What are the "beater" road bike brands in your area?

[[email protected]]

I'm doing a survey on what kind of bikes are being used for affordable
mid-range road bikes, bikes that you'd use for running around town or
everyday commuting.

Sure, on Sundays keen riders trot out their pride and joys -- the very
high end Treks, Specializeds, Rossins, Colnagos, Cannondales, etc. but
there is a fairly limited set of names you see on every day road bike
frames, the ones that are locked to lamp posts outside the grocery
store and are most often converted into single speeds.

I suspect that certain brands are chosen because they are lightweight,
good quality, but not so sought after as to be expensive or appealing
to thieves. They are also, I suspect, not so precious that they can't
take the occasional scratches and dings that come from heavy regular
urban street riding or be "frankensteined" with mix-and-match
components.

And it seems to be quite regional. In this area (Toronto in Canada)
the Grade B brands I most often see include: Concorde, Miele, Fugi,
Fiori, Miyata, Nishiki. There is an Apollo brand that shows up on
bikes originally sold in the Vancouver area but which I don't think
was ever available around here.

What brands/makes/models do you see in your area? What are your
thoughts on what makes a great beater?

I look forward to hearing your ideas.

Peter

 

[Jeff]

[email protected] wrote:
> I'm doing a survey on what kind of bikes are being used for affordable
> mid-range road bikes, bikes that you'd use for running around town or
> everyday commuting.
>
> Sure, on Sundays keen riders trot out their pride and joys -- the very
> high end Treks, Specializeds, Rossins, Colnagos, Cannondales, etc. but
> there is a fairly limited set of names you see on every day road bike
> frames, the ones that are locked to lamp posts outside the grocery
> store and are most often converted into single speeds.
>
> I suspect that certain brands are chosen because they are lightweight,
> good quality, but not so sought after as to be expensive or appealing
> to thieves. They are also, I suspect, not so precious that they can't
> take the occasional scratches and dings that come from heavy regular
> urban street riding or be "frankensteined" with mix-and-match
> components.
>
> And it seems to be quite regional. In this area (Toronto in Canada)
> the Grade B brands I most often see include: Concorde, Miele, Fugi,
> Fiori, Miyata, Nishiki. There is an Apollo brand that shows up on
> bikes originally sold in the Vancouver area but which I don't think
> was ever available around here.
>
> What brands/makes/models do you see in your area? What are your
> thoughts on what makes a great beater?
>
> I look forward to hearing your ideas.
>
> Peter

Depends.

From my perspective, a beater is a bike I buy used for a reasonably low
price. The brand is not terribly relevant provided the bike is solid
and in decent condition.

That said, I bought a new commuter bike this year (I use my bike enough
for commuting and errands to justify it, at least in my mind). I bought
a Kona Dew Plus, added a rack and fenders (and lights). Cost me about $500.

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <bbf086c9-7a4b-42f9-acc8-902f40d01f57@c65g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
[email protected] writes:

> And it seems to be quite regional. In this area (Toronto in Canada)
> the Grade B brands I most often see include: Concorde, Miele, Fugi,
> Fiori, Miyata, Nishiki. There is an Apollo brand that shows up on
> bikes originally sold in the Vancouver area but which I don't think
> was ever available around here.

I'm pretty much a life-long Vancouverite, and back
in the '70s I amassed a fleet of Apollos. People would
buy 'em, decide they don't like riding, and then give 'em
to me. Those things were beauties, and they still are.
Apollos and Sekines. Before then, it was all pretty much
CCM, Raleigh, and if you wanted up-market: Peugeot.

As a port city on the Pacific Rim, Vancouver has always
enjoyed first-pick of the best exports from the Asian
markets. Beauty, eh?

Nowadays, local folx's humble whips are usually
lower-end Norcos from the '80s. Those things are
built like brick sh!740u23z. They weigh just about
as much, too. As opposed to those spritely, lugged
frame'd, lovely Apollos and Sekines of the '70s.
It's a cryin' shame that the rest of North America
seems to have missed-out on 'em.

What really gets my goat is that the OldRoads.com/
vintage bicycle site is totally oblivious of those
bikes' very existance.

I guess the history of bicycling in Vancouver is
parochial and isolated. That notion saddens me
so much.

But I'm heartened by your news that our lovely,
die-hard Apollos have made it all the way to
Toronto, and continue to thrive there.


cheers,
Tom





























--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

 

[[email protected]]

sorry.
typo.
that should have been "Fuji"
Peter

On May 11, 6:16 pm, [email protected] wrote:
> I'm doing a survey on what kind of bikes are being used for affordable
> mid-range road bikes, bikes that you'd use for running around town or
> everyday commuting.
>
> Sure, on Sundays keen riders trot out their pride and joys -- the very
> high end Treks, Specializeds, Rossins, Colnagos, Cannondales, etc. but
> there is a fairly limited set of names you see on every day road bike
> frames, the ones that are locked to lamp posts outside the grocery
> store and are most often converted into single speeds.
>
> I suspect that certain brands are chosen because they are lightweight,
> good quality, but not so sought after as to be expensive or appealing
> to thieves. They are also, I suspect, not so precious that they can't
> take the occasional scratches and dings that come from heavy regular
> urban street riding or be "frankensteined" with mix-and-match
> components.
>
> And it seems to be quite regional. In this area (Toronto in Canada)
> the Grade B brands I most often see include: Concorde, Miele, Fugi,
> Fiori, Miyata, Nishiki. There is an Apollo brand that shows up on
> bikes originally sold in the Vancouver area but which I don't think
> was ever available around here.
>
> What brands/makes/models do you see in your area? What are your
> thoughts on what makes a great beater?
>
> I look forward to hearing your ideas.
>
> Peter

 

[Dane Buson]

[email protected] wrote:
>
> What brands/makes/models do you see in your area?

