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Slow forum, so here's my bike.

Old 08-12-12, 06:43 PM
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cccorlew
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Slow forum, so here's my bike.

Have Facebook and Twitter taken over cyclists attention? There's not the action here there used to be.

Just to have something new, here's a few photos of my my new commuter bike. It started life as a cross bike.


Motobecane Phantom Outlaw commuter bike by ccorlew, on Flickr

I just couldn't hang with cross gearing, what with parachute panniers and a almost constant headwind on my commute.
I swapped the cranks (and associated necessary parts) for a Velo Orange crankset


velo orange crank by ccorlew, on Flickr

Getting the fenders on around the disc brakes (and the rack) was amazing hard, requiring trips to the hardware store, non-official bike parts, and a bunch of bending and cutting.


Motobecane Phantom Outlaw fender strut spacers by ccorlew, on Flickr

I also took off the very squirrely cross tires and installed amazingly-hard-to-mount Schwalbe Marathons.
I've got a few hundred miles on it so far, and I hope I'm done messing with it. Jury is still out on disc brakes.
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Old 08-12-12, 07:16 PM
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Looks really cool but overkill for a commuter bike. Would be a killer randonneur though.
I applaud your ingenuity regarding the fender attachments. Well done!

But darn... it's already back to school time??? Summer is just only starting!
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Old 08-12-12, 09:08 PM
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Originally Posted by gpelpel
Looks really cool but overkill for a commuter bike. Would be a killer randonneur though.
Well, maybe. I have a fantasy of doing some very light touring, like overnight, so it'll be ready for that.
I do bike commute every freakin' day, so I kinda feel like i can justify a bike that's good rain or shine, and that I'll enjoy riding.
Plus, you know how this bike stuff is; you get started on something and it's just really hard to stop.

As a bonus, I got my mountain bike back. I'd had it all set up as a commuter, with skinny tires and fenders, now it's fat tire and no racks again.
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Old 08-13-12, 10:19 AM
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Looks great Curtis!
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Old 08-13-12, 04:46 PM
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I spend all of my time in Commuting and Foo.

My Fantom is WAY dirtier, though.
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Old 08-13-12, 08:50 PM
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I should commute more often on my fixie, the egos on bike path are entertaining.
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Old 08-13-12, 09:02 PM
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Nice one. *That's about exactly what I'm looking for as my second bike. *After years of commuting fixed, I recently sold my fixie and got a late 80's Maruishi with early 105, but I really want my second bike to fit and feel more like my road bike. *Plus since moving to the East Bay, I find myself lusting after the fire roads I pass on my regular road routes (ie, Briones, Tilden, Redwood, etc.) and get giddy when imagining the mixed-terrain rides around here that a cyclocross bike unlocks.
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Old 08-13-12, 09:25 PM
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Very nice. What size are the tires? I wish I could bike to work, but it's 62 miles one way.

Bob
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Old 08-13-12, 11:03 PM
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Originally Posted by UmneyDurak
I should commute more often on my fixie, the egos on bike path are entertaining.
I do enjoy my singlespeed quite a bit... whatever the maximum speed at 39x16 on 700x32s is.
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Old 08-14-12, 12:24 AM
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Nice looking bike Curtis.
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Old 08-14-12, 10:53 AM
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Originally Posted by bobonker
Very nice. What size are the tires? I wish I could bike to work, but it's 62 miles one way.

Bob
700c
Came with cross tires, which I thought would be cool. I turned out I didn't like 'em on the road.
Got these
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...rathon-supreme

And I'm rethinking overkill on the gearing. After commuting over Kirker Pass in 100 degree heat, carrying a lot of crap, I discovered i really like low low gears. That's not my regular commute; I had a meeting in Concord.
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Old 08-14-12, 11:13 AM
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That looks like an awesome commuter, and some great ingenuity getting your fenders on there. How far is your regular commute?

My regular commute is 10 miles to work and ~14 miles to home (I take the scenic, slightly hilly route home). I ride a 2012 Trek FX 7.5, and made some customizations to it - fenders, rack & trunk, triple crank, 12-25 cassette. Unfortunately, lately I've been motivated to commute-by-bike only about once (sometimes twice) a week.
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Old 08-14-12, 03:12 PM
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Originally Posted by cccorlew
700c
Came with cross tires, which I thought would be cool. I turned out I didn't like 'em on the road.
Got these
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...rathon-supreme

And I'm rethinking overkill on the gearing. After commuting over Kirker Pass in 100 degree heat, carrying a lot of crap, I discovered i really like low low gears. That's not my regular commute; I had a meeting in Concord.
Haha...I figured as much about 700c. I was wondering if they were 28s, 32s, 35s, etc. I'm guessing 700x28c.

Bob
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Old 08-14-12, 08:49 PM
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I went with 28s. They feel really cushy compared to the 23s on my roads bike. I didn't see 32s in the model I got or I might have been tempted.

My normal commute is 16 round trip, no big hills but a heck of a wind tunnel head wide most mornings.
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Old 08-14-12, 10:00 PM
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So why is the jury still out on the disc brakes? Do they not stop as well as you thought?

Bob
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Old 08-15-12, 03:29 PM
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Why the dislike for the compact double? Is it the wind/weight? My Fantom CX was my first double (50/36 changed to 50/34) and I love it.

I hear you about the panniers, though. But I ride home with the family shopping list (or a computer, or kids' toys, or...) often enough that they are a necessity.
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Old 08-15-12, 06:35 PM
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Why does cccorlew need this awesome bike for a commute? Some ask.
He commutes through a surreal Antioch landscape straight out of a Dylan song.
The lyrics to Dylan's Seņor seem to fit the commute of cccorlew's fevered mind.

Seņor, seņor, do you know where we're headin'?
An East County Road or Armageddon?
Seems like I been down this way before
Is there any truth in that, seņor?
Seņor, seņor, do you know…How long are we gonna be ridin'?
How long must I keep my eyes glued to the door? Will there be any comfort there, seņor?
There's a wicked wind still blowin' on that upper deck
There's an iron cross still hanging down from around her neck
Seņor, seņor, I can see that painted wagon I can smell the tail of the dragon
Can't stand the suspense anymore Can you tell me who to contact here, seņor?
Well, the last thing I remember was that train load of fools bogged down in a magnetic field
A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring
Said,"Son, this ain't a dream no more, it's the real thing"
Seņor, seņor, you know their hearts is as hard as leather
Well, give me a minute, let me get it together
I just gotta pick myself up off the floor
I'm ready when you are, senor
Seņor, seņor, let's overturn these tables
Disconnect these cables
This place don't make sense to me no more
Can you tell me what we're waiting for, seņor?
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Old 08-15-12, 07:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Lanceoldstrong
Why does cccorlew need this awesome bike for a commute? Some ask.
He commutes through a surreal Antioch landscape straight out of a Dylan song.
The lyrics to Dylan's Seņor seem to fit the commute of cccorlew's fevered mind.
VERY nice. Dylan to get you there and Jerry to take you home:

Little did I know it would be a BF post that got me out of my post-Melky roid news funk.
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Old 08-15-12, 10:19 PM
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Love both renditions.
Growing up on the other side of the Pond I have not been a big follower of Dylan (although popular in Europe) and the Dead. So this song is new to me.
Have already listen to both twice... and I didn't have to commute thru Antioch.
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Old 08-16-12, 08:19 PM
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Wow. When I started this bike I was really thinking of something more like this.

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Old 08-16-12, 08:25 PM
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Nice job Curtis!
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