So did anybody get their dream bike for Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa?

[TexasProgresive]

Well not me but I got a lot of riding in 2016, 5120 miles to be exact. I still ride mostly solitary but once a week I load my bike in the car to ride with a group of people. If it is Friday we usually ride 32 miles, the Saturday ride has a lot more aggressive riders who tend to go around 60 miles. I usually do around 40 miles. Around here it's mostly gently rolling land, seldom really flat but no really high hills. In the 40 mile route there is about 1,100 feet of elevation gained. I know in some parts of the country that would be one climb.

[TexasTowelie]

1. No,

but then again my dream bike would have an electric motor so the elevation climb would be meaningless. And in Wharton the biggest change in elevation from the bottom of a culvert to the top of a hill is only about 15 feet--even I can handle that!

[TexasProgresive]

2. There's always wind to make up for flats.

I sometimes make my own "tail" wind.

[jmowreader]

3. I've been looking on eBay for the parts to make it

I want:

Reynolds 531 frame with 700c alloy wheels (fortunately, any 27" frame will do - just lower the brake shoes 4mm, and you're golden)
Campagnolo groupset
Cruiser saddle - yes, I know cruiser saddles on racing bikes are Not Cool, but it's My Ass.

[TexasProgresive]

4. I found a Litespeed Sienna on Craigslist for my son.

The gearing is quite extreme for me much less my son who doesn't ride often. The rings are 53/39 but the cassette is really high, 21/11. I ordered and recieved a 50/34 crankset but the 32/12 cassette is coming from Japan- don't know when that will get here ETA 12/27 to 1/29.

For years I owned a small steel frame Bianchi that I have wanted to rebuild for someone. Well I finally found a young candidate. He is Vietnamese and just the right size. So I ordered a new bottom bracket and will use the Shimano parts that were on my Cannondale Synapse 8. Last year I rebuilt my bike with Shimano Ultegra 6800, so I have brakes, wheels and gears that need a home.

My son is paying for his bike on time and I will get a small amount from the young man. That will be enough to buy a spare Ultegra wheelset and cassette. I am so impressed with these wheels. They are strong light and stay true with 3,918 miles. I did have them trued up after a pack of dogs took me down. The other thing about these rims and maybe the tire/tubes i use is they roll really easy. When I am in group rides on descents while the rest may be pedaling I'm freewheeling and passing them. I know I'm a brick.

7. In the world of professional bike racing, what is a brick?
1.Something thrown by a spectator
2.A malfunctioning saddle
3.A toilet stop
4.A slow climber but efficient descender

The answer is 4 his or hers excess weight making for fast descents.
Take the quiz- you already have 1 of 10 correct.
http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz3755792afe9b0.html

[Brother Buzz]

8. Careful with that 27 inch frame

Most of the high end brakesets don't allow enough travel to convert a lot of 27" frames to 700c. Most of the older entry level brakesets will reach, but Campagnolol won't. That is unless you're willing to, God forbid, grind it to fit, and then it looks loopy.

What size frame are you looking for?

[jmowreader]

9. 58cm should be perfect

[Brother Buzz]

10. I have a sweet 64cm, so that won't work

If you're going with the Campagnolo groupset, are you also looking for a frameset with Campagnolo dropouts?

[jmowreader]

11. I'm not looking that hard, but yes, definitely Campy dropouts

[jberryhill]

5. I got one of those cheap action cams

If you've ever wondered about those $80 action cams on eBay and elsewhere, my kids got me one of these:



This was a first run on my handlebars using the supplied bar mount:

...with Youtube image stabilization. However, even without the stabilization, the picture is pretty good.

The bar mount which came with the unit cracked when I hit a bump, so I replaced it with a GoPro bar mount, which is much beefier. So when the rain stops, I'll have something a little more scenic to post.

[TexasProgresive]

6. Cool, How much time can it record?

Nice smooth road with intermittent bike lane. My roads have few bike lanes and rare stretches that are smooth. I guess that's why I am so impressed with the ultegra wheelset staying so true.

[jberryhill]

7. Dunno yet

With a 32 gig memory card, I imagine the recording capacity would outlast the battery. It came with a spare, though, and it can connect to the USB port on my stem.

I'll probably use it for continuous loop recording, so I can annoy people the way British cyclists seem to be fond of.

And, oh yeah, the camera has wifi and can be controlled using a smartphone as the viewfinder. For 80 bucks or less. I figure it has some kind of subsidized Chinese spyware on it. Who knows.

[SonofDonald]

12. I did, oh yes I did.

I collect, restore, and custom build BMX bikes, I can no longer ride them but I can 26 inch and up.

I bought and recieved the very last Schwinn USA built BMX frame ever made, the 2002 Pro Modified Prototype, one of three built, Schwinn did not produce the design.

I have been collecting Schwinns USA built Pro Modified Racing bikes for eight years now, in the later years they included designs shared with Schwinns "Homegrown" bicycle line.

I also own the only known existing 1994 Schwinn Factory racer, the first aluminum Schwinn BMX bike ever made which became the Pro Modified line from 1995-2001.

So now I have five unique frame designs in 20 inch and just picked up the earliest 24 inch BMX Cruiser design frame for a total of eight bikes.

The only known complete collection of these bikes to exist.

So yes, I got the bike of my dreams.

If only I could ride them.

[TexasProgresive]

13. Speaking of Schwinn

An acquaintance of mine recently scored a mint original Stingray for next to nothing. I hear they are going for big bucks with old nostalgic duffers. I was seriously thinking about buying the top of the line Trek Madone and was steered to Project 1 where you can customize the bike to suit. Well what was an expensive bike became exorbitant. I priced myself right out. So I ride my entry level Cannondale that I have upgraded with parts priced higher than the original bike, wheelsets, groupset, bars and saddle. What's left, the frame, fork, stem and seat post.

The bike came with Shimano Claris 8 speed. I had a small, 51, Bianchi steel frame hanging around for years. I got a local paint shop to match the celeste paint perfectly. I changed out the bottom bracket for a cartridge unit and installed all the parts that came off the Cannondale. A Vietnamese high school boy was the right size for the bike, so I sold it to him for what the new parts and paint cost. He is so pleased.

[SonofDonald]

14. Very nice

I also give away bikes to kids that do not have one, word of mouth only, or if I hear of need.

No junk, I collect so I end up with lots of kids bikes, I build nice dependable safe bikes that will not fall apart with use like the box store merchandise, I use all good serviceable better quality frames and parts.

I charge one penny, this means they bought their bike, they own it, and if they ever need help they know where to find me.

Nothing like the smile on a kid riding their new bike, nothing.

I gave away four last weekend and they are out having fun somewhere with them.

It's not about money to me.

[SonofDonald]

15. One thing also.

I didn't mean to demean your selling the bike instead of giving it away, I sell bikes too, this helps offset the cost of building and giving bikes away.

Most service organizations give away only brand new bikes to kids, I build, and they normally do so at Xmas time where I do it all year long, can't ride a bike in the snow.

Good on yer.