Bottecchia Special w/ Campagnolo Components

This bicycle's ornate frame measures 60cm c-t and features chrome fork tips, a chrome fork crown, chrome dropouts, and chrome head lugs.

Handlebars: Flared aluminum with brand new white tape

Stem: Carnielli

Shifters: Campagnolo DT shifters

Brakes: Universal

Pedals: MKS Track w/ clip and straps

Rear D: Campagnolo Valentino

Front D: Shimano (replacing the ill-fated and infamous Valentino "rod" FD.

Wheels: Campy hubs, butted aluminum spokes, Dolomiti rims, and brand new Kenda K35 tires.

Giant Boulder 21 Speed

Altus components, indexed "EZ-Fire" shifting, front suspension---a very nice MTB!

(Sold)

Schwinn Caliente Frameset

This 19" frame is in very good condition. The frame includes everything shown in the picture (BB, seatpost, stem, headset, fork). The paint has a few scratches and chips, but the frame and fork are straight and without dents or other damage.

(Sold)

Schwinn World Sport 12 Speed

This bike features: new Kenda K35 tires, Sugino crank, Shimano SIS drivetrain, aluminum Araya wheels.

Size: 19" c-t.

(Sold)

Fuji Track Fixed Gear/Single Speed

This 2003 Fuji Track includes both a freewheel and lockring/cog, a new SRAM PC-1 chain, and brand new white handlebar tape.

Note: if you intend on using this bike on the road, plan on using at least a front brake if riding fixed, or a front and rear brake if you are on the freewheel side. Be safe!

Size: the c-t frame size is 19.5"

(Sold)

Campagnolo Gran Sport Pedals

These pedals are used, but are in excellent condition. They include (medium) Christophe clips. The bearings are super-smooth (as to be expected with Campy parts).

(Sold)

Fuji MX-250 18 Speed

This bike features Shimano SIS shifting.

Size: the c-t frame size is 18" --- perfect for smaller riders!

(Sold)

1985 Peugeot P18T

This bike is entirely stock and in fantastic condition. The internally brazed Carbolite 103 frame is exceptionally clean. This bike features features brand new Kenda K35 tires.

Size: the c-t frame size is 21"

(Sold)

Raleigh Reliant Single Speed

This bike features: a brand new 18t Dicta freewheel, new Kenda K35 tires, new black handlebar tape, and a new SRAM chain.

Size: the c-t frame size is 21.75"

The model name ("Reliant") seems to suit the bike rather well. This bike never rolled in the pro peloton (not even 30 years ago---not by a long shot), but I'd much rather be steamrolling Chicago potholes on this bike than a 15lb carbon wonder bike. This bike is the real deal.

(Sold)

Schwinn Sprint Single Speed

This bike features: a brand new 18t Dicta freewheel, new Kenda K35 tires, new Jagwire brake cables, and new white handlebar tape.

Size: the c-t frame size is 21"

(Sold)

Adverse Riding Weather

This morning I went for a ride after the rain had already started. The first spin of the pedals is not a simple thing in nasty weather. If you only want to ride on days of guaranteed beautiful weather, you'll have a riding season somewhere between 14-20 days in Chicago.

Here are some tips for riding in nasty weather:

Heat:
-Bring an extra bottle
-Bring along sunblock and reapply often

Rain:
-Cycling specific clothing (though expensive) helps you feel drier
-Wear eye protection
-Beware of painted or metal road surfaces because they are very slick when wet
-Try foot retention (clips and straps or clipless) to help prevent your feet from sliding around on the pedals
-Remember every puddle can be a pothole
-Some people like fenders. My thinking is: you are going to get soaked anyways
-Leaves are slippery too

Snow: Last winter I got a few miles in, but ultimately I was unable to keep my face or hands warm for more than about 4 miles no matter what I tried. I'm going to invest in a thin hood for under my helmet next season, but I'm not sure what to do about gloves because I had used thick skiing gloves last winter.
-Think about keeping around a "winter beater" (perhaps a cheap MTB). All of the moisture and road salt will either damage your nice road bike, or necessitate constant cleaning.
-Wear a plastic shell layer
-Consider leaving your foot retention off (because of the constant risk of going down on)
-Wear bright colors, use lights
-Ride slowly and cautiously.
-There are some great resources on http://bikewinter.org/

I want to hear some other input---especially on the glove issue.

Ride safely,
Anthony P.

