Oh dear : Show us your butchered Retrobikes.... :-(

[MADJEZ]

I was just thinking it looked quite lethal, tbh. Not sure I'd want my son or daughter hanging on to the handle bars while I'm trying to ride. Might just be my kids though.

Talking of lethal, I wouldn't take a child on it. The picture doesn't convey
how totally skewiff the footrests and seat are (not remotely straight).

 

[elPedro666]

I was just thinking it looked quite lethal, tbh. Not sure I'd want my son or daughter hanging on to the handle bars while I'm trying to ride. Might just be my kids though.

Talking of lethal, I wouldn't take a child on it. The picture doesn't convey
how totally skewiff the footrests and seat are (not remotely straight).

Kids are adaptable!

 

[nausea]

OK, maybe this doesn't qualify for full on butchery but it used to look a hell of alot smarter than this!

It's my ex-nickel plated P7 that I've deliberately uglified. I live in London sometimes and I wanted a quality bike with Mavics, Deore, XTR, Race Face etc that would stand up to proper off road abuse but that I could also leave locked up in the city without fear of it getting pinched. I've given it an intentionally sketchy paint job and raided the parts bin for components and of course it has the obligatory Sainsbury's saddle...

Regarding the original GT on this thread - I kinda like it(!) but those nasty protruding footrests would make me very nervous in the event of a crash! Although I guess that would be the least of your worries given that you'd probably have a small child to worry about - I'm not a parent but I imagine puncturing a major organ would be a secondary concern!

 

[secret_squirrel]

That is a work of hideous genius. What's the rear mech?

Kinda reminds me of the frame wrapped in old inner tubes trick but more.

 

[Rampage]

I really like that!
I bet your the sort of person who speeds past people on expensive road bikes?

 

[Neil]

Not sure this definitely qualifies as butchered, and for some stupid, jetlagged, reason, I didn't have the presence of mind to take a photo...

About sixth months ago I spent some time in China (and Hong Kong), and my first night in China, after something of a manic taxi ride from the airport, in Guangzhou (Haule Lu district, if anybody knows it), late at night (well it seemed it, it was about 11pm, but after two 8.5 hour flights, with a 3 hour stopover inbetween in Dubai - it felt late), I'd just nipped out of the hotel to the 7-11 (they were everywhere in China, never saw them in Hong Kong, though...) across the road to get some water.

I was with my brother, who lives there, and just on the corner, propped up on a kick-stand, was the only thing like a retrobike I saw over there. It was a DB WCF Vertex, had been converted to single speed, and looked like (Trigger's broom-esque) like many other components had been replaced several times. It had racks front and back, and was clearly being used as a workhorse / delivery bike.

Unfortunately, it wasn't sporting a small petrol engine like many bikes do over there.

As I was staying a while, I expected to see it again, and grab a photo in daylight, but I never did see it again.

Bikes work hard over there.

Things we think of as BSOs would get used, hard, overloaded, possibly supplemented by petrol power, probably for decades, there.

 

[Rampage]

Strangely when I was in Hong Kong (Kowloon Bay) there was always an old BSO GT locked up outside the 7-11, again the only retrobike I saw!

 

[nausea]

That is a work of hideous genius. What's the rear mech?

Kinda reminds me of the frame wrapped in old inner tubes trick but more.

Rear mech is a 9spd SRAM X9 - my absolute favourite of all time which has a plastic cage! I could never see the point of spending £100 on the carbon caged version when your rear mech is essentially the most vulnerable component on your bike.

And yeah, it often brings a smile on my face when I see the odd London courier riding a bike wrapped in masking tape and newspaper - but by glancing at the components you realise it's probably worth a couple of grand!

 

[nausea]

I really like that!
I bet your the sort of person who speeds past people on expensive road bikes?

This is going back a few years when I was insanely fit but I did burn up an entire road racing club out on their team ride once (I think they even had matching socks on!) AND I was on my full susser with fat tyres on! One of the fondest memories I've ever had on a bike!

And thanks Rampage - it's nice to look at the bike in this context actually - it looks really mean when it's posted up here...

 

[dyna-ti]

I really like that!
I bet your the sort of person who speeds past people on expensive road bikes?

This is going back a few years when I was insanely fit but I did burn up an entire road racing club out on their team ride once (I think they even had matching socks on!) AND I was on my full susser with fat tyres on! One of the fondest memories I've ever had on a bike!

And thanks Rampage - it's nice to look at the bike in this context actually - it looks really mean when it's posted up here...

I passed a couple of fancy dressed mtbers while wearing my huge sailing jacket and wellies and riding my muddyfox pathfinder.I gave them a cheery howdo as i breezed* past
* only till out of sight where i collapsed onto the road in a quivering heap