"Vintage" bikes, building a commuter, and Craigslist

[Certifried]

So, I’ve really been wanting to find myself and old steel frame “vintage” bike to make in to a commuter. You know, one with the ability to mount a rack since my roadie would be completely ruined if I put a rack on it :rolleyes:

There are about a bazillionty Vintage bikes on CL, most of them low-end box-store mass-produced junk that people think are worth hundreds that are really only worth $20. I have found one guy that posts regularly on CL, and am wondering if anyone knows about him. He has this bike up currently:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/bik/3115842448.html

here’s his gallery
https://plus.google.com/photos/116598188651447503868/albums?banner=pwa

1) any suggestions, gotchas, or things I should think about or be looking for in finding a nice steel frame commuter?
2) anyone know this guy? Or someone like him that might build these old bikes up and sell them reasonably priced?
3) What I can find on this Fuji indicates it was a mid-level hybrid that might be great for what I’m looking for, anyone heard of it? Is the price decent?

Thanks, I know there’s a ton of other questions I should be asking, and this isn’t a simple thing I’m looking at doing. I might be better off just buying a touring/commuting bike and not getting in to such a mess like this. I’m thinking I could gain a whole lot of wrench-smarts by doing this though. And if I can drop a few hundred $$ instead of a few thousand, it might be worth it

Topic

[Certifried]

Wrong CL ad lol, I didn’t get the pink one. Mine is the blue 610 in Dismal’s other link

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Certifried]

[Certifried]

So, I need a bike rack for the back, any suggestions on what kind I should get and where to get it from?

Also, trying to figure out which way I want to go on my “build”. I have 3 options I’m considering
1) “honey” or brown saddle, wraps, tires, etc
2) white saddle, wraps, racks, whitewalls? lol
3) black rack, saddle, fenders etc…

What do you all think would look best? I’m leaning towards the brown/honey look

[Tim Kelley]

@Certifried 24452 wrote:

So, I need a bike rack for the back, any suggestions on what kind I should get and where to get it from?

Also, trying to figure out which way I want to go on my “build”. I have 3 options I’m considering
1) “honey” or brown saddle, wraps, tires, etc
2) white saddle, wraps, racks, whitewalls? lol
3) black rack, saddle, fenders etc…

What do you all think would look best? I’m leaning towards the brown/honey look

How about pink?

[DismalScientist]

I have no suggestion on color, but if you are rewrapping the bars, this is the time to put on aero brake levers if you want them.

My favorite mail order store is http://www.niagaracycle.com

[KLizotte]

White wraps get grungy looking within two weeks. Yuck.

[Certifried]

@DismalScientist 24454 wrote:

I have no suggestion on color, but if you are rewrapping the bars, this is the time to put on aero brake levers if you want them.

My favorite mail order store is http://www.niagaracycle.com

I’m definitely going to aero, just haven’t decided whether STI, bar end, or those awesome ones you posted

[Certifried]

@Tim Kelley 24453 wrote:

How about pink?

I’m not man enough

[DaveK]

I’d go with a brown saddle (Brooks or other vintage-look), brown bar wrap, and hoods. Add gumwall tires and chrome/metal fenders and rack. Match the cable housing to the decals as close as you can. It’ll look beautiful.

[Certifried]

@DaveK 24465 wrote:

I’d go with a brown saddle (Brooks or other vintage-look), brown bar wrap, and hoods. Add gumwall tires and chrome/metal fenders and rack. Match the cable housing to the decals as close as you can. It’ll look beautiful.

Yep, that’s the way I decided to go. Just pulled the trigger on this:
http://selleanatomica.com/products/titanico-x-details/
They’ve got ’em for $134. I chose golden, which is a bit lighter than “brown”, but we’ll see how it looks.

[Certifried]

Selle also offers leather handlebar tape that would match the saddle. How good is leather handlebar tape? Any issues with it? Would it stand up to the weather as well?

[mstone]

@Certifried 24509 wrote:

Selle also offers leather handlebar tape that would match the saddle. How good is leather handlebar tape? Any issues with it? Would it stand up to the weather as well?

this is for a commuter? do you have covered parking & mostly stay out of the rain? if not, I’d skip the leather. I prefer a leather saddle also, but if you’re going less than 30-40 miles at a time it doesn’t really matter and I’d go for low-maintenance instead.

[Certifried]

@mstone 24524 wrote:

this is for a commuter? do you have covered parking & mostly stay out of the rain? if not, I’d skip the leather. I prefer a leather saddle also, but if you’re going less than 30-40 miles at a time it doesn’t really matter and I’d go for low-maintenance instead.

It is mostly commuter, and some eventual touring. It will be out of the elements, except when I’m on it. My commute is 20 miles one-way, so I definitely want something a bit more comfortable. Selle uses their “watershed” leather, so I was thinking it might hold up better. I’ll probably just go with the low-maintenance/cost option for now and try to find a tape that matches the saddle as closely as possible.

[KLizotte]

I would think good quality leather would hold up better over the long term and be more comfortable so long as it doesn’t get soaked or is out in the rain much. All the stuff they use on horses (saddle, reins, etc) is made out of leather. Also, good quality golf clubs use leather grips. Since you saved $ on the frame, I think you should go all out.

As every lady knows, it’s all about the accessories.

(Spoken by someone who won’t be getting the credit card bill)

[Certifried]

@KLizotte 24528 wrote:

I would think good quality leather would hold up better over the long term and be more comfortable so long as it doesn’t get soaked or is out in the rain much. All the stuff they use on horses (saddle, reins, etc) is made out of leather. Also, good quality golf clubs use leather grips. Since you saved $ on the frame, I think you should go all out.

As every lady knows, it’s all about the accessories.

(Spoken by someone who won’t be getting the credit card bill)

Yes!!!! Someone who understands! LOL [ATTACH=CONFIG]1328[/ATTACH]

I really want this thing to be bike porn. There are some beautiful examples in this thread
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/762624-The-New-Classic-Rigs-and-Rides-Thread-1-1

[Author]

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