Well, first of course there are the ubiquitous but servile Huffy and
Mongoose brands. But you probably meant something a little more
highbrow. Generally lots of bike boom bikes like Akami, Apollo,
Centurion, Sekai, Nishiki, some Raleigh, some unidentifiables.

> What are your thoughts on what makes a great beater?

Cheap, not rusted through, aluminum wheels are a plus, 700c instead of
27" is nice. MTB size wheels are nice, but not what I've standardized
on. If it has a derailleur hanger that's nice since it avoids the
kludgy claw if I'm not making a SS or fixed gear. Oooh, and if it has
DT braze-ons I can hang adjusters on, that's just pure sex.

--
Dane Buson - [email protected]
"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude
certain types of people."
-Colonel Gerald Wellman, ROTC Instructor

 

[ZBicyclist]

[email protected] wrote:
>
> On May 11, 6:16 pm, [email protected] wrote:
>> I'm doing a survey on what kind of bikes are being used for
>> affordable mid-range road bikes, bikes that you'd use for running
>> around town or everyday commuting.

There are still a lot of used Schwinns around here. Lots of
Varsities, Collegiates and other
heavy-but-practically-indestructible models.

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
Dane Buson <[email protected]> writes:
> [email protected] wrote:
>>
>> What brands/makes/models do you see in your area?
>
> Well, first of course there are the ubiquitous but servile Huffy and
> Mongoose brands. But you probably meant something a little more
> highbrow. Generally lots of bike boom bikes like Akami, Apollo,
> Centurion, Sekai, Nishiki, some Raleigh, some unidentifiables.
>
>> What are your thoughts on what makes a great beater?
>
> Cheap, not rusted through, aluminum wheels are a plus, 700c instead of
> 27" is nice.

Oooh! Oooh! Suzue one-piece, forged, no-tool-marks,
wide-flanged hubs!

Yeah, they've nutted axles instead of QRs, but that's
part of what makes a good beater too.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

 

[Peter Cole]

[email protected] wrote:
> I'm doing a survey on what kind of bikes are being used for affordable
> mid-range road bikes, bikes that you'd use for running around town or
> everyday commuting.
>
> Sure, on Sundays keen riders trot out their pride and joys -- the very
> high end Treks, Specializeds, Rossins, Colnagos, Cannondales, etc. but
> there is a fairly limited set of names you see on every day road bike
> frames, the ones that are locked to lamp posts outside the grocery
> store and are most often converted into single speeds.
>
> I suspect that certain brands are chosen because they are lightweight,
> good quality, but not so sought after as to be expensive or appealing
> to thieves. They are also, I suspect, not so precious that they can't
> take the occasional scratches and dings that come from heavy regular
> urban street riding or be "frankensteined" with mix-and-match
> components.
>
> And it seems to be quite regional. In this area (Toronto in Canada)
> the Grade B brands I most often see include: Concorde, Miele, Fugi,
> Fiori, Miyata, Nishiki. There is an Apollo brand that shows up on
> bikes originally sold in the Vancouver area but which I don't think
> was ever available around here.
>
> What brands/makes/models do you see in your area? What are your
> thoughts on what makes a great beater?

It used to be that the old (70's/80's) "sport tourers" were the popular
candidates, but these seem to be getting scarce. Lots of MTB's around,
unfortunately, the best of those -- first generation, rigid forks,
non-compact frames, seem to be getting scarce, too.

For beaters, there's always a trade off between upgrading an old bike,
buying a cheap new frame or just buying a new low-end bike. I've done
all three, and it seems to work out about the same. Depends mostly on
your junk pile.

One of my more successful projects was a bike build from a 26" frame
with relaxed angles, canti studs and braze-ons that I found curbside on
trash day. Nice because I could use cheap MTB components (wheels,
shifters, brakes, cranks) yet have a bike that was a better road bike
than most MTB conversions. Came out a poor man's Koga-Miata ($150 vs.
$1500). Built it as my wife's commuter, but she's so fond of it it's the
only bike she rides on the road.

The brand I seem to have used the most of here (Boston) is Fuji (used to
be Raleigh). I have a fixed (700c) built from an 80's frame, a geared
road built from a NOS EBay frame, and a fixed (26") built from a first
generation MTB. I recently bought an early Cannondale (EBay), that type
of bike is probably going to be the next generation of donor.

To me, the best beaters are the most standard bikes. Anything unusual in
thread pitch, diameter or bearing/component mounting makes it a toss
back. Horizontal dropout are a big plus.

