gomango

Try a Radpower.

We have a Radpower 6 plus and a Radwagen 4 cargo.

Both are exceptional at the price point.

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/produc...-fat-tire-bike
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/produc...ric-cargo-bike

Great for the market, fishing/birding bikes, commuting, fun trips, etc.

Our older relatives use them when they visit.

Kilroy1988 

Hey, thanks, I'm really excited about it as well... The paint job is a renovation done some years ago that still looks great, but I'm sure at some point in the future I'll want to repaint it according to my personal preferences. Initially I'll just add a couple of missing decals and put it together with a pile of fancy period components I've been hording for just such a moment!

It'll definitely have its own thread and be built up soon after it arrives from England. Cheers!

-Gregory

seedsbelize2

I'd accept an old Trek 520 if it fell into my lap

shoota 

Not a 720?

mountaindave 

The Townie Go with an IGH is one of the best options out there for upright e-bikes. The BB-forward design allows riders to easily set a foot down at stops and still have good extension of the legs when pedaling. Throw in a dynamo hub and you’ve got a killer year-round rider. The only downside is weight, not something that most people in need of an e-bike can lift into a truck or rack. But that’s the case with all e-bikes.

BTinNYC 

Recently decided against a "want but haven't got"; I was offered 25" Centurion Comp TA in excellent condition by my brother. It's been hanging on his wall, unridden, for over 30 years. I was drooling for a couple of days while planning the pickup trip.

Then the acquisitive lust diminished slightly, I changed my mind and felt so virtuous that I bought a NOS Campy crankset.

Heh.

GullyFoylesbike

I feel like it really falls into the "want and also can't have" but someday I want to own either a titanium or steel GT Edge. The first bike I ever put real miles into was a very beat up GT Pulse track bike, I treated it terrible & absolutely loved it for many years. I've graduated from fixed gears now, but the triple triangle will always have a special place in my heart.

RiddleOfSteel

In the Aspiring Giraffe height class, I/we naturally have much less to choose from, and I'm ok with that. In a lot of ways, I don't know low-volume/custom builders' full offerings over their years, so a 66-67cm frame from them that pops up is a nice surprise that warrants investigation. I'm a bit done with 25mm tires and overly-stiff bikes, and thus look for that to avoid. I'm also fairly familiar with what I'd like from a frame with regard to ride quality and playfulness, and those characteristics are not exclusive to top end bikes in my size (necessarily). Case in point: my eternally beautiful 1982 Trek 720. It is a bike well worth the money, but the nearly 400g heavier (frameset) 620 I have has always been more playful and punchy, especially out of the saddle. Thus my conclusion is that I don't mind a bit of extra weight in the frame if it works with me for what I like to do. I'm always pushing the 720 for whatever reason, and that bothers me (and my lower back). Sad!

All that to say, my definition of attainable, which makes sense to me, is mid-range or slightly better, and in my size range. That range starts at 65cm, which excludes most everyone save for lower end models that came in huge sizes. To that end, I have recently bought such a bike: a 1985 Fuji del Rey in 68.5cm size, putting my (ebay) money where my mouth and mind were. No more low top tubes and super high stems, I'm here for the rolling scaffolding. Love these gentle giants, and they have room for 32s and fenders, easily. Their top tubes are 23.5" (59.7cm), not the 24"+ of many other companies' offerings. The shallow BB drop means that the Fuji frame says a warm "Hello!" to my human frame, but you know, there's always 650B to run bigger rubber and still not solve the stand over issue.....

As bought, adjusted for safe riding (minus seat tube FUJI lettering, soon to be applied).


The del Rey was the highest ranking model available in the 27" frame size, and was available in that size from 1984-1986, and 1988. 1985 and 1986 were what I would consider "peak feature" years in that you had DT shifter braze-ons as well as two pairs of bottle cage braze-ons. 1984 had one, and clamp-on DT shifters due to earlier-'80s design/feature ethos, and 1988 had one (but DT braze-ons, though lower on the tube than before) as they moved it down market. The 1986's looked great, and Fuji had a lot of fun with black-painted componentry (a continuation from 1985), but I'd like a 1984 as the Oak Green color played beautifully off the gold anodized rims and silver componentry. There was one that came up for sale several months ago (shown below), and I passed on it due to seat tube decal condition and wanting two bottle cage mounts. Now that I have my "dream" del Rey, I'm happy to add one in. Logic, I tell you.

BFisher

I'm not really in a seeking mode. If something interesting pops up for sale locally I may bite, but there are some things out there I'd at least like to try out.

For instance, one of the steep-angled PX10s, a bike with a rod/lever front derailleur, maybe a Cambio Corsa and/or other such odd Italian derailleur designs, perhaps a Vitus aluminum frame. I may not necessarily want to purchase such things, but it would be a joy to give them a ride.

thumpism 

My bike lust days are over. I recognized the moment it occurred when I could manage to not buy a nice bike that was affordable and in my size. That was a Fuji America, as I recall, and there have been many others in the 30 years since. What I have to consider now is the fact that I'm shrinking in my old age so probably will be getting rid of my tall Paramount Touring and Nishiki Cresta GT, both of them 64cm/25". I recently got a 24" Trek 620 frameset but it will be a while before that gets built up with the bike kit from either my ex-RB-T or my ex-Trek 510.