Recommended ride: the lakefront path

If you live in Chicago and bike at all, odds are you've probably already ridden on the lakefront path. For everyone else, I strongly recommend giving the lakefront path a try.

This paved multi-use path stretches all the way from Roger's Park in the north to South Shore in the south, alongside Lake Michigan.

The path is sometimes rather crowded, especially between Fullerton and Navy Pier, so I would recommend riding slowly and attentively through that section. Remember to check to your left before overtaking slower traffic. Also pay special attention to dogs and children.

Another word of caution: watch out for the wind!

Enjoy,
Anthony P.

Spalding Blade Single Speed

This bike features: new 18t Dicta freewheel, new Kenda K35 tires, new MCS Racing saddle, and new white handlebar tape.

Size: the c-t frame size is 21"

This bike is extremely distinctive.

(Sold)

Schwinn World Single Speed

This bike features a new 18t Dicta freewheel and new black handlebar tape. The tires are in very good condition and have many miles of riding ahead of them.

Size: the c-t frame size is 23"

(Sold)

Schwinn Woodlands 21 Speed

This bike features Shimano 200GS components. It shifts like butter.

Size: 23" c-t.

(Sold)

Vacation

I've been on vacation in Ann Arbor, MI all week.

I'll be back next week with some interesting new bikes!

Raleigh Rampar R1027 Single Speed

This bike features: new 18t Dicta freewheel, new Kenda K35 tires, and new black handlebar tape. I also upgraded this bike to alloy wheels, alloy brakes, and Leotard pedals.

This bike has an exceptionally clean paint job.

Size: the c-t frame size is 23"

(Sold)

Confession: I took this bike out for a quick 15 mile ride today. This bike is really great!

Schwinn World Sport Single Speed

This bike looks pretty much like a doppelgänger of the last bike I built, but there are a few differences. This is the "Sport" version of the world which means it has a 4130 Chromo frame, aluminum wheels, and a super nice crankset.

This bike has a new 18t dicta freewheel, new Kenda tires, and new white handlebar tape.

Size: approximately 20" c-t.

(Sold)

Update

Because of the overwhelming response, I'm building up another women's Schwinn World just like the last one (even the same awesome color). It seems that nobody wants to call dibs on it sight unseen, but this bike is going to sell quickly.

Also, I've decided to offer delivery to the blue line for a $20 fee on all of my bikes.

Thanks,

Anthony P.

Miyata One Ten

This bike features: aluminum Araya wheels, an SR crank set, Shimano SIS shifters and derailleurs, MKS pedals, and brand new Kenda tires.

Size: The frame size is 21" c-t. The standover is 31"

(Sold)

Women's Schwinn World Single Speed

This bike features: new 18t Dicta freewheel, new Kenda K35 tires, new Jagwire brake cables, new KMC gold chain, and new white handlebar tape.

Size: the c-t frame size is 19.25"

This bike looks (and rides) sweet.

(sold)

Quick tip: sticker removal

The trick to getting that "Mike's Bike Shop" sticker removed from your seat tube is to warm it up with a blow dryer first. This softens the glue and should help make the sticker easier to peel. If there is any adhesive residue leftover, you can painstakingly try to remove it with rubbing alcohol.

Don't go peeling any tubing stickers :p

Anthony

Also, coming up this week is a neat girl's Schwinn World, and a Miyata geared bike.

How to: quick release skewers (duh!)

It seems that quick release wheels should require no explanation, right?

I see QR's used incorrectly all the time, so perhaps they are not as simple as they may seem.

Note:

-Always disengage your brakes before attempting to remove or install a wheel. There are several easy ways to do this, depending on the type of brakes you have.

A quick release skewer has two ends. One end has a lever, and the other has an adjustable cam.

1) To remove a QR wheel, open the lever so that it is perpendicular to the wheel (or depending on the type of skewer, wider than that---as wide as 180 degrees).

2) On some bicycles you may need to loosen the cam on the opposite side of the skewer by rotating it counter clockwise in order to free the wheel.

3) To secure the wheel, place it in the bicycle's drop outs or fork ends.

4) Keep the lever perpendicular (or wider open depending on the type of the skewer) to the wheel.

5) Tighten the cam by rotating it clockwise. After the cam is finger tight, try closing the lever. If the lever will not close all the way because there is too much resistance, open the lever and loosen the cam. If the lever closes easily because there is two little resistance, open the lever and tighten the cam some more.

