# I.... I think I want a city bike.



## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Really. 

I don't get it, but, I do.

((Stop me before I move [back] to Portland and learn to weld!))

Okay no so really, I fell totally in love with, of all things, a Work Cycles Transport this week, and I can't get the idea out of my head.

While a company nearer to me produces some city-style bikes, they are not quite the old-school-cool of these suckers.

Another local guy has been importing some Gazelles, and they are likewise awesome, but maybe not quite so much.

So... any other options in the US of A? It might end up a grey-market kind of a thing.

Right now I have a late sixties' Schwinn Collegiate that lives outside and gets ridden to the grocery store and cafe all of the time, but it is kind of a heap.

Looking for something to replace it that'll be the "last bike I ever buy." Okay, that is a bald-faced lie, but, the first bike I'll never sell?


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## Lotophage (Feb 19, 2011)

Can I suggest, after much experimentation, that you go with a schwinn 3-speed?

I've tried building city bikes 3 times now. Each has been it's own unique brand of failure.

The fact that your collegiate is a heap is what makes it the perfect city bike already. The paint is ruined. It functions, well enough, it stops adequately. 

Say you get a Velo-Orange Polyvalant. And a big "porteur" rack for the front. And a charmingly retro drivetrain. Or a fairly modern one. And a brooks saddle. Don't forget the 650b wheels and tires and tubes. and a fancy chain guard. And fenders. 

You've now got about $1-1.5k in a city bike. You old city bike, you could pretty much leave leaned against the wall unlocked and not worry about. If you locked it up at all, you didn't have to worry about it getting scratched up by all the other crappy bikes in the rack. Not so much with the new one. Locks, worries and a saddle you really don't want to leave out in the rain. If someone stole your old city bike, it'd be annoying, but a replacement would be $50 at Saint Vinnies. Your new one screams hipster bike, and hipsters love ironically stealing hipster bikes. Oh, and you quickly learn that those awesome metal fenders and the big porteur rack pretty much make it impossible to get your new bike in a standard bike rack at all. They also make it impossible to remove the front wheel and leave the bike resting on it's fork. The fender is too long.

Other thing, you could be looking at the city bike and thinking, "man, it would be awesome to ride in regular clothes like those awesome amsterdam people." and then you could discover that in amsterdam, they're only riding like a mile or 2, while your commute to work is 7 or 8. And amsterdam never gets hot, but where you live it gets into the 90s pretty regularly. And so before you know it, you are riding your oh-so parisian or dutch city bike with it's pretty metal fenders and it's awesome chain guard in a pair of bike shorts and a jersey because those are the clothes that don't get ruined when you sweat through them. 

Not that i have any experience with this at all...


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*Thanks for the experiences*

But, you know... I will keep mulling this over, but I really do want one. Yeah, with full metal fenders and a chain case and a heavy-duty rack.

Where do you live?

I'm in Tacoma, WA, though from Portland, OR. The climate is probably... pretty Amsterdam. It rains at least a little bit, most of the time, 9 months of the year. It will get above 90 in the summer for... maybe two days a year.

I've had 2 of these beater Schwinns, in both towns, with FIVE gears, even, and I love 'em. But, the shifting is balky, dealing with lights is a pain, and oh my GAWSH the brakes, steel rims won't stop for nothin'.

Oh, and I live 25 miles from work, and ride there most days, rain or not, on my road bike -- a drop-bar steel fenderbike -- but I don't really need all of that to get to the cafe or the hardware store.

I want to be able to haul cement on that rack, I tell you!


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## Lotophage (Feb 19, 2011)

Argentius said:


> But, you know... I will keep mulling this over, but I really do want one. Yeah, with full metal fenders and a chain case and a heavy-duty rack.
> 
> Where do you live?
> 
> ...


I'm in Madison, WI. Moved here for the temperate summers. THey seem to have evaporated.

Seems like it'd be cheaper and safer to just replace the wheels and brakes on yer crap schwinn- VO has some cheap 700c 3-speed wheels...

