The bike you SHOULD be riding......

Interesting thread.
I have some old ornament bikes that hardly ever get riden, when I do its just a work commute.
The biggest thing for me is the bar width, I've got road bikes with wider bars now.

I have recently been planning to rebuild my P7 back to a nice simple, comfortable bike with wide bars just for something different to ride now and again as a change from road and cx bikes.
 
A pal of mine theorised that each of us has an ideal bike in mind and we keep modifying our bikes towards it. As a result you can get several functionally identical bikes in the garage.

For me it's an early 90's frame with rigid forks and drop bars. I just like riding that way, chucking on a touring load, doing all-day rides on moderate terrain. I now have two of them, and at the same time keep puzzling how fat the tyres on my road bike can go...
 
Sounds to me like we're aiming at a thorn.... But with one of our old retro loved rides, people often laugh at the super hight from end of a my raven but they are a comfortablea all rounder, maybe not a fantastic off roader but it's done a fair few off tarmac routes.

IMG_20220716_121344.jpg
 
My old fusion 120...

Beaten up scratched, but a good holiday bike.

Most were put IMG-20211220-WA0001.jpeg there by my dad so I'm loathed to do anything with it tbh ..let alone a new paint job!
 
Still figuring it out.

Which is nice excuse to keep buying them! ;)

That said, it's probably looking more and more like a cross bike (new or old), with a mix of new and old components, things I like or have always liked, that are tried, true and comfortable.

I also have to like how it looks just sitting there. Or I won't want to sling my leg over it!
 
But what if the beautiful bike ALSO fits your beautiful but worn down body!?

One thing I think I'm going to quickly be adjusting, and this is as much time, cost and scarcity as much as it is a desire to ride something that fits and works better, is to be much less beholden to period correct builds.

Sure, certain bikes and frames still "deserve" the time and cost and attention of doing so (I do love the hunt and capture, after all), but I think I'm going to build a lot more for fun and practicality in the months and years ahead. I still think the parts have to fit the style and should of the frame, but I guess that doesn't always mean that needs to be period.

Other than hoping to stumble upon a couple more unicorns grazing in the wild, my main bike-related goals are as follows:

1. Finish the bikes in my collection currently needing minor adjustments to their original builds.
2. Build a well-fitting, cheap, beat-up 26" camping bike, using mostly what I already have on hand in my various parts bins.
3. Try to find a secondhand Black Mountain Monstercross and build that up with a mix of new and old parts.
4. Ride this retromod I'm working on now a whole bunch, and decide if that's a more realistic and comfortable approach for the majority of vintage 26" builds moving forward.
5. Based upon #4, begin to make inquiries about a one-off custom frame and fork that fits me exactly how I'd like, and does almost everything I might want, based on more relaxed, upright 80's geometry, and throw a bunch of old things I love on it!
 
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