What bike did you ride today?

[DrRumack80]

That’s one beautiful Trek!

Thanks! It's a lugged True Temper frame made by Trek in Wisconsin. I got it as a bare frame from Jeff Archer at First Flight Bikes and did a custom build, using a mix of old and new parts. Drive train is a Velo Orange triple crank, Shimano SLX derailleurs, shifters & 10 speed cassette, and a Phil Wood rear hub. I also have a '91 Trek 750 that is factory stock.

 

[Mr. Monkeyarms]

Today I did my long loop up San Diego Creek and Sand Canyon in Irvine on the 1938/9 Shelby Flyer. I got it from a guy in Montana who found it as a frame/fork/stem/bars/crankset behind a barn. Not sure what it weighs, 30-something. It's old now and has a gazzillion miles but still dances around with eager abandon when standing and/or powered up same as when it came to be. A full rigid ride for perspective.
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Rider Fit. This bike fits me with the long post. I'm tall, so I need leg extension but can adapt to the shortish reach and locked-in foot position knowing the overall benefit of stiff shoes and clipless pedals that give back. I just put on a new seat that I just got, taking a chance it would be comfortable and it was. 12.5" BB height, 43.5+ wheelbase, 70 head, 65 seat angles. A real good 4.25 on fit.
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Moving out. The yellow bee feels quick and doesn't make any noise getting up to speed. The Sach indexing shifter, my favorite 3-spd shifter, is flawlessly smooth and predictable, unlike the klanky Sturmey triggers. Seat felt good straight away on the arse, I love these 23" wide original- to- the bike bars and they also stay out of the way of my knees. I had my hands basically in two different spots on them the entire ride, on the ends or a 1/2 grip forward. You are kinda locked into place on this machine and punished a bit if you try to move around too much. Feels fast and responsive. 4.5
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Mechanical Highlights. This bike has nice wheels also. Just replaced another failed lower headset cup and crown race with a wider upgrade. Shelby headsets are crap imo. The wheels are not super light with the old Sturmey front drum brake and 515 Sachs, both 36 hole, but with respectable rotating weight and great braking power. I think I just serviced this front drum and it is very effective combined with the rear coaster 3-spd and in a panic stop it slows down fast. Curvy old Shimano road crankset with White Industries adjustable chromo BB with ceramic bearing upgrade. Synchros 46t ring. 18t cog. Gets a 4.5 spec.
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Performance. I built this years ago with faster in mind. Even with the heavy hubs, the wheels are quick and are easy to keep spinning fast. I wish someone made some 650 gram, high pressure baldy skin-walls, but the Bontrager Hank is no longer. The Electra aftermarket tires aren't the lightest, (these may be around 1100 grams) but they do the job and are high pressure. I ran 50lbs. This bike dances around left and right when standing up and cranking powered up. 150mm wide seat stays out of the way and is easier to get on and off of quickly. Nothing on this bike flexes except the wheels and it is the stiffest of the bikes front to back. Stiff shoes and clipless is superior performance wise. It gives you a completely connected to the bike feeling, and confidence of knowing you will never blow off the pedal suddenly by accident. The old Shimano crankset does not flex, nor did the White BB spindle. Climbs well. 4.25 performance score.
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Stealth Factor. As quiet as a mouse. The only sound was what the tires made and only the tread on pavement song. This bike is very smooth. I was thinking about words that best describe it and came up with "tight" and "silky". 4.5 Stealth score! Wowza.
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Another great ride today on the full rigid Shelby Flyer Roadster. Longest test ride with the most climbing so far in the american metal shootout. I really like this bike. Makes me think about stuff that matters when rolling, like binary switches and life itself. Thanks for all the nice comments and following along on the rides. Keep riding Cabers!

I'm really enjoying your shootout Pete! Although I don't like yellow very much & haven't added the numbers yet for total scores on the bikes you've featured so far, this bike is my favorite at this point. I have a fondness for Shelby made bikes and your write up is exactly as I thought it would perform.

The Bonus Points I award this bike are variable to the extent needed to remain the Highest Total to date since your description also relates to womens undergarments: "tight" & "silky". Just the way I like 'em......

Q: How's that bike ride??
A: Like ladies underwear!

 

[Ernbar]

Early morning 15 mile ride on the 41 Westfield before the cool front arrives later bringing some rain.

 

[SKPC]

I'm really enjoying your shootout Pete!

