• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

basscyclist thread picture thread

Nobody

Nobody

Inactive
Jul 14, 2004
2,144
4,005
gravel
#1
Are you a bassist who also is into riding bicycles please post pics of your bikes and tell us a bit about you and your bikes.

Centurion

Centurion

  • Media owner Nobody
  • Date added

I love this bike. It's an '86 Centurion LeMans. When I was in Middle school I wanted a Centurion Dave Scott Ironman which was the top of the line Centurion. This LeMans was the model right below it. I found this in a local pawn shop for a good price. I couldn't pass it up. I replace the bar tape, tires, brake pads, and seat(for aesthetics reasons only)(this is a before pic). It's so 80s, I love it.



Bianchi

Bianchi

  • Media owner Nobody
  • Date added

After getting the Centurion and being reminded about what a great ride steel is I decided to look for a steel bike that could better handle the rough roads and terrain where I live and also preserve the Centurion. I did some research and discovered the Bianchi Volpe. It's a light touring bike so it can take bigger tires and handle the rough stuff just fine while retaining most of the speed(enough for me anyway) of bike more geared toward road riding. I got this one off ebay.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Artman, Randy Ward, GalleyCat and 8 others
#2
This was my cheap, $100 bicycle that got me around Athens when I moved to Greece.
I bought it at target 8 years ago, and shipped it to Greece in 2009 with the rest of my stuff.

After I did a tune up on it it shifted and braked perfectly. I then bought and installed the front and
rear mud guards and front and rear lights. This thing took me everywhere. I couldn't believe how
well it performed for such a cheap bike.

It was lightweight, and I didn't care too much if it got bashed around because it was so cheap.

IMG_2907e.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: pie_man_25, wesonbass, Helix and 3 others
#5
Nobody said:
Are you a bassist who also is into riding bicycles please post pics of your bikes and tell us a bit about you and your bikes.

Centurion

Centurion

  • Media owner Nobody
  • Date added

I love this bike. It's an '86 Centurion LeMans. When I was in Middle school I wanted a Centurion Dave Scott Ironman which was the top of the line Centurion. This LeMans was the model right below it. I found this in a local pawn shop for a good price. I couldn't pass it up. I replace the bar tape, tires, brake pads, and seat(for aesthetics reasons only)(this is a before pic). It's so 80s, I love it.



Bianchi

Bianchi

  • Media owner Nobody
  • Date added

After getting the Centurion and being reminded about what a great ride steel is I decided to look for a steel bike that could better handle the rough roads and terrain where I live and also preserve the Centurion. I did some research and discovered the Bianchi Volpe. It's a light touring bike so it can take bigger tires and handle the rough stuff just fine while retaining most of the speed(enough for me anyway) of bike more geared toward road riding. I got this one off ebay.
Click to expand...

Steel is beautiful ride. I tried the aluminum stuff, but now both my bikes are steel again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMacBass65 and Nobody
#6
I have been riding off and on my whole life from about the age of 5 or 6 and have owned 5 bikes.

In order: (yeah I know, pics or it didn't happen. blah,blah...)

19?? Schwinn Stingray - Metallic Green/Forest Green.
1979-80 Columbia 10 speed (might have even been a 12 speed) - kind of a two tone Blue sky color (not sure the exact model)
1980-82? Redline BMX - Black w/red and white pin stripping.
1983 GT Timberline - Chrome finish, Triple Triangle Cro-moly frame, tube flanges to strengthen weld/assembly points, 18 speeds. This bike was a bad bitch. This was more or less the time when "Mountain Bikes" were really becoming a thing and this particular model had most of, if not all the new technologies and advancements of the time. Heavy as sh*t though.

Alas, I no longer own any of those bikes. Long gone. This lead to the only other period in my life that I did not own a bicycle.

This lasted for 3-4 years and then... (bam, bam, bhaam)... settle down it's really kind of anti climactic.

Forward to @ 1993. So I had sold my vehicle and found a good year end clearance deal, roughly a 25% discount. It was more like a season end discount. "season" being the approaching Midwest winter.

