Saturday, March 16, 2013

My Next Bike?

A few years ago, I thought that I would buy a triathlon bike when I got a "real job."  Then I grew out of that and decided that I can put that off for a while, but it would be nice to have a tri bike before doing another iron-distance race.  Recently, I was offered a great deal on this bike:


It's made by Old Field Cycles in Tallahassee.  The thing is, I don't want to get rid of one of my other bikes.  The black bike is my oldest and crappiest, but has a lot of sentimental value.  My road bike is the closest to this bike, but still a lot different.  My 29er is going to become my snow bike, and the fixie is an experience all its own.

I've wanted a custom commuter/touring bike from Old Field for a while now and this bike is most of what I'm looking for.  There are a few things I would do differently if designing from the ground up, but I think I can live with those discrepancies because I'd get such a good price on this thing.  I'm thinking that I could turn this into a fast commuter because I'm planning on getting a saddle bag/messenger bag that I wouldn't have to wear on my back.  I could put a custom rack on this thing and make everything work out.

Bike nerds, read on for cool stuff:
1. generator front hub, cassette rear hub, both with drum brakes
2. wire for front light and cable housing for front brake routed through the fork
3. Shimano 8 speed rear cassette (Deore XTR derailers) with Campy 10x2 speed shifters
4. 29er rims (& I think DT Swiss 2.0 spokes) = strong
5. sweet water bottle holder adjusts to different size bottles
6. ya, that's a Brooks saddle, but I'm not going to get that if I buy it.
7. slightly curved seat stays look pretty
8. cables routed on starboard side of top tube for comfortable portage
9. cloth bar wrap

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