Hello everyone,
I heard mention of this forum back in January on bikeforums alternative bike culture section. I came by to take a look at this site, and I was hooked on it for a couple of weeks. I would stay up past midnight even though I had to work the next day. Then, as mid february rolled around and temperatures warmed up slightly, I pulled out my bike and began to ride it a bit. That's when I quit dropping by the forums here to lurk.
I went to Austin this past week to spend few days to try to decide if I actually want to move there. I've been considering it for quite a while. There are groups of people in that area that use bikes as an alternative form of transportation to the automobile, and are also interested in living lightly on the earth in general. Well, I spent the first couple of days touring around south central Austin on foot. I stubled across several bicycle shops, and was glad to see some variety as to what each shop specialized in. Some of the shops sold more used bikes than others. One shop had a few used cruisers for sale. A few of them had Nexus 3 speed hubs, and I had been wanting to use a bike with an internal hub for quite a while. So, I purchased a Sun Kruizer that was just slightly scuffed up, but otherwise looked new. It is black with aluminum rims (no paint on the rims), and they are wrapped with some 26 x 2.125 Kenda brand tires. I put quite a few hours of ride time on that bike in two days, and criss crossed my way around south Austin.
By the time I arrived back home from my trip, I was ready to take a look at the Rat Rod forums and get some ideas for customizing the cruiser. I noticed that another build-off had just begun. I've been temped to enter it with the cruiser, but I'm planning to take an apprenticeship near Austin, and I will be living on someone else's property for a while. I'm not sure how they'd respond to me tearing down a bike and rebuilding it there.
My other bike is a lime green 2008 Rans Cruz. The frame has a curved upper tube that gives it a slight cruiser look. The tires are skinny, some 26 x 1.5" Primo Comets, which gives it a fast, but stiffer ride. It has 27 speeds, but I use just a few of them. I've also had trouble setting the derailers. The chain jumps from one rear sproket to the next sometimes. That, combined with the noise, is why I became interested in internal hubs. Now, I'm even becoming interested in single speed setups. I also have an interest in simple living, or voluntary simplicity, so that may be why I'm inclined to simplify things. That may also be why I love the flat paint, or primer paint jobs on rat rod bikes. As for that Rans crank forward bike, I really like the geometry. It is extremely comfortable, but just a little goofy looking. I added avid BB7 brakes for good stopping in all conditions, and fenders, and a rack. I wanted to tour with the bike when I first purchased it. The furthest I've gone was a 30 mile round trip on one Saturday above the Fort Worth area.
Something that has appeared to me while viewing bikes here is that many of them are a work of art. It really is amazing. It's not just about looking rich and building a bike with flashy stuff, but about how it all fits together and suits the bike's overall look. I'm really enjoying this site. Thanks to all of you for making this a very interestind online community.
I heard mention of this forum back in January on bikeforums alternative bike culture section. I came by to take a look at this site, and I was hooked on it for a couple of weeks. I would stay up past midnight even though I had to work the next day. Then, as mid february rolled around and temperatures warmed up slightly, I pulled out my bike and began to ride it a bit. That's when I quit dropping by the forums here to lurk.
I went to Austin this past week to spend few days to try to decide if I actually want to move there. I've been considering it for quite a while. There are groups of people in that area that use bikes as an alternative form of transportation to the automobile, and are also interested in living lightly on the earth in general. Well, I spent the first couple of days touring around south central Austin on foot. I stubled across several bicycle shops, and was glad to see some variety as to what each shop specialized in. Some of the shops sold more used bikes than others. One shop had a few used cruisers for sale. A few of them had Nexus 3 speed hubs, and I had been wanting to use a bike with an internal hub for quite a while. So, I purchased a Sun Kruizer that was just slightly scuffed up, but otherwise looked new. It is black with aluminum rims (no paint on the rims), and they are wrapped with some 26 x 2.125 Kenda brand tires. I put quite a few hours of ride time on that bike in two days, and criss crossed my way around south Austin.
By the time I arrived back home from my trip, I was ready to take a look at the Rat Rod forums and get some ideas for customizing the cruiser. I noticed that another build-off had just begun. I've been temped to enter it with the cruiser, but I'm planning to take an apprenticeship near Austin, and I will be living on someone else's property for a while. I'm not sure how they'd respond to me tearing down a bike and rebuilding it there.
My other bike is a lime green 2008 Rans Cruz. The frame has a curved upper tube that gives it a slight cruiser look. The tires are skinny, some 26 x 1.5" Primo Comets, which gives it a fast, but stiffer ride. It has 27 speeds, but I use just a few of them. I've also had trouble setting the derailers. The chain jumps from one rear sproket to the next sometimes. That, combined with the noise, is why I became interested in internal hubs. Now, I'm even becoming interested in single speed setups. I also have an interest in simple living, or voluntary simplicity, so that may be why I'm inclined to simplify things. That may also be why I love the flat paint, or primer paint jobs on rat rod bikes. As for that Rans crank forward bike, I really like the geometry. It is extremely comfortable, but just a little goofy looking. I added avid BB7 brakes for good stopping in all conditions, and fenders, and a rack. I wanted to tour with the bike when I first purchased it. The furthest I've gone was a 30 mile round trip on one Saturday above the Fort Worth area.
Something that has appeared to me while viewing bikes here is that many of them are a work of art. It really is amazing. It's not just about looking rich and building a bike with flashy stuff, but about how it all fits together and suits the bike's overall look. I'm really enjoying this site. Thanks to all of you for making this a very interestind online community.
