r/xbiking

Took our bikes to the beach and put the baskets and cargo net to good use.

The color scheme on the Specialized is beautiful while the Haro is unique. I’ll be doing a 1x conversion and changing the bars and stem on the Specialized and doing a 1x conversion and changing the bars on the Haro.

I restored and converted my dad's 1993 RockHopper Sport into a modernish gravel/fun bike. I remember seeing this thing hanging in my dad's shed for as far back as I can remember and always thought the paint looked so cool. I got halfway through the build before finding this sub and realizing how played out this type of build is, but you guys also inspired me to throw on some snazzy parts to make a look come together.

I stripped it down to the frame and regreased every bearing. Threw a new cassette on the OEM freehub, kept the cranks and the BB because they were in great shape. Microshift Sword groupset, Salsa Cowchipper bars, mild Raceface pedals , and a WTB Volt saddle.

I love this thing and am excited to throw in some gravel/flat riding into my normal singletrack MTB rotation.

This is my do-it-all ride that I built about one year ago. I've been doing some updates to it recently and upgraded to a 9-speed system, a threadless cockpit and some other things. Right now it's pretty much perfect for my needs and couldn't really think of any improvements that could be made. I use it mostly for running errands, commuting and riding riding gravel trails in the weekends.

More photos can be found on my bike blog: https://www.instagram.com/retro\_bike\_love\_stockholm

Hi everyone!

I'm thinking about buying this bike as the base for an xbiking project. After doing some research I think it might be a Marin Eldridge Grade, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know if that's correct? If not, what model do you think it is?

I'd also appreciate your opinion on the frame size, what do you think it is? I'm 189 cm (6'2") tall with an 86 cm (33.9") inseam. Wondering if it would fit me well.

Finally, do you think it's a good candidate for an xbiking build?

Thanks in advance!

92 Heavy Tools HT Pro limited edition, got it in very nice original condition but couldnt help myself putting some fancy stuff on it

Hi guys, few months ago I get Merida Albon tech (painted by previous owner) and turn it into budget commuter. After some time I’m wondering is size correct for me. I’m 173cm and bike is seat tube 47 cm, top tube 56 cm. Saddle is back to the max on seat post. Stem is 70mm. Also second question is, what would you change or upgrade. I’m thinking to modify my basket into something lower, like pizza rack or just low basket. It’s basil robin. I like this bike and this question is just because my curious:)

Just wrapped this one up! Pulled some vintage specialized tires off another project bike. Wish they still made this tire. Stripped the lugs to showcase the brass brazing.

Hi! I have a few questions about the misalignment of my rear wheel relative to the frame...

At the cantilever brakes, I measure a 3mm offset on the derailleur side. I know this apparently happens on road bikes, but I think it’s a lot—you can see it clearly on both sides of the frame, and you can even see the tire sticking out quite a bit when you’re behind the seat tube!

It’s a frame from the ’80s, I suppose, or maybe even the ’70s. I know that axle spacing standards weren’t the same back then as they are today, and I’ve noticed that I have to spread the frame dropouts apart (though I doubt the misalignment is caused solely by that). In the last photo, I removed a washer that was wedged between the wheel axle clamping nuts to shorten the axle a bit, but that’s still not enough, so I’m hesitating to remove the one on the sprocket side.

If anyone can reassure me or tell me whether this is a serious problem, I’d love to hear it doctor 👨‍⚕️

Thanksss

Had this bike for 6 years and switched out components gradually. Just added the cruiser bar today

Almost 10 years ago, I was expecting to meet my dad early on a Saturday morning. We were going to visit a bike store so he could buy me a new bike. That never happened. Instead, that day I found him dead at home. 

It took me 9 years to finally buy a new bike. I recently came to the realization that this bike is the essence of what my dad embodied when it came to bikes.

He has always been a bike enthusiast but never selfish about it. We had probably 15 bikes for the 5 of us. He insisted that every family member had a proper bike. In fact, our bikes were often rather unique; my first proper bike was a custom build he bought for me. He argued that just in case a war broke out and we needed to flee, it would be good to have a reliable bike. He was serious about this, being born in a war zone and escaping his home at an early age.

He always made sure that our bikes were safe and durable. Everything had to work perfectly including lighting and roughly 25 reflectors all over the bike (I am not even exaggerating). A rear rack and mudguards were basically a must too although I found it kind of uncool. But our bikes were supposed to be used all year in all weather conditions and never just for display. He did not really care so much about the looks anyways. Fixing and repairing almost everything himself, he had quite unorthodox methods to do so. For example using duct tape for every third repair use case (that looked terrible).

Us kids were supposed to take care of our bikes. Rule number one: always lock your bike to a solid object with a heavy steel lock. It was only after his death that my siblings and I found out he had actually “stolen” an old BMX bike from us many years ago when my brother left it unlocked during sports practice. We did not believe our eyes when we found it hidden deep in a corner of his garage after his death. I am sure he did this to teach us a lesson to take care of our things - bikes in particular.