But I know what you mean, wanting a perfect city bike is like thinking you have a system for winning in vegas, you go in psyched, you come out confused and broke... 

Good luck!


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*The wheels*

On this sucker, they are 26 1 3/8s... 

But you are right, I could do something like that... but by the time I had bought a dyno hub and a 3- or 8-speed rear and a heavy-duty rack and a chain case and everything else, I'd ...

I can tell you've been through this business before.

I'll spare you! 



Lotophage said:


> I'm in Madison, WI. Moved here for the temperate summers. THey seem to have evaporated.
> 
> Seems like it'd be cheaper and safer to just replace the wheels and brakes on yer crap schwinn- VO has some cheap 700c 3-speed wheels...
> 
> ...


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

Any bike rated to carry 150+lbs of cargo can't be all bad.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Opus51569 said:


> Any bike rated to carry 150+lbs of cargo can't be all bad.


That's what I think! I have a hard time convincing the girlfriend to ride to the grocery store with me, so, she can just hop on...


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

You want a new bike and are coming here asking if it's OK? My vote is 100% yes.....


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*Well yeah but*

Other than the workcycles and gazelles, any suggestions?



Dave Hickey said:


> You want a new bike and are coming here asking if it's OK? My vote is 100% yes.....


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

A new bike is almost always a good thing. ... I'm getting a new Casseroll. Do I need it? No, but I deserve it for bike commuting 14,000 miles over the past four years. That's what I'm gonna tell my wife.


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## BunnV (Sep 7, 2005)

No personal experience but these look interesting
http://www.civiacycles.com/


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## PomPilot (May 17, 2006)

Argentius said:


> Other than the workcycles and gazelles, any suggestions?


How about a Folding i8 from Raleigh USA? You have heard of them, haven't you.  
.
.
.
.
Sorry, couldn't resist the dig. More seriously, about one of the Globe bikes? Or do up your own using parts from Velo Orange and Rivendell, on a "Goodwill Special" frame.:idea:


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

cargo bike!


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

The Globes are a Specialized sub-brand that has been discontinued. @bunn, Civias are decent but not special imo; the citybike sub-brand of a major us distributor.

I guess I like the simplicity, timelessness, and handmade goodness that is the Work Cycles.

The Raleigh that would be in the running, since you asked, is the  Detour Deluxe. Pretty much functionally identical, minus the black paint and massive super kill kill rack.

If I started there, and called up Velo Orange.. well. There is that.



PomPilot said:


> How about a Folding i8 from Raleigh USA? You have heard of them, haven't you.
> .
> .
> .
> ...


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## BunnV (Sep 7, 2005)

I get it on the Civia's... how about a Spot?

I like the Sprawl but the Highline may be something you're interested in...

http://spotbrand.com/bikes/product-page/highline/


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

Raleigh Alley Way.

Belt drive goodness. No need for a chaincase.

Here's a picture if you're not familiar with it.... *cough*











Or buy a Torker Cargo-T and swap the 5 speed for an 8 or 11 speed Alfine. You can carry a case of beer on the front rack.


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## Eben (Feb 6, 2005)

Hmm...it sounds like what you really want is a delivery bike? Something between a typical city beater and a cargo bike. 

100lb. Bags of concrete!?! From what I saw of Tacoma last week, even you will need low gears and good brakes. 

The workcycles bike with the 8-speed option looks solid and has nicely classic styling but at that $ point, you've got a few other options. 

Here's a couple options that sprung to mind:

Batavus Delivery Bike
http://www.cambridgebicycle.com/design/photos/hybrid/batavus_delivery_bike-dutch.htm
I really like the look of these. After all the mama-cheris I rode in Japan, I really appreciate the step-through design for getting on and going. 
Unfortunately, it appears they only come in a 3-speed model? The website is not working for me so I might be wrong there. 

Actually, the batavus looks suspiciously exactly the same as the Torker Cargo T
http://www.torkerusa.com/bikes/utility/2011-cargot
Lower price and 5 speed hub!

