on the Bike front...any old Roadies here?

[kidsmoke]

I know several of you, Northern Rockies folks in particular, are mountain bikers, but are any of you roadies? I was a fairly dedicated enthusiast throughout the 90's, had my "Bicycling" subscription, lusted after gear like I lust over amps and flamed maple tops now.

I purchased a high quality bike in the late 80's and it's still my ride today. Well, my wayward son, early 20's, has been a bit of a knucklehead in the last couple of years. fortunately he's stayed out of real trouble, but he's been pretty aimless, etc etc etc. Currently not allowed to enjoy the priveleges of driving, and Mom and Dad, while eager to help, are drawing the line at just writing a check to make it all go away. fortunately, money is the only obstacle, he didn't get a DUI (thank God) but myriad parking tickets and tollway fines etc.

TO MY POINT! Kid is 6'7" +. We were having a heart to heart about the state of things, what are the obstacle to change etc. I made a concession. I'd buy him a decent bike, allowing him greater mobility for job searching and general transportation, and hopefully giving him an outlet for some of his aimless energy, emotional malaise etc. Illinois is great in the fact that you can ride for hours and hours, and cover a lot of ground.

so to craigslist I went, hopeful to find something reliable for not a lot of money. Came across a 26" Fuji Del Rey. Seems like a great bike, and it was in GREAT condition, new tires, tubes, cables, handlebar tape, newly tuned up (obviously). Steel frame, suntour components (friction, not SIS)

this model completely escaped me before. Any of you old timers recall these?

Greatest thing is it FITS. My son looks like a Praying mantis....as thought his arms are longer than his legs, and getting a bike he could stretch out on was a ......stretch. I'm psyched. More than I wanted to spend, but the benefits could be tremendous.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/tiokimo/side.jpg

[sunvalleylaw]

i love old road bikes. A lot of folks ride those around here, or turn them in to cross bike commuters. I ride my road bike some, especially on shoulder seasons. It is a 24 year old alu trek 1200. I would like to upgrade sometime to something made in this century, but all my bike dough tends to go to my MTB. Those older steel bikes are cool though.

I know Spud rides road quite a bit. He can speak for himself though. ;-)

[Spudman]

What a monster sized frame.

I've been spending most of the year strictly road riding. Started the year with 250 mile weeks and got really fit, but as the summer has gone on I've switched to other physical outlets: hiking and back packing, mountain climbing, guitar playing etc. It's so smokey here right now that I don't feel too compelled to go out and workout so instead I'm eating Cheese Nips and typing on the computer. (with Italian accent) Say hello to my little gut.

Cycling is a great way to get around. You end up hearing, smelling and seeing things that get missed in a car. And if you don't get hit by a car it's a great way to extend your life. The health benefits are tremendous.

[kidsmoke]

What a monster sized frame.

Cycling is a great way to get around. You end up hearing, smelling and seeing things that get missed in a car. And if you don't get hit by a car it's a great way to extend your life. The health benefits are tremendous.

Amen to that. I was a daily bike commuter for 13 years. My machinist days. Man do I miss that. I did have one trip to the hospital which has had some lingering effects, but I think it'll never be more than a nagging memory.

Really hoping that my son discovers that part of it. Good "head" time for a young man. A lot of garbage gets thrown at a 20 something these days, especially if they haven't chosen a path. Seems to me hammering away at the miles could do more than just a body good.

this bike is unbelievably light, particularly given it's monstrous dimension, and being steel. @Sunvalleylaw - yep, steel frames have spiked in value in urban markets, with dozens of entrepreneurs doing fixie conversions on them. We were lucky on this one.

@spudman: 250 miles in that part of the country is nuts. My longest day ever was 160, Chicago to SW Michigan. Wind at our tail, peloton 6 deep. Midwest is a piece of cake though. You've got serious hills. I can't imagine.

[Tig]

I could ride inside the front triangle of that bike! Those old steel Fuji's are great bikes.

My first few road bikes (not including the Schwinn 10-speed I had in middle school) were aluminum Cannondale's. In the mid to late 80's, they were the only light bikes I could get, but they beat the crud out of you. I finally got a sweet steel Tommasini Diamante in 1989. I've loved steel since. Sure, I still enjoy uber carbon fiber frames, but won't ever go without a steel frame in the quiver.

Mine was much smaller. It looked similar to this, but with a splatter paint scheme.
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/132/420304308_8882489c7f.jpg

Sadly, it died in a crash (really, but not this photo!) I later made a stool out of the rear triangle.
http://gallery.roadbikereview.com/data/roadbike/500/look_ma_no_hands.jpg

Here's an old photo of my current fixed gear, a Soma Rush. Many of the parts have been changed.
http://gallery.roadbikereview.com/data/roadbike/500/medium/Soma3.jpg

I don't have any other steel bike photos available.
Ah, here the single speed 29'er MTB bike at the top of a climb near San Antonio.
http://gallery.mtbr.com/data/mtbr/500/medium/239944Rig_3.JPG

[sunvalleylaw]

My wife was GIVEN an '88 steel Colnago that is just beautiful. I wish I could ride it. My son does, but he is outgrowing it quickly, as he is getting as tall as me now, and has the same size MTB frame as I do. (That Trance I got him earlier this year).


Once in a while you can find something pretty good around here, but often people already know what they have.

@Tig, yeah, my alu Trek beats the crap out of me still. The frost heaves we get are punishing. It is on the small side too, as I thought I was going to be a triathlete when I got it, and went small. I hope to replace it sometime. But I don't want to throw much money at the project for the amount I road bike. Mostly commuting time, which I sometimes do on my '89 oversized steel Fisher (not Gary Fisher yet) Paragon with Ritchey Tom slicks and riser bars. Commuting kinda like a Dutchman. But having an actual road bike is faster.