A common approach to riding through winter here in Minnesota is to get yourself a winter beater. Find an old bike, put some studded tires on it, and don't be too sad when salt and moisture absolutely destroy it. I followed this approach for a long time, but I didn't actually ride much in winter. Riding a beater isn't a lot of fun.
So, for the past couple years I've relied on a mountain bike with studded tires and a road bike with skinny slicks, both from the 1980s. Both are fixed gear, which is the best approach to winter riding for several reasons (anther whole blog post, perhaps). And both needed some work this year.
So, for the past couple years I've relied on a mountain bike with studded tires and a road bike with skinny slicks, both from the 1980s. Both are fixed gear, which is the best approach to winter riding for several reasons (anther whole blog post, perhaps). And both needed some work this year.
Two years ago, I built my fixed gear all weather road bike from a 1983 Trek 600 frame I bought on ebay. (It shipped from Florida, poor thing!) I built it to replace my Trek 500 which had just ripped in half. Since then, I've put about 3,500 miles on it, riding through two winters and dozen of rainstorms. It's a light and fast bike, with a Reynolds 531 steel frame and classic early 80's Trek styling.
This winter, though, I got a little carried away. I bought some almost new Continental Grand Prix Four Season tires and they're amazing. With strong sidewalls and great grip on slippery roads, I felt like I could ride over anything. I rode on unshoveled sidewalks along busy highways. I rode across Como lake. The tires held up great, but the frame...cracked. |
Not only are winter roads slippery and sloppy, they're also incredibly bumpy. Ice forms in lumps and horrible potholes open up on every street. Not the best conditions for a vintage road bike.
I suppose I'm like most bicyclists who develop a kind of emotional attachment to our bikes. I immediately set out to repair the frame and get it back on the road as soon as possible. The great thing about steel frames is they're repairable as long as you know a framebuilder. My framebuilder of choice is Erik Noren, the founder of Peacock Groove. I think probably Erik has forgotten more about bikes than I'll ever know. Trek, meet Erik. Erik, Trek.
I suppose I'm like most bicyclists who develop a kind of emotional attachment to our bikes. I immediately set out to repair the frame and get it back on the road as soon as possible. The great thing about steel frames is they're repairable as long as you know a framebuilder. My framebuilder of choice is Erik Noren, the founder of Peacock Groove. I think probably Erik has forgotten more about bikes than I'll ever know. Trek, meet Erik. Erik, Trek.
A couple weeks later, Erik returned the bike with new brazing behind both seatstays. The next step was to repaint it.
First, I had to sand the paint down a few inches away from the repair on the seatstays, downtube, and top tube. Then, I carefully taped it with masking tape and primed it. I found a rattle can of paint that almost matched the bikes's original Imron pewter grey and I used some vinyl electrical tape to conceal the transition between old and new. Finally, I gave it a few coats of clearcoat and then it was ready to ride.
I still need to add a new Reynolds 531 sticker, a replica I ordered from France. The original was singed off during the brazing.
First, I had to sand the paint down a few inches away from the repair on the seatstays, downtube, and top tube. Then, I carefully taped it with masking tape and primed it. I found a rattle can of paint that almost matched the bikes's original Imron pewter grey and I used some vinyl electrical tape to conceal the transition between old and new. Finally, I gave it a few coats of clearcoat and then it was ready to ride.
I still need to add a new Reynolds 531 sticker, a replica I ordered from France. The original was singed off during the brazing.
The result is a very visible repair but, I hope, somewhat artful. What 40 year old doesn't have a few scars? I could have sent the whole frame off for a full powdercoat, but I like the idea that a bike should tell a story. Perhaps a little like the Japanese art of kintsugi, the art of obvious repairs. If anything, I feel like my connection to this bike has grown stronger because of this failure.