Ahearne Cycle Truck
http://www.ahearnecycles.com/cycle-truck-intro/
You know you want one! Get the frameset and build it up with schwag (tell shimano you need an alfine 11 for testing). It's only a little more $ than the workcycle ;-) 

Public D8
http://publicbikes.com/p/PUBLIC-D8
Don't know that it would take the weight but it looks pretty cool. Add a front porteur rack and you're good to go?


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## RedRex (Oct 24, 2004)

I rode to work a few times on a garage sale fine Scwinn mixtie, nice ride...

...until I had to change a flat on the rear tire, quickly.

ugh. 

Good luck with that. I like everything about it except the rear "dropout".


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

If you want to haul concrete, get a BOB.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

My Own Private Idaho said:


> If you want to haul concrete, get a BOB.


Or build your own trailer. I agree. I wouldn't ride with bags of concrete ON the bike...


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Oh, you mean the "kinda-vertical-but-only-on-one-side-wonder?" Yeah. That one.

PS, mine road like piss when I first got it, I thought the rear rim just had a big flat spot or something -- turned out there was a 700c tube in the back.

@Platy, the Alleyway was what started all of this, and I DO like them, I do... the belt drive and disc brakes might just be more USEFUL than the chaincase and rollerbrakes, eh? I could probably dredge out some kind of rack that would work. And yet...

@Eben, you like those hills, eh? I do, too! The 5-speed mama-cheri you saw there, riding that up them is... fun! But, that bike "only" weighs like 45 pounds. Thankfully I am on the plateau of it, so, most of the day-to-day-errands that this sucker would be used for, certainly any heavy hardware or building supplies, could be had on this side of it.

@MOPI, you speak of practicality that I do not understand.

Looking at the Batavus website now...

Am I speaking nonsense, though? Anybody "get" what I'm "getting" at?




RedRex said:


> I rode to work a few times on a garage sale fine Scwinn mixtie, nice ride...
> 
> ...until I had to change a flat on the rear tire, quickly.
> 
> ...


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

Argentius, it doesn't matter if anyone else gets it. I have four bikes. Do I need that many? No. But each serves its perpose to me, and I like them all. You want what you want. If you can afford it, and you're willing to pay for what you want, then get it! I really don't "need" my Fargo. I have bikes that do everything it does. But its still my favorite ride right now, because it does everything. You want a city bike, and a nice one, then get it. You don't have to explain yourself to us. We get it. We just might do it a little differently than you, that's all.

So get your bike. But get a BOB too.


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

Come to the dark side, my son. Get a porteur bike. http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5255237209/in/set-72157625585420794/


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

*You could always go this route:*

$150 on craigslist here!


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

rcnute said:


> Come to the dark side, my son. Get a porteur bike. http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5255237209/in/set-72157625585420794/


I liked that build when I saw it! That is a little more... road than I am looking for, but, it's pretty cool.

Which rack is that?


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

https://publicbikes.com/p/PUBLIC-D8

<img src=https://publicbikes.com/prodimages/800/70329_17.jpg>


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Hey, you found my schwinn!



Bocephus Jones II said:


> http://publicbikes.com/p/PUBLIC-D8


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Argentius said:


> Hey, you found my schwinn!


Pretty much...but with an internally 8sp geared hub. Bigger tires also.


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

Argentius said:


> I liked that build when I saw it! That is a little more... road than I am looking for, but, it's pretty cool.
> 
> Which rack is that?[/QUOTE
> 
> Someone I know built it for me. Probably the best bike accessory I ever spent money on.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> Pretty much...but with an internally 8sp geared hub. Bigger tires also.


And brakes that work.


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## andleo (May 30, 2009)

I had the frame and wheels (nashbar touring)
I picked up the albatross bar and cork grips from Rivendell (as in I went to the shop and picked them up-cool place). I swapped the crankset for a different one and added a wald front basket

the albatross bars are nice


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## StageHand (Dec 27, 2002)

If you want 150 lbs on the bike, CETMA racks ftw.


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