Classic! Yea Eric, I thought twice about using those words for the very reason you mentioned, knowing that may come to mind. The bike certainly is tight(cones/bearings, no do-dads) and smooth as silk at all times, and no doubt both are a good thing!~~~~~
1936 Shelby Flyer Streamliner
Rider Fit. This long, slack Shelby is a good fit for me. Feels like I am 1/2 way back to the axle and back on the bars. Laid back. (carefull!) Not a bad thing necessarily as it is comfy. Nice big seat with a long post to get full & proper extension(watch it!) and a lot of hand positions on the 30" wide bars. 65seat/69 head angles, 45" wheelbase, 12"bb height. Did not weigh it, estimated 40+pounds. 4.0

Moving Out. Get's up to speed well with the three speed but there are light noises coming from everywhere mysteriously. Must be the fenders and guard for the most part. Maybe the old skip tooth chain complaining. Seat metal pops. Fenders sing a bit when cruising maybe and noises seem amplified like a tuning fork going off. Cruises right along though real good and feels both smooth and a bit sluggish at the same time from the tires. 3.0

Mechanincal Highlights. This one is easy. The bike is stock mechanically. Nothing really jumps out at you at first, like apehangers, bananna seats, sissy bars. streamers, propellers, horns, lights, animal parts or other do-dads that don't do much for the bike or its' performance profile IMO, but it does have a secret stealth weapon! The shiny laced-in 515 Dreigang using old recycled butted spokes and two-flat long nips. I must have serviced this hub recently cause it brakes really fast and it hauls down to a stop faster than you would expect. The tripple steps are light-ish compared to any other prewar or wartime rim that came after them, but don't run a cheap tire on them above 30psi as there is no bead hook. A loose spec tire will blow off these rims and ruin your day, especially if the rim is not straight and undamaged. Unfortunately the piggy tires (CST's) ruin the lightweight feel of the rotating weight the wheels do have. I would love to ride this bike with some fat skinwall Bontrager Hank Baldys. If so, it would really scoot along. Almost forgot the suspension saddle. All long-springs isolate you from the road bumps big time. 3.0 on mechanical.

Performance When I got on this bike today, I wasn't looking forward to it too much after the ride yesterday on the Yellow Bee. This bike I know is a bit noisy, and has heavy-ish wheels to push down the road. I was feeling somewhat lazy so only rode 35 miles at a slower pace and enjoyed the coastal ride. You can move up onto the rivet of this long saddle and get more power down to the pedals, but the bike wants to slow back down and settle into neutral (55-22t) and just cruise at the most 13-16mph in the flats. The seat keeps the road feedback limited, but the only other performance this bike exhibits is the ability to grind up short climbs easily in a lower climbing gear. With some light tires, this performance rating could change a bunch. 2.75

Stealth Factor Well, this fendered and chain-guarded bike is not stealthy. You should hear it when the drop stand is on it. There is a clip back there. All kinds of light and mysterious sounds emanate from all over this machine. . Everything (all of the little noises) conspire to keep the bike singing in some way the entire time it is rolling. The chain is mostly suspect but again, the seat is also somehow involved in the conspiracy as is the road noise from the tires. The three speed is a bit stealthy as you don't expect to see it there but this long toad could be made to sneak up on a roadie now and again in the flats and sit in the draft. I listened to some music today so was able to ignore the other unwanted bike music for the most part. When it's going fast, you don't hear the bike as much as the wind helps rub it out. 2.5

Great ride today on the Blue Shelby Streamliner as I call it. It looks really fast but isn't. It is a capable all-around flatlander with the Dreigang on it so it is worth riding for a few hours at a time. Eric, glad you can predict (imagine) exactly how the Yellow Shelby rides, but of course you really can't until you hook up with it. You would LOVE it! I also thought about a Bonus Point category but balked. I know of a few Cabers who could properly push the Yellow roadster down the highway. but how many? Has to be a few here. How many bikes is that so far? 4? Yea, three left. I haven't kept score or looked back yet as it would be cheating. The more important thing is to Keep Riding Cabers! Ride don't hide those wheeled relics!

 

[tripple3]

I left early, to ride;
Sunset Beach Water tower, turn back to SA river trail, to Old Towne Orange.
1936 Coral Colson, 3rd day in a row, 64 miles today.

Bikes May Use Full Lane.

Always a great time with fellow bike enthusiasts.

Yeah, it keeps getting better.
Enjoy it All.

 

[SoBayRon]

Got out for a short ride on the ‘68 Schwinn after another long day of fence building at the house. This is a fun bike to ride - quick and light.

 

[BFGforme]

Haven’t busted this b a one in while! Had to clean it up and wipe the dust off and wax him and pump up the tires and damn, he runs like a raped ape ….

Love the ezspeed badge! If not prewar, love me a’46…

 

[soddruntlestuntle]

Not much time to ride today due to Honey Do priorities, but got the Collewood out for twilight cruise.

 

[Miq]

Rode my 41 New World around the neighborhood with my family.

 

[DrRumack80]

(Posting this for yesterday's ride) Took the '82 Stumpjumper out for a 10 mile late-day ride. A cold front came through, so the temps were plunging and the winds were gusting. You can just see the sun setting as it emerges from the thick cloud cover.

This is an August, 1982 Stumpie. I acquired it from a pawn shop in Longview, Wa. The previous owner had made some upgrades over the years, replacing the Suntour derailleurs with Sachs Huret, Shimano Deer Head XT shifters replaced the Suntour Mighty thumbies, and Shimano Deer Head XT cantis replaced the original Mafacs. The original Mafac cable hangers are still there, as well as the thick motorcycle brake cables. Rear rack is an old Jim Blackburn. Front wheel is a replacement Saturae with a Specialized hub, built by Wheelsmith. With the slack angles and very long wheelbase, it rides like a Schwinn ballooner, at 1/2 the weight.