r/xbiking

And got caught on a little drizzle on my way home 🚴‍♀️🌧

#willbikeforfood

I was given this Trek 6000 for free and I'm turning it into a retro commuter. I think it's early 90s (possibly 1991?), so if anyone can confirm the year I'd appreciate it.

Use: commuting, shops, cafes, plus the odd easy ride on tracks and fields. Nothing technical. I'm going for a restomod look and want to keep the original paint.

What's on it, as far as I (and Claude) can tell:
- Bonded aluminium frame, rigid fork, original neon yellow splatter paint in pretty good condition.
- SunTour XC Ltd triple crankset, SunTour front and rear derailleurs
- Friction thumb shifters (not indexed)
- Cantilever brakes with Aztec pads
- Araya VP-20 rims, 26 x 1.50
- Matrix quill stem (surface rust), True Temper bars
- Sakae pedals
- Mudguards front and rear

Where I'm at: the chain recently snapped and my local shop says the drivetrain is generally worn. They quoted about £200 for a 1x8 conversion, which is more than I want to spend. I'd rather replace what's worn with used or budget parts from eBay. I’ve added the Billy Bonkers and the flite seat was gifted by a friend which I’m not precious about keeping as it’s a little firm. The friction shifters work but can’t quite use the full range of gears, and even I can tell they’re past their best.

Questions:

1. What's the cheapest sensible way to sort the drivetrain? What do I need to measure or check before buying a chain and freewheel/cassette?
2. The stem is rusty. Clean it up or replace it? I understand the brake cable runs through it, so I'd need a cable hanger if I swap?
3. Which upgrades give the most for the money on a bike like this (grips, brake pads, cables, anything else)?

I have no bike mechanical experience but a friend has tools and a workshop. I'm in the UK. Thanks in advance.

Stole this old bike from my parents garage, it was collecting dust. The paint job was too awesome not to put some TLC into it. Put on a new wheelset, tires, handlebar, brakes, brake levers and grips. Love this bike!

Not sure how I feel about the top tube decal, might be a little too big.

Hey guys Ill be doing kinda an extended stay in the dmv area I was just wondering if anyone knew of any bikes shops in that area that follow the same ethos as this sub or that you guys just seem to really love. And if you just want to shout out your favorite bike shops where you live I’d love that also !!! And obligatory pic of new bike we built the homie who needed a bigger frame. Vintage gt with a parts bin and a late night :)

After watching a reel by @jeremyoungdesign, I decided to take a stab at this.
Note: Of course, it's not a real dimpling tool like the pros use. It's just a tool for greedy bike dudes to fit bigger tires on their bikes.

I learned a couple of things:

- I don't have enough woodworking tools to carve the base, so I came up with a solution: I split the support base in half and combined it with a piece of plywood. It turned out pretty well.

- To dimple an already-dimpled chainstay (most retro MTBs are already dimpled), a bigger die is easier to use—at least in my case, since I was using a 3D-printed die.

If you want to give it a try:
The dimpling tool
The tire fit tool

I’ve recorded me dimpled my Giant HL7400 frame here

Proceed at your own risk. DYOR.

First ATB, got it for 75$ (delivered, so I avoided doing a 90km round trip.) Parts are nothing to write home about, and the frame has basically no digital footprint lol.

But this has been a fun bike to have. Riding it makes smile and gives me that sense of freedom I had as a child when I had my bike.

First things I did when I got it were instantly changed/adjusted the 3 touch points. Changed the saddle, the grips (also adjusted the bars, controls, bar ends, I also made custom cork bar end plugs), aaaand pedals. All of these I had lying around except the grips.

Then just cleaned and adjusted the drivetrain, surprisingly this thing shifts really fast and precise, I did not expect it to shift this well. The chain is still good in terms of wear, but I am a bit OC with how I like my chains to look clean, so I have one on its way.

Low-key glad it is a 3x6 speed because if it had a freehub I would probably eventually convert it to 1x and it will become another money pit. Since I can't do that, it will stay as it is, until something breaks, or I have a lot of extra money lol.

Might get a front rack or basket rack eventually, but those things are the same price of the bike lol

Anyway let me know what you guys think? Reasonably priced? Or I overpaid?

Spotted at Café am neuen See in Berlin.
Me likey

Picked up this Osprey for $25, going to convert it into a gravel/touring bike.

Any advice on converting the shimano STX group set into a 1x?

Going to put on moloko handlebars, and a rack on the back and eventually switch to 650b tires with disc brakes.

Super rare model, hence the price. Jumping some shrimps? Not without this bad boy.

My daily to the ride to the train station. Puts a smile on my face every morning.

Im gonna go check this out tomorrow but can't find anything on a Marin single speed 🤷

Been building on this bike for a few months now and it's almost where it needs to be.

1993? Bianchi Ibex. Frame was free, as were the tires. Wheels were $100 off eBay and the only thing new on it are the grips. The fork I tried on a couple of bikes over the past year or so but this is the one it works for.