 

[Dane Buson]

Peter Cole <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> To me, the best beaters are the most standard bikes. Anything unusual in
> thread pitch, diameter or bearing/component mounting makes it a toss
> back. Horizontal dropout are a big plus.

Yes, anything French gets the upturned nose. I still have some French
parts from a broken bike (bottom bracket, headset)[1] that I'm keeping for
a bit in case someone I know needs them though.

[1] Before I knew enough to form this policy.

--
Dane Buson - [email protected]
"The GOP is the evil party, the Democrats are the stupid party, and
bipartisanship is when they join forces to do something both evil and stupid."
- Stephen Johnson

 

[Dane Buson]

Tom Keats <[email protected]> wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Dane Buson <[email protected]> writes:
>> [email protected] wrote:
>>>
>>> What brands/makes/models do you see in your area?
>>
>> Well, first of course there are the ubiquitous but servile Huffy and
>> Mongoose brands. But you probably meant something a little more
>> highbrow. Generally lots of bike boom bikes like Akami, Apollo,
>> Centurion, Sekai, Nishiki, some Raleigh, some unidentifiables.
>>
>>> What are your thoughts on what makes a great beater?
>>
>> Cheap, not rusted through, aluminum wheels are a plus, 700c instead of
>> 27" is nice.
>
> Oooh! Oooh! Suzue one-piece, forged, no-tool-marks,
> wide-flanged hubs!
>
> Yeah, they've nutted axles instead of QRs, but that's
> part of what makes a good beater too.

True, I'm not fond of quick release on anything that will be locked up
outside for more than five minutes at a time. Plus, at least the nutted
axles always work, some of the quick releases are pure cheese.

--
Dane Buson - [email protected]
"I have to convince you, or at least snow you ..."
-- Prof. Romas Aleliunas, CS 435

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
Dane Buson <[email protected]> writes:
> Tom Keats <[email protected]> wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> Dane Buson <[email protected]> writes:
>>> [email protected] wrote:
>>>>
>>>> What brands/makes/models do you see in your area?
>>>
>>> Well, first of course there are the ubiquitous but servile Huffy and
>>> Mongoose brands. But you probably meant something a little more
>>> highbrow. Generally lots of bike boom bikes like Akami, Apollo,
>>> Centurion, Sekai, Nishiki, some Raleigh, some unidentifiables.
>>>
>>>> What are your thoughts on what makes a great beater?
>>>
>>> Cheap, not rusted through, aluminum wheels are a plus, 700c instead of
>>> 27" is nice.
>>
>> Oooh! Oooh! Suzue one-piece, forged, no-tool-marks,
>> wide-flanged hubs!
>>
>> Yeah, they've nutted axles instead of QRs, but that's
>> part of what makes a good beater too.
>
> True, I'm not fond of quick release on anything that will be locked up
> outside for more than five minutes at a time. Plus, at least the nutted
> axles always work, some of the quick releases are pure cheese.

And those Suzue one-piece wide-flanged hubs possess
a classic sort of beauty that doesn't require fancy
colourization (hooker cosmetics.) As opposed to those
offerings by those guys who nowadays proffer their fancy,
high-falutin' hubs, all dolled-up in their fancy colours.

Suzue hubs have a demure, honest and ingenue beauty which
is neither apparent to, nor appreciated by everyone. That
only serves to enhance their beauty all the more.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

 

[[email protected]]

an aside: I was out at the Pro Criterium race here in Toronto last
Friday night and while the race was great, the real sideshow was
seeing such a concentration of beautiful and offbeat road bikes. Given
the crowd (primarily road bike afficianados and bike couriers), locked
to every bike stand and fence was another obscure frame make, usually
in rather weathered condition. It was like a spontaneous 70s and 80s
classic road bike trade show - Torpados, Marinonis, Rickerts...all
sorts of cool stuff.

Peter

On May 11, 5:16 pm, [email protected] wrote:
> I'm doing a survey on what kind of bikes are being used for affordable
> mid-range road bikes, bikes that you'd use for running around town or
> everyday commuting.
>
> Sure, on Sundays keen riders trot out their pride and joys -- the very
> high end Treks, Specializeds, Rossins, Colnagos, Cannondales, etc. but
> there is a fairly limited set of names you see on every day road bike
> frames, the ones that are locked to lamp posts outside the grocery
> store and are most often converted into single speeds.
>
> I suspect that certain brands are chosen because they are lightweight,
> good quality, but not so sought after as to be expensive or appealing
> to thieves. They are also, I suspect, not so precious that they can't
> take the occasional scratches and dings that come from heavy regular
> urban street riding or be "frankensteined" with mix-and-match
> components.
>
> And it seems to be quite regional. In this area (Toronto in Canada)
> the Grade B brands I most often see include: Concorde, Miele, Fugi,
> Fiori, Miyata, Nishiki. There is an Apollo brand that shows up on
> bikes originally sold in the Vancouver area but which I don't think
> was ever available around here.
>
> What brands/makes/models do you see in your area? What are your
> thoughts on what makes a great beater?
>
> I look forward to hearing your ideas.
>
> Peter