbent trike with electric assist.  He parked locked it up and walked off before I got a chance to talk to him. 
It's pretty cool but all the metal makes me think that without the electric assit this thing  is heavy and would be hard as fuck to pedal up hill.




-ride on.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Bike 10: Felt Curbside


I have been slacking of the bike pics. *meh* 
Bike #10 was seen in front of the Bard coffee shop on Middle Street. The bike is a Felt Curbside and seems pretty obviously that the person who owns it diddn't want to build up a bike but wants the 'cool' look and presumably the simplicity and minimalism of a fixie/ss. The rear hub is a flip flop style. I didn't check which side it was on. I presume that it is SS since both the front and rear breaks remained attached.

Its a nice bike.  But for $700 there are alot better bikes out there.
Plus in my opinion the purity of building up a bike has been neutered.

Carry on.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Bike 9: Schwinn Sports Tourer

I finally had my camera with me when I spotted this post worth rig.
LOCATION: Monument Square, in front of Zahrras
BIKE: Schwinn Sports Tourer.
COMMENTS:  This thing is totaly set up for the urban environment of Portland. A classic milk crate trunk mounted on to the rear rack, a bell, a mirror, kick stand, light mount and fenders all set this up nicely for trips around town. 
It is just ugly enough to not get stolen (hence the cheap 4-digit cable lock) but has enough upgrades to likely keep it a smooth riding bike. The new(ish) front rim, an Alex DA16 and a schwinn springer seat were two things I liked the most. The seat post does not look original but the triple chain ring does. All in all a good in town winter beater.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Bike 8: SE...twice




I took a picture today of this fair looking SE single speed.  It had a flip-flop hub and was respectfully on the fixed side.  The chain was slightly rusted and definitely needed some chain oil and a scrub down.  The bull horn bars are cool. The alexa rims, tektro breaks and levers are stock.   The track style rear drop outs are excellent. So, I got in and opened up the pics and realized that I had taken a pic of this bike only three months ago.

The seat is totally different, perhaps for comfort reasons. The sheath on the top tub pad is gone,sadly. A water bottle cage and fenders have been added. The glass jar filling in for a water bottle has GOT to be replaced.  Dude, if you hit a bump and that thing jumps out...glass all over the place; And it will probably be in a bike lane where another rider could flat from your glass; And you yourself could get cut from glass in a crash. 

The owner is pretty obviously a local commuter/rider and seems to be riding it hard and putting it away wet. 

Friday, October 9, 2009

Bike 7: Torker U-District


Not much to say about this one, plus I dont have much time to write today.
I saw this single speed bike  locked up near Free Street. I have never heard of Torker. The Alex rims and matte black paint were the notables on this machine.  The front brake had been removed  and the cable wrapped around the bars.  It looks like a some what sketchy set up but may just be temporary until a repair can be made.



Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Bike 6: Motobecane Mirage


Eric let me shoot a pic of his Motobecane Mirage, reconfigured into a single speed, in front of One City Center recently.  The bike had been his mothers but was much too big for her. The 52x16 chainring and cog looked big to me so I asked how he liked the set up.

'Well, its really good on flat roads and ones that have a slight decent.'

I bet it does.  Thanks Eric.