This is that bike in it's current incarnation.

upload_2016-1-2_18-3-34.jpeg


upload_2016-1-2_18-6-39.jpeg




It was originally a "Mountain Bike" but probably best described now as some sort of cyclo-cross. Or is it a psych-lo-cross?

It is very sturdy and relatively light, comparatively, even today.

This bike has gone through several upgrades over the years. Everything has been changed, upgraded, changed out, changed back and upgraded again. Except the frame and original derailleurs (cog wheels excluded) although that took close to 20 years before changing.

The forks were replaced at one point with a set of Rock-Shox Judy XC's.

- The front end assembly alone, back then (handlebars, headset, shifters, forks, calipers, hub, rim and tire) cost @ 50% more than the original purchase price of the original bike itself.

This current incarnation minus the original forks, frame, stem and derailleurs has roughly, another, $8-900 worth of upgrades. (see following *)

I know! (who would have thought a b*** could be so expensive. (...but seriously, I can justify spending that money...you see what had happened was... ."))

Seriously though.

I can't even express how well this particular investment has served me over the years (now 22-23). And this thing has been broken, beat & scarred worse than a... a... a live version of Metallica's "Seek and Destroy".



* In 2007 I meticulously planned and attempted an East/West cross country, self supported (carrying all the absolute essentials and then some) solo tour that launched from St. Augustine, FL. in March of 2008.

It was important to me, for reasons important only to me, that this bike be the one to make the trip. Even if it is only the original stem, forks and frame. Is it still a Nefder? Ha.

Anyway, I failed. Miserably. I managed to pedal about 250-300 miles of a 6,180 mile journey and had to abandon due to severe Tendinitis.

Still kind of pissed. So many hours, days and months of planning, training and anticipation...gone...just like that.

Anyhoo...

...this bike in it's current form is one stealthy, quick and reliable piece of machinery.


Nobody is quicker than me.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Hot Rats, knuckleduster, Immigrant and 3 others
#9
The "fun" bike, Trek 311 that I bought new in 1983. It was a road bike. Now it's equipped with upright bars and a 3-speed gear hub. This is for nice weather when I don't want to be loaded down by all of the crap on the commuter bike, or for day rides with the family on weekends.

trek.png


Recent project: Sturmey Archer AW 3-speed gear hub made in 1965, disassembled and cleaned, ready to put back together. This will be for a new wheel set that I'm building for the Trek. The hub is in excellent working condition, except that one of the pawl springs was broken. Replacement parts are still available, and the same design is still being manufactured.

sturmey.png


The old beast, a 1982 Schwinn, which started its life as a 10-speed, is now a 3-speed. This is my main commuting bike. During the winter I switch to a nondescript rigid steel mountain bike with studded tires.

IMG_20160102_213126.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: pie_man_25, Hot Rats, Chris Fitzgerald and 4 others
#10
Love this topic, as I have been a cyclist since 1988.

First ride was a Cannondale with Shimano 105 components. Once I started riding and learning, I decided that was not the bike for me.

Working at a bike shop, I bought a Bridgestone RB1 frame, 1990 model, and built it up with Mavic components, inspired by Greg LeMond's 1989 TdF winning Bottechia rig. It still gets use as a winter/rain bike. This bike is like an old broken in pair of boots. Impossibly comfortable to ride, solid and predictable. This bike could tell lots of stories of when I was younger and had time to spend hours upon hours on training rides.

image.jpeg


When I got into racing, I picked up an Italian rig and built it with Campy Record components. It was a Guerciotti, repainted from its original yellow, here I am at a race circa 1997 (note - I have been dropped here, on a brutal crit course). Lots of races, and lots of aggressive group training rides, often harder than the races I did, were done on this rig. It hangs on a hook in my attic now. I might build a fixed gear rig with it this winter.