We cycled on off road trails. We cycled to school, to sports, and to the grocery store. We cycled to our allotment garden, to bike fairs and we cycled on family vacations and bikepacking tours (I will never forget our trip in the Swiss Alps). We also just cycled to cruise around.

After I finally got my new bike many years after his death, I realized that my blueprint for it already existed. I had inherited his beautiful old trekking bike equipped with a Rohloff hub. It served me well for the past years and I kept it running. However, I had to accept that this bike has its limits after dealing with a broken frame, snapped seat post, and other failing parts. Sooner or later, I needed a new bike. 

My dad always taught me: “We are not rich enough to buy low quality” - buy cheap, buy twice. So for this new bike, there would be no financial compromises. No cutting corners on safety, no half assed measures, and no rushing the creation process.

I subconsciously honored his strict security rules. The new bike features two heavy-duty locks, secure locks, GPS tracking, high end disc brakes, and one of the best integrated lighting systems on the market. Only regarding the 25 reflectors, I slipped because I just cannot see them anymore (Sorry dad!). In fact, I even removed them from my pedals. I got the frame painted  in a bright color to stay visible instead :)

By the way having a priority on a clean looking bike without any duct tape also differentiates me from him. At the same time, the look of my new bike definitely encapsulates some of his quirkiness. And on the quality aspect, I made zero compromises. Every component of my bike was handpicked to be indestructible and the bike has a total allowed weight capacity of 160 kg (350 lbs). I do not need to fear snapping components anymore. I can finally ride fast, feel safe, and just have fun. 

I am sure he would be happy to see this. Fingers crossed I will never need it to flee from a war. But if the day ever comes, I will be prepared. 

My dad showed me that having high quality bikes and taking care of them is a great investment that serves you for years. But on a deeper level, he showed me that bikes do not just exist to get us from A to B. They give us the freedom to go anywhere. They are companions in life that allow us to do cool stuff with cool people, while creating memories that outlive us. 

Ride on 

• ⁠Frame: Surly Disc Trucker (64 cm), finished in RAL 1016 (Sulfur Yellow) + Metallic 

• ⁠Cockpit & Seating: Surly Moloko bars wrapped in Lizard Skins DSP neon yellow tape, Ergon GA2 grips, Ergotec Pike 2 stem, Ergotec Ray seatpost, Chris King seat clamp, and a Brooks C17 Special Cambium All Weather saddle (Natural).

• ⁠Headset & BB: Chris King NoThreadSet (Stainless Steel bearings/Silver) & Enduro Bearings MAXhit bottom bracket.

• ⁠Drivetrain: Rohloff Speedhub 14-speed (Silver) paired with a White Industries A30 Crankset (Polished Silver) and a Rohloff chain tensioner.

• ⁠Brakes: Shimano XT hydraulic levers (BL-M8100) and flat-mount calipers (BR-M8110) with Rohloff/Tektro 160mm rotors.

• ⁠Lighting (Full SON Setup): SON 28 12 disc dynamo front hub, SON Edelux II headlight (Polished Silver), and a rack-mounted SON rear light.

• ⁠Wheels & Tires: Custom-built SunRinglé Duroc 30 rims laced with Sapim Race spokes, wrapped in Teravail Cannonball 47-622 gravel tires.

• ⁠Racks & Fenders: Pelago Commuter front (Medium/Silver) and rear racks (Polished Silver ), paired with black Pelago Aluminium Fenders (55mm).

I picked up this 1996 Claud Butler Enduro bike for £30. So far, I've replaced the worn bottom bracket, chain, tyres, saddle, replaced the cantilevers with v-brakes. I've put on a new set of pedals and plan to swap out the handlebar and install a front basket.

It's running a Shimano Altus c50 3x6 groupset, which I'm debating replacing with a 3x7 or 1x10 groupset, as well as replacing the grip shifters and brake levers.

Any recommendations on upgrades, or specific component upgrades and what they'll require? I don't know too much about building bikes and am fortunate to be learning from other bike builders as well as YouTube. Any advice appreciated :)

I have this Schwinn Sierra that I really love. I love the look of it and I think most of the parts are original on it. I’m not in love with the friction 3x drivetrain and want to upgrade it without losing the vintage/OEM look. What are my options?

patched an old trek sport 800 as my commuter.

new parts:

__ergotec ahead adapter

__rfr 35° 70mm stem

__second hand giant connect 690mm riser handlebar

__shimano deore v-brakes

__shimano tiagra levers

__vittoria mezcal tires

__restrap straps

the bag is from decathlon with hand-embroidered designs from Alex Khabbazi (Kbar) and Axel Torvenius

I've decided I'm ditching the frame bags and seat bags and handlebar bags in favor of a much more manly option. A boy basket to hold my man purse.