I didn't actually miss the Trek during most of January because we were plague but a series of light snowstorms that kept roads icy. Studded tires were needed most of the month, which meant riding my 1987 Schwinn Mirada, an early hybrid upright mountain bike built to withstand daily punishment. It's a heavy frame, but it won't crack on me.
The Mirada's one drawback was its wide 26"studded mountain bike tires. They ride great on ice but they feel kludgy and slow. And they tend to float on top of fresh snow, making the bike hard to control. Even before my Trek broke, I had been keeping an eye out for a bike that could take narrower 700c wheels and still have room for studded tires.
In early January, my wife found a perfectly good single speed 700c wheelset in a dumpster just down the block from our house. With nice wide rims suitable for studded tires, all I needed was a frame and everything else to build a new winter bike.
The Mirada's one drawback was its wide 26"studded mountain bike tires. They ride great on ice but they feel kludgy and slow. And they tend to float on top of fresh snow, making the bike hard to control. Even before my Trek broke, I had been keeping an eye out for a bike that could take narrower 700c wheels and still have room for studded tires.
In early January, my wife found a perfectly good single speed 700c wheelset in a dumpster just down the block from our house. With nice wide rims suitable for studded tires, all I needed was a frame and everything else to build a new winter bike.
But, I thought, what if these wheels could fit on the Mirada? What kind of bike would that be? Only one way to find out!
The first issue in a 26" to 700c conversion is tire clearance. Will the tires clear the frame? The Mirada passed this first test with maybe 4mm to spare. But, the second issue, the brakes, was clearly a problem.
Due to the difference in wheel diameter, my old V-brakes were now located about an inch below the new rims. There is such a thing as V-brake adapters that would allow them to reach up to 700c wheels, but they're spendy and hard to find. The other option would be to install road brakes using the existing reflector mounts on the fork crown and seatstay bridge. I tried this first with some modern Tektro dual pivot calipers, but they didn't have enough clearance for the tires. So, I grabbed a set of 70's centerpulls that are probably 15 years older than the Mirada and hey presto they worked.
The first issue in a 26" to 700c conversion is tire clearance. Will the tires clear the frame? The Mirada passed this first test with maybe 4mm to spare. But, the second issue, the brakes, was clearly a problem.
Due to the difference in wheel diameter, my old V-brakes were now located about an inch below the new rims. There is such a thing as V-brake adapters that would allow them to reach up to 700c wheels, but they're spendy and hard to find. The other option would be to install road brakes using the existing reflector mounts on the fork crown and seatstay bridge. I tried this first with some modern Tektro dual pivot calipers, but they didn't have enough clearance for the tires. So, I grabbed a set of 70's centerpulls that are probably 15 years older than the Mirada and hey presto they worked.
Luckily, my brake levers could be set for either short pull for V-brakes or long pull for calipers, so I didn't need to swap them out. A little bit of fussing with the chain and the brake lines and I was good to go!
I immediately learned that due to the change in wheel circumference, my gear ratio was far too high, so I ordered a new fixed gear cog on eBay (shipped from Hawaii, poor thing!)
I immediately learned that due to the change in wheel circumference, my gear ratio was far too high, so I ordered a new fixed gear cog on eBay (shipped from Hawaii, poor thing!)
The third (and biggest) issue with a 26" to 700c conversion is bike geometry. The larger wheels ride about an inch higher off the ground. With a more aggressive mountain bike frame, I think this would likely make the bike somewhat unpleasant to ride. The Mirada, though, is a more relaxed hybrid and it feels great to ride, almost like a modern gravel bike. My center of balance is higher, making it slightly less stable, but I think this is offset by the narrower tires, which cut through snow and grip better. The bottom bracket is also higher, which makes it easier to clear snow banks.
All of which adds up to the idea that old steel bikes are durable, repairable, and adaptable. And affordable, even with occasional repairs--especially if you can find parts dumpsters.
All of which adds up to the idea that old steel bikes are durable, repairable, and adaptable. And affordable, even with occasional repairs--especially if you can find parts dumpsters.