billnuke1 

Can’t put my hands on the plastic one right now...this has worked every time as designed...ISC-1

stardognine

You use a wrench for sanding? 🤔😉 Just goofing on ya there, no insult intended at all. 😁😉

DorkDisk

I finally got around to swapping out the Judy XC on this 95 Kona Hot for a rigid fork

2cam16

This morning I prepped my Kona Fire Mountain as a "donation" to my brother's condo on Oahu so at least there's a community bike for whoever feels like using it. I even replaced the flat bar for a comfy riser. Fitting that's it's a Kona too.
It's headed out tomorrow evening with my brother.

IMG_0919 by 2cam16, on Flickr

deux jambes

Took an opportunity yesterday to get a little maintenance work done.

After putting a few hundred miles on the build, the bb loosened up enough to develop a bit of spindle play. Brakes also needed a bit of adjustment after a recent installation of fenders. And the fenders themselves were installed in a bit of a rush initially as evidenced by just enough occasional squeak, and intermittent tire rub to be truly annoying.

After yesterday’s wrenching, today’s commute was the reward.

Btw, @Shrevvy, here’s a full pic as requested. The bag saw it’s first bit of use today. Hauled a pint of ice cream, and a can of soda pop on the way home from work. There was a ton of room to spare!

DQRider 

I've read with interest other's posts about these expensive Columbus-tubed Italian racebikes. Of course, they always have drop-bars and are usually festooned with Campagnolo components, neither of which I'm interested in. I can't ride comfortably with drops, and Campy gear requires special tools that I don't have and frankly, can't afford.

But when I came across this Viner Special Touring frame for sale on the `bay for $150. I couldn't resist. Hey, it's a "Touring" bike, after all... right?



So rather than pay the premium for a Campy groupset, I went with a Dura Ace drivetrain. The outer chainring on the DA crankset is only a 42 at the moment; a placeholder while I wait for the 50t to come in. If I run out of projects later this winter, maybe I'll try my hand at some DIY drillium:



Tektro brakes and lightweight levers on a SOMA Sparrow handlebar, cork grips and Microshift thumb-shifter:



SOMA Wakizashi aero seatpost with a lightweight Selle Italia Turbo saddle in lieu of my usual Brooks:



A polished-aluminum H Plus Son wheelset with Ultegra hubs rounds out the build, and without the bags or water bottle, the bike itself weighs in at 22.4 lbs. This is, by far, the lightest bike I own:



I still have some cosmetics to take care of: a good cleaning, followed by careful touchup painting and a full coat of wax next Spring. But I wanted to get this thing out on the road to find out what all the fuss was about.

Oh, okay... I get it now. Light and tight, super-responsive yet sure-footed, and =FAST! I can see why riders love these bikes. I've given it the most aggressive riding position I can tolerate with any degree of comfort, and I believe this is going to be a wonderful fair-weather commuter.

I'm suffering from a head-cold at the moment, so I didn't put on any serious miles yet. But I'm going to try to remedy that, if I can, before the snow comes and stays.

.

deux jambes

@DQRider ...nice looking bike ^^^

I like how you built it to suit your own needs, rather that to follow a set form or tradition. And it seems that you get to reap all the important benefits that the frame has to offer while ensuring that your as comfortable as can be.

Your bike inspires me and causes me to rethink certain things as I’m in the early planning stages of an Italian racing frame made with a full Columbus SL tube set.

Thanks for posting your Viner!

Mad Honk 

DQRider,
First, Thanks for your service to the country! Second, I hope you get that head cold under control before the snow settles in,(smiles). And third, Welcome to the world of expensive Italian bikes. They are the real deal and as you have now experienced the ride is a bit better than a lot of other items out in the market place. Great to see you have it set up to your riding preferences and it should serve you well into the future. Smiles, MH
BTW, does that mean Dairy Queen, or dis-qualified? Har!

1simplexnut

finally got this together . Had a quick hurtle on it this afternoon .
A couple of tweaks to it and she is all good !





just before shakedown trundle around the neighbourhood

DQRider 

Well, this is exactly why I post my projects here. You folks appreciate my efforts and methods, and we learn from each other. I wish you success on your own Italian stallion <sorry>, and please post it here when you are finished.

Or heck, do a build thread, if you have the patience. I know I don't... Once I am "in the zone", with the music playing and the wrenches turning, I can't be bothered to set up the camera on a tripod and shoot the bike in-process. When the finished product appears on that movie screen in my mind, I have to pursue it with no interruptions. Funny how that works, but I like the results.

You know, I have to admit that being in the Marine Corps during the whole decade of the `80s was the best adventure anyone could have. Unlike today's military folks, I didn't face deployment to harsh environments with fanatics trying to kill me. My job was to make it too expensive for our Cold War enemies to attack us with World-Ending consequences. Whenever someone thanks me for my service, I thank them for paying their taxes and supporting our mission, which took me to places I never would have seen on my own, and gave me experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.

And yeah, my Bike Forums sobriquet is a bit obsolete. When I first came back to bicycles, I would plan rides between Dairy Queens. But now that they have built a Baskin Robbins near my house, I don't go to DQ anymore. Considering the environment I live in here, and the fact that I plan to ride through the winter this year, I should probably change my BF name to BR-R-R-R-Rider! Thanks for the replies, folks. I appreciate them.

