Imlach's Sweaty Hippie Funk Collection, adventure bikes, rusty rats, cruisers and other alt bastardisations of bicyclery

MattiThundrrr said:
Okay I'll ammend it to just say that it's gross then. The sadness will remain, but it will be all mine
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This remains a challenging thread, and that is what makes it special.

Imlach said:
I'm afraid to say if you're all against long steerers. My Kona rebuild will be grating. Very exciting stuff

.
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I have nothing but appreciation for long steerers. 400mm from the Straggler right? You could go for a record. Make a spacer out of a road sign pole.
 
Imlach said:
What I'm doing to the Kona isn't quite that extreme BTW. But I am going fairly upright because I am tired of trying to do something in a more traditional way (more norba, more aggressive) then gaslighting myself into saying its good when I really wish I was on a Danish/Dutch city bike.
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Back to the talkin!
I guess my builds are planned in the opposite direction. The frame is chosen with the end goal in mind. If I want to build an upright bike, I'll get a frame that works for that instead of trying to make something else work via odd parts. Then I refine it over a decade of inactivity until Serge throws whatever he has on it in frustration so I have something I can actually ride. Would you believe that the Norco isn't my longest running build? There's an upright "British tourist" type nishiki in the garage waiting for a Nexus wheelset.
Started like this in 2020:
128603-IMG-20200620-111244887.webp
Five years later and it looks like this 234387-IMG-20230527-123720445.webp
 
MattiThundrrr said:
Back to the talkin!
I guess my builds are planned in the opposite direction. The frame is chosen with the end goal in mind. If I want to build an upright bike, I'll get a frame that works for that instead of trying to make something else work via odd parts. Then I refine it over a decade of inactivity until Serge throws whatever he has on it in frustration so I have something I can actually ride. Would you believe that the Norco isn't my longest running build? There's an upright "British tourist" type nishiki in the garage waiting for a Nexus wheelset.
Started like this in 2020:
View attachment 950462
Five years later and it looks like thisView attachment 950463
Click to expand...
They do always look full of promise, your builds. Not a stab.
 
MattiThundrrr said:
Back to the talkin!
I guess my builds are planned in the opposite direction. The frame is chosen with the end goal in mind. If I want to build an upright bike, I'll get a frame that works for that instead of trying to make something else work via odd parts. Then I refine it over a decade of inactivity until Serge throws whatever he has on it in frustration so I have something I can actually ride. Would you believe that the Norco isn't my longest running build? There's an upright "British tourist" type nishiki in the garage waiting for a Nexus wheelset.
Started like this in 2020:
View attachment 950462
Five years later and it looks like thisView attachment 950463
Click to expand...
Thing is I buy whatever my heart desires and then I make it work for me. Kona frame is a bit rare I think, so didn't have much options in terms of sizing. I can ride it happy at 19" with a short stem, but it isn't really that comfy. My Kocmo is even larger, can ride comfy without backswept bars but isn't as comfy. I require ultimate comfort. I like upright riding on any bike. Going back historically, at least here in Denmark, commuting / utilitarian bikes were often under or oversized and the quill stem (usually awfully long) could allow just about any rider to get something that works with porteur bars lessening the reach - and if reach too short simply go a bit higher for knee clearance. This I find awfully comfortable. I recall Woz touching on this, stating how porteurs as an example were often short ride and frequent stopping, so didn't have to be very ergonomic. I am a contrarian to this view, because I've found all the other options to be uncomfortable beyond a few hours of riding. I tried to go very norba on the unitrack. And though it was a fun ride in every other regard, I hated being bent over. It was OK for 30 mins maybe, maybe 50 max. But then again, none of those mtbs were designed to be ridden for very long. They were race bikes.
 
I don't know the norba rules, all my bikes are just made to my specifications. I don't really know what my specifications are either, so I just go by feel. I can see a bike and make all kinds of judgment based on these unknown specs too. I can see a bike and most times can tell if I will like it before I ride it. Ask ingola how long I rode his BRC before rendering judgment: literally 10 feet and one bunnyhop and I was in love, because I knew I would like it before I threw a leg over it. I was right too, still one of my favorite of all "our" bikes
 
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