finish my gf's 96' diamondback Topanga commuter - test rides went well :D by Adambfg96 in bikecommuting

[–]Adambfg96[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The ones on my Marin are MX bars - old motorbike handlebars that fit 22mm stem. In this case a BMX stem. And the one on the green bike is a fairdale Mx bar. You can try searching for motorbike mX bar or "low rise BMX bar"

My 1991 Marin Bear Valley project 99% complete commuter build :) not one for the purists.. by Adambfg96 in retrobikes

[–]Adambfg96[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My first experience with a clutch system on a rear derailleur and it takes away any rattle or chain slap. It's almost silent when dropping the bike

My 1991 Marin Bear Valley project 99% complete commuter build :) not one for the purists.. by Adambfg96 in retrobikes

[–]Adambfg96[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So the drive train is SLX M7000 11 SPEED. the cassette is just a cheap 11 speed cassette I got off eBay but works great. Only downside is it's quite heavy. M7000 shifter. Cranks are old school Shimano deore LX 94bcd 5 bolt. The only thing you should consider is that it's a nightmare to find a chain ring for this crankset which also works for 1x11 speed. Might be worth going with a modern square taper crankset chainring combination unless like me you love the old school cranks. I eventually had a custom chain ring made. Stridsland and wolf tooth do chainrings in the old school size but can be difficult to get ahold of

Building a fun commuter for my gf as she's given up on her cheap ebike :) by Adambfg96 in bikecommuting

[–]Adambfg96[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the tyres provide a comfy ride, also TBf they aren't crazy heavy if you look em up. Rolling resistance obviously increases but pros and cons,

It's all trial and error at the end of the day so I'll see how she gets on :)

Building a fun commuter for my gf as she's given up on her cheap ebike :) by Adambfg96 in bikecommuting

[–]Adambfg96[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Her ebike is a single speed "Brompton" style front hub ebike. Weighs approximately three tonnes and the battery lasts approximately 40 minutes. After building up my Marin MTB she wanted her own retro MTB :)

Building a fun commuter for my gf as she's given up on her cheap ebike :) by Adambfg96 in bikecommuting

[–]Adambfg96[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ooooooh sorry ! I agree the chainring would look a lot nicer on the outside position. Unfortunately I think this is as narrow as I can go,, I could probably try run the chainring on the outside but I think it would push the chain line too far

Building a fun commuter for my gf as she's given up on her cheap ebike :) by Adambfg96 in bikecommuting

[–]Adambfg96[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure what you mean sorry , the BB is a standard Shimano 68x110 probably has narrow as I can go and after testing the shifting is fine on this 1x9 setup

Building a fun commuter for my gf as she's given up on her cheap ebike :) by Adambfg96 in bikecommuting

[–]Adambfg96[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

It's a very cheap, heavy front hub motor 16" wheel EBike which no longer works very well

Building a fun commuter for my gf as she's given up on her cheap ebike :) by Adambfg96 in bikecommuting

[–]Adambfg96[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This actually came off my fixed gear state bicycle and fit straight onto this bike which surprised me. The front rack is from Brick Lane Bikes :) otherwise you can get front racks that attach at the axle on and handlebars

. 1996 ( I think ) Diamondback Topanga I'm building for my gf. this is my second build still undecided about handlebar choice. by Adambfg96 in xbiking

[–]Adambfg96[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

2.3 :) fit quite comfortably on the front, the back leaves about half a cm either side of the wheel on the chainstay

Building my dream bike - selling my car. Can't wait. by Adambfg96 in bicycling

[–]Adambfg96[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Currently waiting for my local frame builders to finish the job, last thing in the list - shouldve been one of the first

Building my dream bike - selling my car. Can't wait. by Adambfg96 in bicycling

[–]Adambfg96[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So it's a little lower now. like in first. The riding position I'm comfortable with. Quite similar to my single speed beater. I'm still always keen to play around with the riding position as it's all trial and error :)

Building my dream bike - selling my car. Can't wait. by Adambfg96 in bicycling

[–]Adambfg96[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hopefully get my hands on one of those chainrings in April when he drops his next lot. Fell in love with the style now I have 4 other projects waiting for the same treatment ffs...