Levers should be positioned such that when closed, they are parallel to a tube of the bicycle (such as a fork blade, chain stay, or seat stay) so that the probability of them catching and opening accidentally is decreased.

Tradition that QR levers should be on the left side of the bicycle, and cams on the right.

Questions or tips? Email me.

Fuji Absolute

This beautiful 12 speed bike features: a 4130 Chromo Fuji Absolute frame, aluminum Araya wheels, a Sugino crankset, Suntour Accushift 2000 shifters and derailleurs, an Advocet Touring saddle, low-mile Kenda tires, and new black handlebar tape. The bike has been completely gone through and serviced.

Size: The frame size is 58cm c-t. The standover is 33.5"

(Sold)

Vintage Schwinn Twinn De Luxe Tandem

This bike is in excellent condition and is completely original. The tires were recently replaced with Kenda white walls. This bike is a five speed and everything on the bike functions well. Tandems are a bunch of fun so I recommend coming by for a test ride!

(Sold)

Coming soon

I've been waiting for some parts to come in the mail before I can continue to build more bikes.

Some interesting bikes are going to be coming up soon, including some geared road bikes and a vintage 5-speed tandem.

Schwinn Traveller Single Speed

This bike features: Araya wheels, an SR crankset, an Advocet Touring II saddle, new 18t Dicta freewheel, new Kenda K45 tires, new Jagwire brake cable, and new white handlebar tape.

Size: The frame size is 64cm c-t. The standover is 34.5"

The geometry must be distinctive because I felt quite comfortable riding it (with the exception of the standover height), and I am only 6'1"

This bike looks oddly like the new Schwinn Madison in the same color.

(Sold)

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/bik/1243115956.html

Detail: Why some bikes take longer than others

I worked in a restaurant for about three days and simply couldn't stand the prospect of handling people's food in such a manner that I wouldn't want mine to be handled. I feel the same way about building bicycles (because I love both food and bicycling), which means some bikes take way longer than others---way too long in general.

With any luck, the bike currently in my workstand, a 64cm blue Schwinn Traveller with nice chrome fork tips should be completed and posted this afternoon.

Ride safely,

Anthony P.

Recommended Ride: Des Plaines River Trail

No matter where you live, there is undoubtedly no shortage of pleasant places to bike, but I've decided to share some of my favorite local routes.

The Des Plaines River Trail is a ~3o mile crushed stone trail that runs almost all the way north through Lake County.

This path brings you through beautiful scenery. Sometimes it is nice to get away from all the cars. So long as you ride aggressively, the mosquitos will leave you alone---otherwise I would recommend bringing along some bug spray. The crushed stone can be a bit harsh, but I managed to ride this path almost everyday last summer on my 23c tires.

On weekends the path gets somewhat crowded, but it is empty enough on weekdays to bomb down the path safely.

Running alongside the Des Plaines River, the path is sometimes flooded or muddy. If you are not interested in getting your bike dirty, the DPRT might not be for you.

Ride safe,

Anthony P.

How to: fix a flat

This subject has been covered a thousand times over all over the internet, but I've decided to try my hand at describing this all important element of bicycle maintenance.

What you'll need:

-two or three tire levers

-a patch kit (the glue kind, not the glueless kind---those don't work)

-a bike pump

-a 15mm or adjustable wrench if your wheel is not quick release

1. Using either the quick release on your hub, or a 15mm wrench, remove the wheel with the flat tire.
2. Use the tapered end of a tire lever to pry under the bead of the tire and bend the tool down until you can hook the hooked end onto a spoke.
3. Repeat step two with another lever about 5" away from the first lever on the same side of the rim.
4. Many advise against "sliding" a tire lever in order to unseat the bead as this may cause it damage. Here you may either slide your first or second lever in order to keep pulling the tire off the rim, try to do so by hand, or repeat step 2 again with a third lever.
5. After the tire has been removed from the rim, keep the tire and tube aligned.
6. Put a few pumps of air into the tube and locate the leak
7. Check the corresponding spot on the tire for any debris (broken glass, thorns, nails) that might remain in the tire prepared to flat your tube again.
8. Clean the area around the leak on the tube with the scuffer included in your patch kit.
9. Apply glue in an area larger than the patch you attend to use.
10. Allow glue to dry fully.
11. Peel protective backing from your patch, and stick it to the glue, carefully pressing the edges down and being sure of a good seal.
12. Reinsert the tube into the tire.
13. Insert the valve stem into the valve stem hole on the rim.
14. Seat the tire on the rim working one side at a time with your hand pulling the tire back onto the rim.
15. Inflate to your preferred pressure or the tire's recommended pressure.
16. Ride your bicycle.

