GovernorSilver

Thanks for the clarification. I'd read that one strategy for winter is to buy another set of wheels with studded tires and swap them out for winter biking. But I'm not sure what kind of effort it would take to change the rear wheel on the Breezer Uptown 8. I'm wondering if it might be more practical to just get a fat bike for winter fun.

suncruiser

Can they be beauties and beasts at the same time?

TransitBiker

Well, I'm not getting a second wheel set. The cost of getting a second dyno & second N360 plus rims, tires, tubes, spokes & having it built would be more than a new SE Tripel. My plan is to get a Tripel & use that for rides that require studded tires. It's lighter by 10 lbs, and fenders/rack won't add much weight. So, instead of a second wheel set, I'd have a second bike with stock & studded tires...

- Andy

Wolf Dust

If only ALL bikes could be similar to this the world would be a little more pleasant. Hey, would ya mind if I ask what grips those are, or is that leather bar tape?

irwin7638

Those grips were VO Elkhide leather wrap which I have since replaced with a couple of layers of black cloth wrap. The leather was always crawling around under the pressure of shifting the grip shifter.

Marc

RogueRadio

Definite Beauty

ModManZZZ

Not an appropriate commuting bike but I love to ride this one, really comfortable. This is my old school childhood bmx commute bike (24 years on hand). I think it not beauty, nor a beast either because it's looks funny lol

InTheRain

My beauty is becoming a beast. Added disc brakes after the conversion to an e-bike.

Artkansas 

Beastly beauty.

b_young

You decide which is beauty and which is beast. I commute with both and like them equally.

b_young

Love that picture. Where is that?
I was thinking on Pinnacle, But I see it in the background so it has to be down river of the dam.

MulliganAl

I have two commuters and they are both beauties. Although the Specialized Tarmac has been sidelined after getting the Rivendell, I guess at 56 I needed a bit more commuter (and body) friendly bike for urban transport. The Tarmac is now hooked up to my trainer but does see the light of day on the weekends when I don't need to carry anything and have a need for speed.

GreenmanBelg

Here is my beast. Its a 1957 Higgins Ultralite Trike one wheel drive. Great commuter snow and ice is no obstacle. Happy viewing.

GovernorSilver

Is that a trekking bar on your bike?

I recently had one installed on my beast. Really like mine.

b_young

Yes. I installed that in 2010. I couldn't imagine it without it now. Lots of different hand positions. I like having a mirror on the handlebar and that has been the biggest challenge. I usually find some way to capture it when I wrap the bars but it doesn't last a full year. Other than that I love it. I highly recommend the AirZounds horn and if you look close I have a garage door opener on right below the headset. The bike sleeps in the garage and the truck sleeps outside.

GovernorSilver

I do miss having a handlebar mirror. I knew I'd lose it when I switched handlebars, but after weighing pros and cons, went ahead with the trekking bar anyway. I now have a HubBub helmet mirror. My beast (because it's now a Frankenbike)

Cyclosaurus

Wow, what a cool trike. Thanks for sharing.

b_young

Very nice.

zacster

My Trek 7000 is more beast than beauty, but it is really a stealth bike. While the frame looks like crap, I'm running XT Dynasys 10speed gears and brakes, new wheels with a dynamo hub and an expensive B&M light. To buy the bike new would probably cost around $1500, but incrementally I've spent about 600. It still has the original beat up saddle, the original bars and threaded stem, so cosmetically it is nothing to look at.

namweNyrogerG

I think it's a beauty, but the weight it can carry makes it a beast, too.

bikemig 

1992 Trek 950; the bike just rides great,

bikemig 

I picked up the exact same bike (same color and parts). I thought it was a '96? It was the bike from heck. The bike looks great cosmetically and I've never had to deal with so many stuck parts (BB, pedals, stem). It looks like it was used once or twice and then put away wet. I'm curious, how fat a tire did you put on yours? This is mine by the way:

noglider 

If yours is a 1996, then mine is a 1997 or later, as mine has brifters.

The tires in that picture are 37mm, so that's a really nice feature, being to fit them plus fenders. The Vittoria Voyager Hyper are pretty special tires. They ride much lighter than I expect. Most people say the same about them.

One thing (among many) of this bike is that the paint is very durable. I'm not gentle enough with my bikes when leaning them, and I tend to get a lot of nicks in the paint. This one hardly has any, after a few years of my abuse.

bikemig 

No same year. Mine had the same nice RSX 7 speed brifters. I took them off as the cables make it hard to mount a front handlebar bag. It's a great frame (and I agree that the paint job is tough) with middling of the road parts. 37c plus fenders isn't bad on an older touring/every kind of bike.

mr geeker

My main commuter nowadays is a 2016 (purchased in Aug. of 2015) Giant escape 3, my secondary is a '95 Schwinn frontier. the Schwinn has a 15" frame and technically is way small for me, even though I'm on the short side.

My escape is a beauty, my Schwinn... debatable, more beast than beauty I suppose.