I don't want a grail bike so much as a grail trait: a touring bike that will not shimmy on descents when loaded with either panniers or a B.O.B. trailer. You'd be surprised at how many do. The 620 might do it; I don't know yet. Maybe I need a Cannondale tourer (canti or caliper brake) or something else with a 33" standover height; 34" is getting to be too tall for me.

All I really need in the fleet is that touring bike and my 3-speed.

merziac

IMO, you need one of these.

And while it was not really loaded, I did have smaller rear panniers that had some gear, tools, jacket, etc.

It was rock solid and got more so on a long fairly steep packed gravel downhill at L'eroica in 2017.

I was flat out in high gear about halfway down, the faster I went, the more stable it felt, even I was amazed having already drank an awful lot of the Kool-Aid already.




This one was the same at Crater Lake the first time I went, came flying down a big hill, around a slight bend to find Cat tracks diagonally cut out of the asphalt that moved me about 10 ft closer to the 100's of feet dropoff in an instant as I held on and the bike remained the rest of the way under control and continued our rocket down the hill without anything else other than my thinking all the Kool-Aid was well deserved.





Jim really did know exactly what he was doing.

Dfrost 

My ‘92 Klein Performance was such a bike, great handling with loaded rear panniers and every other configuration throughout 38,000+ miles for everything as my sole bike back then. Other than being a size too small and 26mm tires maximum, it was a very fine bike, and still is for my son. Here it is in the middle of a 3-week tour in Italy. On the steep morning descent off the tall butte where Orvieto, Italy is located, I hit 46 mph, and it felt just fine!

thumpism 

^ Thanks for those suggestions. "Attainable" will probably keep a Merz away from me. A Performance might turn up one of these days. Money is not the issue; I can afford to indulge myself for the right toy(s) but rationalizing the expense is something else. That's why I like buying old, used crap and it was 37 years separating my most recent tour from the one previous, so spending a bundle on a "maybe" is unwise.

Chuck M 

Exactly. I enjoy my old used crap and the the only rationalizing I do use is if "this bike will bring me happiness". I don't kid myself thinking that the bikes I enjoy are going to return a financial reward or that they are rare collectible items. Bu thus far, all my bikes have a good ROI in terms of enjoyment.

capnjonny 

Since I started volunteering at the Bike Exchange I have had the opportunity to restore probably 200 bikes, everything from a Schwinn Suburban to various Bianchi's, Raleigh's and custom builds. Personally I currently own 7 bikes of various pedigree from an old Peugeot beater to a limited production French Phillipe. The one I ride most frequently though is a Funky Trek 800 Antelope that is too small for me that I have jacked up the seat post and put ape hanger handle bars on to accommodate my 6'5" height.

When I was just starting out with 10 speeds back in the 60's the bike of my dreams was an Olmo Special. That was the most exotic bike I had ever seen.

If I had one of those today I probably wouldn't like riding it but as a lust object I would put it at the top of my list.

merziac

You never know, I would keep it in the back of the mind, just in case, there have been a couple turn up far from PDX.

A Bruce Gordon would be on the list as well, he moved to Eugene for 10 years and hung out with Jim and Mark DiNucci.

Dave Levy and I used the big silver Merz and the "a bit too small" BG for the fitting of the new Strawberry that turned out fantastic from those and Dave's phenomenal expertise.

Dave would be another one to have one built as well.

Not a lot of "maybe" in the equation with these guys IMO.

bark_eater 

Well I have an embarrassing collection of potential "grail" project bikes, What I need to "attain" is shop time. All I can do at this point is take my vitamins and try to live long enough. I really do want to have a full blown artful yet functional Randonneuring bike, but the real cost is staggering.

shrtdstncrdr

My grail bike is a Panasonic road bike. I don't know a quarter of the things you folks know about bikes but I know Japanese frames were always considered high quality. As it stands I have two bikes from a US manufacturer where the frames came from Japan. Mangalloy and Ishawata. Componentry and set ups are different but I never feel like I would rather be on the one of the two I don't happen to be riding that moment.

A choice I would be just as satisfied with would be a new FRCC42. Especially in that copper color.

I have to say though, the most fun (when not riding) is perusing this forum for the knowledge and images of the great bikes you all have. The stories and the overall mood of this place is fantastic. I wish I had more to contribute but what I have would be boring to most of you. Not that much happens to me.

Harv

thumpism 

Panasonic/National made a LOT of bikes, under their own label and for others as well. Many desirable Schwinns originated there. Do some research and you'd be surprised what's out there. Keep an eye on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace; you never know what'll turn up. Good luck with your search.

gaucho777 

I first got into road riding when I was 12 and started racing when I was 13. My first road bike was a Vitus 979 in sky blue. I only had that bike for a couple of years before it was wrecked when I was side-swiped by a van. At some point, I would love to find another Vitus. There were so many Vitus 979s made over the years, I know it's an attainable goal. Ideally, I'd love to find a 56cm one in sky blue, decked out with a full Mavic SSC group, but that'll take a bit more luck.

shrtdstncrdr

Thanks Thumpism,

It isn't that serious of a search as there are two very good Treks in the garage as it stands. They suit me just fine. But if one fell into my lap and everything was right about it, then, you kinda have to get it, right?

Harv