Bicycles I own

Bicycles I own
Ride in the winter? Rides-Self supported Centuries Beyond Commuting Equipment/Accesories Repairs/Maintenance Helpful Links My Bicycles My Fixed Gear Bicycles Still to come Bicycling Safety What About Weather? Equipment/Reviews Home	Gary Fisher Is it some sort of unwritten law that sometime in a biker's life they get to own a Gary Fisher? I don't know that this is true, but I've managed to pick one up, and am working at reworking it. It is a commuter/hybrid/touring bike. The frame is called "Sphinx." I wrote Gary for more information, but they didn't have a clue. So I'm playing with it, and building on it, and will utalize it for commuting. I read somewhere that Gary designed a bunch of bikes, and the ones he didn't want to personally supervise were farmed out overseas. This bike is one of those, as it has a made in Tawain sticker on it. Gary didn't like the results, and has since brought everything back to the states(this guy believes his own press). This bike is really KEWL. I've got it up and running, with 700/49s on it, it's a sweet ride. I did bust the chain on it a month or two ago, and in replacing it have developed a chain slipage problem, so I'm exploring a new crank set and may as well upgrade the BB while I'm at it, but I'm waiting till the snow finally leaves, cause I don't want to wreck a new BB. I also had a major chain suck that took out the drive side spokes, so it was through the Gary Fisher that I learned how to dish, and rebuild a wheel. One of the big helps was Sheldon Brown's site, it's a phenom of information and bicycle distractions, I hope to one day have a site such at his. Bianchi I rode a Bianchi Boardwalk as my commuter bike for a couple years. I had gotten it from a friend. He wasn't riding it any longer, and the Trek mountain bike was not built for commuting. I had also just lost a Schwinn High Plains, so Joe came to the rescue. It was about this time that I moved in with Troy, an avid biker and vegitarian. We'd head out for centuries, and commutes, it was pretty wild. I showed him some single track stuff around town, and he showed some great road work. I don't remember which of us went clipless first, I think it was myself. I'd been reading about them in the press and decided to try them out, and it was the Bianchi that got the nod for the experiment. Man, I've not looked back since. I was putting 30+ miles a day on the bike, and then doing rides with friends, and my brother Spencer on the weekends. I knew a few guys training to do the AIDS ride to Chicago, so I road with them too. Minnesota is dotted with hundreds of miles of paved and old rail bed trails, along with country roads with lotsa white lines. Centuries aren't a problem. I can still remember the first one, and the wall, and the high, and thanking the dude who dogged my ass on the ride, just to keep up with him. Another I've not looked back moment. The frame finally cracked. I was preparing for my trip to Europe. I'd loaded my panniers, and stuffed them on the bike. The bike was fully loaded, and I was going out for a short ride. I'd been busting a spoke on the rear, and the rear had been kinda squirelly coming home the day before. I lifted the bike and headed for the back gate, and the bike didn't lift. The rear stayed on the ground, and dropped down the stairs. I don't know if it was the load, or a crash the day before or just old age, but the frame cracked on both sides of the drop downs from the seat post to the rear axel, just below the welds. I was crushed. Trek I picked up a Trek 6500 mountain bike a couple years ago, and have been single tracking. Since then I've gotten a Trek 7500fx, the bike I took to europe, and went touring. It is a nice bike, not one I'd suggest doing a tour on, but for commuting and getting around town, nice bike. I've modified it with new tires, and bar ends, a rack up front, and in the rear, and Ritchey comp clipless pedals. The frame will accommodate "29s"(large 700cm tires for corss cycling) But be careful some of those larger tires have knobs that tend to rub on the chain stays. Raleigh Okay, here's what I thought when I received this Raleigh "Technium:" "Raleigh? I just dug one of those out of the dumpster." Actually what I dug out was an old ten speed, and offered it to a friend in need of transportation. And I'd been riding Schwinn steel for some time, although once I got a Motobecan, and I thought I was like totally hotdogging it. Well, the Raleigh Technium was a road bike, and I thought I should at least give it a shot. I couldn't ride it as a touring bike, it lacked braze-ons to add a rear rack. The tires were a bit on the thin side, it's a road bike. I also figured there might be a needy rider out there happy to get this if it didn't work for me. Well, I've been riding it, and playing with it, and find it is a 12 year old bike. It is a total of 23 pounds. I've got the Ritchey comps on it, with Specialized "Team," nice rubber, and it sticks to the road. After some experiments with different tire sizes, I've come decided on the 700/20cm I'm riding now. I had a 770/28 in the rear, it was real squirelly, floating out behind me in a turn. I improved the front end with a Cilleni bar. The original bar or set up was for a climbing, which was really awkward for this bike, I was way out over the front end of the bike, and too far over the pedals for effective stroke. Since switching to the drops, and an aero bar, the riding is much better, and I'm doing 1/2 centuries. Cannondale My experience with the Raleigh renewed my interest in road bikes, and I had the chance to pick up two Cannondale frames. One is a purple metalflake frame, that I've fixed with a single gear and climbing bars. I'm running 700/25s on it, and enjoying the burn. The other is a 1995 circa frame at 58cm, just my size. I'm having to build it from the frame up. It has no hardware to it, so I have the opportunity to play with different configurations, like Shimano Ultegra or Dura Ace, or Campy. I have a lot of ideas to use with the frame too. I plan on getting a carbon fork, and carbon fiber bars, have been assured that I won't go back once I try it, that the dampening and lightness of the carbon is sweet. Links The Twin Cities Bicycling Guide Gary Fisher Bianchi bicycles Trek Bicycles Raleigh bicycles Cannondale Bicycles

Bicycles I own

Ride in the winter?