image.jpeg


I did a fair bit of commuting by bike when I was in the bike biz, and had a Bridgestone CB Zip built up with drop bars for the task. It was frequently morphing and changing to suit my mood. Here I am after a snowy commute, in my basement workshop in my old house, circa 1998 [date stamp on photo is wrong]:

image.jpeg


In '95 at the West Coast bike show, I met John Slawta, owner/builder of Landshark Bicycles. If you have followed racing since the 80s you might know the name Andy Hampsten, winner of the Tour of Italy in 1988. While his 7-11 team road Huffy branded bikes built by Ben Serotta, Andy's climbing bike was a Huffy branded Landshark built by Slawta. Slawta has a background in art, and it is reflected in some of the paintwork you see on his bikes. Right as I was about to get out of the bike biz, I decided I better get John to build me a frame. The custom bike is built to the same fit dimensions as my RB-1, built with a faster front end and tighter rear end, but not to the extreme, a very race worthy rig, while still being very comfortable and predictable. It's Reynolds 853 steel, filet brazed, which you don't see much anymore. When it came time to paint it, I still had not decided what I wanted him to do. I said "suprise me with a three color fade in purple, red and yellow", and below you see what he did. I had this built for me in '99, and it's been my main ride for pleasure rides, training, and the little bit of racing I still do. Built with essentially the same Mavic set up as my Bridgestone, but with Shimano brake/shifter setup, newer Mavic hubs, and some other bits. It it looking a bit retro on the training rides these days though, gotta say.

image.jpeg


John works exclusively in carbon now, and I had hoped to get him to build me a new rig for my 50th birthday this summer, as I was going to be near his shop in Oregon on a family trip anyway, I thought I would go there and discuss plans. Alas, my finances were not what I felt they needed to be to justify the gift to myself, so that got back burnered - maybe when I turn 55. My uncle, a rider since the 70s, has one of Johns bikes, based on my recommendation, in full carbon. I saw it this summer, and it was amazing, of course, for about $9k, it should be. My uncle's bike is not as flashy as this, from the Landshark Facebook page:

image.jpeg


Ok - sorry for such a long winded post, and all the pictures. But it was nice to geek out on something I am passionate about OTHER than bass and music. I'll leave you with one more picture, my son riding the bike I got for him this spring for his 12th birthday. He is a natural on the bike and I couldn't be more thrilled. Here he is recovering after racing me up a knarly climb on a ride this fall. He won [I let him ;-)].

image.jpeg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: pie_man_25, Wannabass, Meenkya and 17 others
#11
Nobody said:
I did some research and discovered the Bianchi Volpe. It's a light touring bike so it can take bigger tires and handle the rough stuff just fine while retaining most of the speed(enough for me anyway) of bike more geared toward road riding. I got this one off ebay.
Click to expand...

I remember the Volpe from my bike biz days, we were a Bianchi dealer. It's a great ride!!

Hot Rats said:
I love riding bicycles......here goes.
Surly Long Haul Trucker: I bought this to replace my 1984 Centurion Pro Tour 15 after I was hit by a car and tossed down a 20 ft ditch.
Click to expand...

A buddy of mine has a LHT and loves it. Surly does some cool stuff!
 
  • Like
Reactions: tonequixote, Hot Rats and Nobody
#15
@S-Bigbottom directed me here, so blame him for a two-month necro! :D

Here's a bike I don't know anything about, other than it's made of heat-treated 6061 aluminum. I believe they use this same stuff on aircraft, as it's a light metal.

Bought it off a co-worker yesterday and took my first ride in three years on an ice trail. Yikes! I suped it up at REI later that night and added all the accessories installed in the pic.
20160303_205849.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hot Rats, pie_man_25, Wannabass and 8 others
#16
My Al race frame (which I used to ride mostly) has oxide webbing it's way through the chainstay, so I'm using my steel cross/commuter/doitall bike for the moment. It's a fairly nice Nashbar that I got complete for less than the price of the 105 components on it. I haven't raced in a few years due to money/time and I'm pretty out of shape.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pie_man_25 and Nobody

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back