Bridgestone XO

Sweet looking Bridgestone cross bike (XO) with a single chain ring up front. Not sure of the vintage.

New Bikes!

What's wrong with this picture?

Super stylized bikes in Seattle. One internal gear and one fixie:

1992 Stumpjumper 2.0

I previously posted about reconverting my '92 Stumpjumper from a city bike back to a mountain bike (which basically involved stopping riding on city streets and starting riding on trails...).

1992(?) Specialized Stumpjumper - still need to take the reflective stickers off, or maybe not...

I had some spare parts from the JPR conversion, including the handlebars and brake levers, so I picked up a shorter, steeper stem, some cut-off brake levers and some new pedals and put together a quasi-26" wheeled-cyclocross bike.

A few issues arose with the conversion. First, I needed to get the Travel Agent adjusters to make the V-brakes work with the caliper-compatible road levers. This works by changing the amount of cable pulled by the lever to a greater amount of travel in the v-brakes - pretty clever.

I also had to bend the shifters' clamp/metal straps/attachment area to get them onto the road bars and around the curves, and then had to squeeze the clamp back together and use a longer bolt and nut to secure it all because the diameter of the road bar is greater than a standard flat bar. I shoved the levers as far to the center of the bars as I could to make room for the cut-off brake levers. This is because the handlebars from the Paramount were narrower than those typically used on a cyclocross bike.

Here are some photos, including a gratuitous beach glamour shot.

stem and bars installed

original shifters, brakes and cut-off brakes, tape installed

I also installed these Shimano PD-A530 touring pedals, which have the standard SPD cleat on one side and a flat ample surface for a cleat-free shoe on the other. These pedals are awesome - they have a good amount of float on the cleat side, and the flat side is a bit heavier so the cleat side is always facing up (and slightly back) so you can very easily slam your foot down/forward and get in every time. If you want to use the other side, you just flip it over with your toe. Highly recommended.

A Couple More City Bikes

Some more cool bikes from around town... mostly united in having internal hubs or cassette-only shifting.

ok, this is a single speed, but c'mon, that's a sweet (dish) rack

original issue

match made in heaven?

Interesting Bikes

I'm going to start posting pics I've snapped of interesting bikes - usually bikes that are similar to the JPR, modified commuters built out of old steel frames, racing bikes, etc. Here's a couple:

Ok, right off the bat I'm throwing a curveball - this one isn't steel, it's a Cannondale, but pretty similar style to JPR. It is always parked outside my office and was definitely part of the inspiration for a 7-8 speed with a single chain ring and no front derailleur. Also note the swept bars and racks. Very nice commuter - though I imagine the aluminum frame is rather jarring on Oakland roads. She seems to be running 25mm tires, so faster, but bumpier. 

I only saw this bike once, but did a double take since it looks surprisingly like the JPR. It's a Panasonic, whoo hoo! I have no idea if this is a good frame or not, but the way it was built up looks like someone values it - inverted swept bars, nice saddle, and with non-caliper brakes - maybe it was supposed to be a cyclocross-type bike?

Snapped this from the passenger seat at Shattuck and 52nd - track bike painted solid gold with an internal hub and gripshift. Looks like the nexus so a 7 or 8 speed. Sweet get up and this guy looks like a serious cyclist, but he was in the right lane of two that merge into a freeway ramp, so he got off to a slow start across the intersection and then had to change lanes while people were gearing up to get on the onramp. Not the brightest move, but then, it's a crappy intersection anyway you slice it.

And finally, two glamour shots and a funny wheel insert - Rivendale, Merckx, BART:

A. Homer Hilsen

USA! USA! er, Bel-el-gium!

Remember these things?