help me build a solid all-weather commuter

[cchris2lou]

I sometimes go to Pembroke to visit some friends .

I keep telling my wife that we should move to Wales , I love it there .

 

[scant]

when you travel west along the M4, you're 8miles south of me... you can easily see the mountain behind my house from the M4. As you travel east to west & go through a tunnel (still M4) look right (north) & you'll see the mountain

 

[cchris2lou]

Can you put a flag on top of the mountain , to make it bit easier .

The riding must be so much better than round here , north kent .

 

[rody]

Weps,

What kind of distance are we talking?

My personal fav project was building up a '62 Schwinn classic cruiser with 26" wheels, riser bar, smooth tires, fenders and an custom rack on the back. Added lights and a nice single chainring crank, too.

Commuted on this for 8 years without a single mechanical. Looked classy too.

Just picked up another to play with, can always find them cheap at garage sales and such.

Keep the function simple, the vibe fresh, and your spirit will soar each day on the way to the humdrums of working for a living.

cheers,

rody

 

[scant]

yo rody!

rody, you have my attention! Can you post up a pic of your cruiser? I could be very interested you have my personal email

 

[rody]

Sadly Mike,

The reason I commuted on it for 8 years, not "commuting", is because it was nicked from the local shop where I worked. Alas, for the majority of the years I rode it as a fixed gear. Never locked it up and had the pleasure once of watching a guy try and ride away on it while taking a serious beating to his lower extremities due to the constantly rotating pedals...he dumped it and ran off

It was liberated from me shortly after brazing on canti bosses and adding the freewheel :x

I picked up this latest bike, another '62, to recreate my project...I loved it that much . It will be my next project, hope to get it completed for the summer months. I'd be glad to share a progress thread, if there's interest, once I get going on it.

These old cruisers make great commuters; beefy frames, easily modified with simple tools, and can be beat on and ignored with nothing but smiles in return. You can usually pick them up fairly cheap, like 40 - 60 US if you are patient.

rody
keep it groovy!

 

[weps]

its a very short ride...only a mile or so.

i am just looking for some ideas and possibilites i'd have overlooked otherwise. the cruiser idea is appealing though. a co worker has one and seems to enjoy it quite a bit. i'll have to see if i can get him to let me try it out some time.