Good evening, all!
I found this forum while searching for beach cruiser accessories last fall, and have been reading through thread after thread ever since. I've been enjoying the build-off threads especially, so I figured it's past time I signed up and introduced myself.
I've gotten back into cycling in the last few years and started riding to work occasionally two years ago. (Hold the applause, I actually live pretty close-by.) I'm not sure I've got the talent (not to mention shop space) to do a lot of what I've seen here, but I've got some mechanical aptitude, can turn a wrench and change a tire, so I figure I'm ahead of a fair bit of the population...lol. For now, my bike customization has been limited to bolt-ons--but who knows where I'll end up. Now, about the bikes...
My all-around bike (commuter, trekker, whatever...) is a 1996 (from what I can tell) Motiv Groundpounder MTB w/ rigid frame and fork. Purple-teal fade. Very 90's, old-school mountain bike. It was a freebie from a friend/former neighbor who hadn't been riding and decided to offload it when he moved. I've tamed it quite a bit, replacing the original knobby Kendas with Continental Top Contacts, swapping the saddle, adding fenders, a rack, lights and even an airplane (adds a dose of fun to every commute). I won't set any speed records on it, but I do okay and have taken it on some fairly lengthy paved-trail rides, a 54 miler in 2011 (which I really should have better prepared myself for!) and a 44 miler last year.
The other bike is a shiny, new (please don't ban me for that!) Jade Green Nirve Switchblade that I bought last fall. Since my ride to work is relatively short and flat, I commute on it every now and then too. I'm determined to keep it a "shiny bike" as long as possible though, and won't take it out if there's a cloud in the sky!
That's all for now. But now that I've seen what's possible, I'm looking forward to building a rusty ol' rat-bike of my very own someday. (I love my bikes, but they do lack patina. :wink: )
Thanks for the inspiration!
* Keith *
I found this forum while searching for beach cruiser accessories last fall, and have been reading through thread after thread ever since. I've been enjoying the build-off threads especially, so I figured it's past time I signed up and introduced myself.
I've gotten back into cycling in the last few years and started riding to work occasionally two years ago. (Hold the applause, I actually live pretty close-by.) I'm not sure I've got the talent (not to mention shop space) to do a lot of what I've seen here, but I've got some mechanical aptitude, can turn a wrench and change a tire, so I figure I'm ahead of a fair bit of the population...lol. For now, my bike customization has been limited to bolt-ons--but who knows where I'll end up. Now, about the bikes...
My all-around bike (commuter, trekker, whatever...) is a 1996 (from what I can tell) Motiv Groundpounder MTB w/ rigid frame and fork. Purple-teal fade. Very 90's, old-school mountain bike. It was a freebie from a friend/former neighbor who hadn't been riding and decided to offload it when he moved. I've tamed it quite a bit, replacing the original knobby Kendas with Continental Top Contacts, swapping the saddle, adding fenders, a rack, lights and even an airplane (adds a dose of fun to every commute). I won't set any speed records on it, but I do okay and have taken it on some fairly lengthy paved-trail rides, a 54 miler in 2011 (which I really should have better prepared myself for!) and a 44 miler last year.
The other bike is a shiny, new (please don't ban me for that!) Jade Green Nirve Switchblade that I bought last fall. Since my ride to work is relatively short and flat, I commute on it every now and then too. I'm determined to keep it a "shiny bike" as long as possible though, and won't take it out if there's a cloud in the sky!
That's all for now. But now that I've seen what's possible, I'm looking forward to building a rusty ol' rat-bike of my very own someday. (I love my bikes, but they do lack patina. :wink: )
Thanks for the inspiration!
* Keith *