Prevention: keep your tires well inflated, avoid riding through glass and other sharp objects when possible, pay attention to the wear on your tires and replace them if they are badly worn.

Note: I highly recommend patching flatted tubes. Some prefer to replace tubes with new ones, but this is rather wasteful. A properly patched tube can be very reliable.

Fuji Sports 12

This bike features Nitto handlebars, MKS pedals, and a Fuji crankset. This bike also has installed: a new 18t Dicta freewheel and brand new Kenda K35 tires.

Size: This bike has a standover height of 36.5"

This one's a bit big for me, but I love that feeling of riding above traffic---great fun, and reminds me of my legendary lost Motobecane Mirage.

(Sold)

Re-cycling

Single speed conversions are, of course, recycled.

Growing up, many of the bicycles I'd ridden were pulled straight from the trash (including my well-loved but much too tall Motobecane Mirage). Often these bikes had a flatted tube, a split tire sidewall, or frayed bar tape---nothing a couple of bucks and a bit of elbow grease couldn't fix. I was always struck by the ridiculous wastefulness of it all. These bikes were tossed to the curb presumably to make room for a new department store mountain bike, or worse still, another car.

I haven't found a bicycle by the curb in a while---and I think that's a good thing.

Breathing new life into old bicycles is important to me, as is human powered transportation in general.

So, another good reason to ride single speeds: the environment. Re-purposing these bikes helps make them more useful and prepares them for a few thousand more miles.

Why would anyone opt to pay more for stiff, lifeless, aluminum frames with ugly welds when they could instead have beautiful, vintage lugged steel? The heart shaped braze-on often found underneath the downtube (to accomodate downtube shifters or cable guides) on these vintage steel bikes summarizes how I feel about them.

Bike Locking Technique

Getting your bike stolen sucks, so lock everything, every time.

Opinions about locking technique vary greatly, but the following represent some well agreed upon guidelines for good locking technique:

• Use a high quality u-lock for the frame (such as the expensive but strong Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit (you can these cheaper by purchasing them on eBay).
• Try to "stuff" the shackle of the lock. Fit your front or rear wheel in with the u-lock if possible. Less space on the inside of the lock means less space for thieves' tools.
• Lock your front and rear wheels using a good cable lock, or even a second u-lock.
• Lock your saddle. This can be accomplished by using a thin cable lock designed for this purpose, or an old bike chain wrapped in an inner tube.
• Lock to a thick, strong, non-removable object. Good=a sturdy bike rack cemented into the ground; Bad=street sign, fence, tree, and so forth.

Even if you follow these guidelines, you might still become the victim of bicycle theft, but if you don't (and you live in a major metropolitan area) it is likely just a matter of time.

Ride safe,

Anthony P.

Have different ideas you'd like to add? I'd like to see them in the comments section!

Women's Miyata Eighty SE

This bike features: Araya wheels, Sugino crankset, new 18t Dicta freewheel, new Kenda K45 tires, new KMC gold chain, and new white handlebar tape.

Size: the seat (measured from the top of the saddle to the ground) adjusts between 33.5"-37.5

The frame on this bike is exceptionally clean.

(Sold)

Men's Schwinn World

This Schwinn World features Weinman aluminum wheels and an aluminum Sugino crankset. The bike has a standover height of 33"

This bike also has installed: a new 18t Dicta freewheel, new tires, and new black handlebar tape.

This is an extremely nice bike and pretty near my size. It is hard for me to sell ones like this...

(Sold)

Women's Schwinn Sprint

(Sold)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why single speed?

A: Single speed bicycles are more efficient, more reliable, lighter, better looking, and less fuss. Check out what Sheldon Brown has to say on the subject (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html).

Q: What do you do to recondition these bikes?

A: While this varies based upon the needs of a specific bicycle, I always strip a bike down, remove superfluous parts (kickstands, et cet.), clean the frame and wheels, replace the freewheel with a new single speed freewheel, respace and redish the rear wheel for a perfect chain-line and stronger wheel, lubricate the drivetrain, and replace the handlebar tape. I often install new tires and chains as indicated in each listing.

Q: What about sizing?

A: Sizing is extremely subjective. In my opinion, the best way to determine bike fit is a test ride. To determine whether a bicycle is roughly the right size, I include stand over heights in all my listings.