Rides-Self supported Centuries

Beyond Commuting

Equipment/Accesories

Repairs/Maintenance

Helpful Links

My Bicycles

My Fixed Gear Bicycles

Still to come

Bicycling Safety

What About Weather?

Equipment/Reviews

Home

Gary Fisher

Is it some sort of unwritten law that sometime in a biker's life they get to own a Gary Fisher? I don't know that this is true, but I've managed to pick one up, and am working at reworking it. It is a commuter/hybrid/touring bike. The frame is called "Sphinx."
I wrote Gary for more information, but they didn't have a clue. So I'm playing with it, and building on it, and will utalize it for commuting. I read somewhere that Gary designed a bunch of bikes, and the ones he didn't want to personally supervise were farmed out overseas. This bike is one of those, as it has a made in Tawain sticker on it. Gary didn't like the results, and has since brought everything back to the states(this guy believes his own press).
This bike is really KEWL. I've got it up and running, with 700/49s on it, it's a sweet ride. I did bust the chain on it a month or two ago, and in replacing it have developed a chain slipage problem, so I'm exploring a new crank set and may as well upgrade the BB while I'm at it, but I'm waiting till the snow finally leaves, cause I don't want to wreck a new BB.
I also had a major chain suck that took out the drive side spokes, so it was through the Gary Fisher that I learned how to dish, and rebuild a wheel. One of the big helps was Sheldon Brown's site, it's a phenom of information and bicycle distractions, I hope to one day have a site such at his.

Bianchi

I rode a Bianchi Boardwalk as my commuter bike for a couple years.
I had gotten it from a friend. He wasn't riding it any longer, and the Trek mountain bike was not built for commuting. I had also just lost a Schwinn High Plains, so Joe came to the rescue.
It was about this time that I moved in with Troy, an avid biker and vegitarian. We'd head out for centuries, and commutes, it was pretty wild. I showed him some single track stuff around town, and he showed some great road work.
I don't remember which of us went clipless first, I think it was myself. I'd been reading about them in the press and decided to try them out, and it was the Bianchi that got the nod for the experiment. Man, I've not looked back since.
I was putting 30+ miles a day on the bike, and then doing rides with friends, and my brother Spencer on the weekends. I knew a few guys training to do the AIDS ride to Chicago, so I road with them too.
Minnesota is dotted with hundreds of miles of paved and old rail bed trails, along with country roads with lotsa white lines. Centuries aren't a problem. I can still remember the first one, and the wall, and the high, and thanking the dude who dogged my ass on the ride, just to keep up with him. Another I've not looked back moment.
The frame finally cracked. I was preparing for my trip to Europe. I'd loaded my panniers, and stuffed them on the bike. The bike was fully loaded, and I was going out for a short ride. I'd been busting a spoke on the rear, and the rear had been kinda squirelly coming home the day before. I lifted the bike and headed for the back gate, and the bike didn't lift. The rear stayed on the ground, and dropped down the stairs.
I don't know if it was the load, or a crash the day before or just old age, but the frame cracked on both sides of the drop downs from the seat post to the rear axel, just below the welds. I was crushed.

Trek

I picked up a Trek 6500 mountain bike a couple years ago, and have been single tracking.
Since then I've gotten a Trek 7500fx, the bike I took to europe, and went touring. It is a nice bike, not one I'd suggest doing a tour on, but for commuting and getting around town, nice bike. I've modified it with new tires, and bar ends, a rack up front, and in the rear, and Ritchey comp clipless pedals. The frame will accommodate "29s"(large 700cm tires for corss cycling) But be careful some of those larger tires have knobs that tend to rub on the chain stays.

Raleigh

Okay, here's what I thought when I received this Raleigh "Technium:" "Raleigh? I just dug one of those out of the dumpster." Actually what I dug out was an old ten speed, and offered it to a friend in need of transportation. And I'd been riding Schwinn steel for some time, although once I got a Motobecan, and I thought I was like totally hotdogging it.
Well, the Raleigh Technium was a road bike, and I thought I should at least give it a shot. I couldn't ride it as a touring bike, it lacked braze-ons to add a rear rack. The tires were a bit on the thin side, it's a road bike. I also figured there might be a needy rider out there happy to get this if it didn't work for me.
Well, I've been riding it, and playing with it, and find it is a 12 year old bike. It is a total of 23 pounds. I've got the Ritchey comps on it, with Specialized "Team," nice rubber, and it sticks to the road. After some experiments with different tire sizes, I've come decided on the 700/20cm I'm riding now. I had a 770/28 in the rear, it was real squirelly, floating out behind me in a turn.
I improved the front end with a Cilleni bar. The original bar or set up was for a climbing, which was really awkward for this bike, I was way out over the front end of the bike, and too far over the pedals for effective stroke. Since switching to the drops, and an aero bar, the riding is much better, and I'm doing 1/2 centuries.

Cannondale

My experience with the Raleigh renewed my interest in road bikes, and I had the chance to pick up two Cannondale frames. One is a purple metalflake frame, that I've fixed with a single gear and climbing bars. I'm running 700/25s on it, and enjoying the burn.
The other is a 1995 circa frame at 58cm, just my size. I'm having to build it from the frame up. It has no hardware to it, so I have the opportunity to play with different configurations, like Shimano Ultegra or Dura Ace, or Campy. I have a lot of ideas to use with the frame too. I plan on getting a carbon fork, and carbon fiber bars, have been assured that I won't go back once I try it, that the dampening and lightness of the carbon is sweet.

Links

The Twin Cities Bicycling Guide
Gary Fisher
Bianchi bicycles
Trek Bicycles
Raleigh bicycles
Cannondale Bicycles