.

noglider 

@DQRider, that's excellent. It doesn't look like a touring bike to me, but it sure does look like fun.

horatio 

Unless it's designed for the "grand tours."

Agreed, a sweet-looking ride.

ascherer 

@DQRider, that’s a great build. I’m thinking about something similar. Thanks for showing it.

stardognine

Aha, so the truth comes out. 😁😉 I've wondered about your handle before, but never felt like I should ask. That would be a tough decision to make, if one had to choose between DQ & B-R. 🤔😉

Lovin' that Viner, nice work. 👍

DQRider 

Yeah, this bike won't be getting racks and bags. What you see is its final configuration; just enough room for a flat kit and a chain lock.

"Grand Tours"? Elaborate, please? Am I missing something really cool here?

My pleasure. Can't wait to see what your project will be.

Thanks, everyone. I get my inspiration from what I see here in C&V, and this bike turned out better because of things I've learned here. I was able to commute on the Viner yesterday, and that Dura Ace drivetrain is so sweet! Good thing I did, too. We are supposed to get between 9 and 13 inches of snow tonight, into tomorrow. From here on out, it's my old Barracuda winter bike for the next five months or so. Now I'm trying to decide between the Dawes Ranger and the Raleigh Portage for my next winter project. But I reckon the next thing I'll be wrenching on is my snow blower...

.

horatio 

Yeah, you know, like the Tour de France, Vuelta, Tour of Italy, Tour of Flanders...

DQRider 

Ah, of course. But then DQRider would probably mean Dis Qualified, because I refuse to wear lycra, and I am way too slow.

.

horatio 

Well, there's always wool jerseys and shorts. Just sayin'...

HPL

More parts to install this coming year. Got a little behind in spring/summer, now need to do about a bike a week to catch up. Ended up with another 7 bikes/frames, some donated, that needed immediate attention to be able to gift out. What they are (all Campy), and what they are for: '60s-'70s Valentino, early '70s Chiementin (?, jury is still out); 1972 Nuovo Record (variant model), late '60s/early '70s Ronchini; '73-'77 Nuovo Record, early '70s Vetta; '73-'77 Nuovo Record, '60s Welter; '78-'81 Nuovo Record, '60s Vicini (?, jury is still out; will paint if actual Vicini); '78-'81 Nuovo Record (custom "direct bolt-on" mounting, not clamp or braze-on tab mount) mid/late '70s Berardi; '79-'87 Super Record, '80s Rossin (waiting on paint); '79-'87 Super Record (braze-on), '80s Gion; '82-'85 Nuovo Record (braze-on), '80s Tommasini Prestige; '82-'85 Nuovo Record, '70s Marchesini; '82-'85 Nuovo Record, early '80s Tommasini; '80-'85 "980", '85 Batavus Criterium; '90s Veloce, '90s Lemond Alpe d'Huez, '80s(?) Mirage (?), early/mid '80s Olmo (waiting on decals); Record CT QS Ti/Carbon; early '90s Colnago Carbitubo; Record QS Ti/Carbon, 2011 Gios Compact Pro (waiting for fork). Most rear mechs match the front, will post when gathered.

Note: Since photo was taken the Lemond (now 1200 miles away) and Batavus are completed; moving onward.

Kdogbikes

Not c&v but once a year I get to hang out with my teenage boys at indoor mtb park and this bike does the job. Add some air and make sure all is tight.

Digger Goreman

Coming to a co-worker's aid: combined two boxmart bikes into one functional Hyper mtb. Got paid in a pair of new tires. While exceedingly happy with the exchange, after working on her bike, got home and HUGGED my old Trek....

SurferRosa

Removed the SR chainrings and rear derailleur off two other bikes to sorta gather most of my SR stuff on the Bertoni.



And dressed up the finishing "tape."



​​​​​​
.

Kdogbikes

Drivetrain looks sharp,Surfer ^^^^^. I’ve had some cr18 650b flip flop wheels that I’ve wanted to try out. Had this Schwinn parts bike and decided to try out the set up. Hard to ride the nonfreewheel cog. But I like the clean look.

HPL

I hear ya! Just "rebuilt" a friend's new Kent mtb; it would serve better as a boat anchor; but being aluminum it's too light, maybe add some flukes. I couldn't believe how maladjusted everything was, and it mostly had nothing to do with the Walmart "mechanics" staff, although assembly was poor in that area also. Brakes and indexed shifting was a pain to adjust; rims out of whack, wheel bearings with excessive play, stem loose (nearly killed the guy!). Feels nice to set up my bike and hit the road in 5 mins.

Digger Goreman

My short odyssey started, sight unseen, with "could you help me buy some tires." After ordering tires, was invited to see bike. One side rear nut not well tightened, and had wallowed out the hub shell that retained the washer(?) that retained the bearings (with accompanying side-to-side wheel travel. I found a supposedly good CL bike clone for $25. Coworker did'nt wait for me and was given the NEXT clone and a Schwinn for $20. I never saw the Schwinn....

CW's Hyper, thankfully, shifted and braked well. NEXT rims true, tires not bad, tubes good; but cables inhibitting shifting. Looked like bike ridden a few times and put away.

Went the short route and transplanted wheels, adding the new tires.

Never saying never again, but the (lack of) quality, and general construction, had me in teary-eyed appreciation of my "entry level", 90's Trek MtB!