Re: [CR]Beater bikes?

(Example: Framebuilders:Richard Moon)

From: "Russ Fitzgerald" <rfitzger@emeraldis.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR]Beater bikes?
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2001 12:13:04 -0400


Ah, beaters! I've had several cool ones, actually. Mostly they've been lovely old bikes that had fallen on very hard times and were so far gone as to not be worth restoring .... with an exception or two ...

There was the late 50s Raleigh Lenton frameset I had at one point that was my first fixed-gear. The head tube had been replaced, with new lugs, and the frame had been painted a very dull blue, no headbadge ... I gave that frame away on the iBOB list to someone and never got reimbursed for shipping. Oh, well.

For a while I commuted on a '73 Peugeot AE-18, with the full fenders, lights, rack and generator. It was an unusual specimen, with stock 700C rims rather than the usual 27 x 1 1/4 ... yellow, and I sold it later to a local guy who can't keep a driver's license ... of course he promptly turned the bars upside down. Sigh.

Our very own Ted Williams sent me another great beater, a dented old Gitane Professional Super Corsa frameset. That became a fixie, too, even with its low BB height. It was a 62cm, the biggest I've ridden, but it handled so well. But someone else needed a bike, so I swapped out parts and it went to Columbia with a buddy of mine. I think he still rides it to work, too.

Then it was the red Trek 620 frameset, full 531. It had some battle scars, but was still straight, true and undented. First it was a fixed-gear, then it was a ten speed, then a bare frameset for a while ... then a fixie, then a 12-speed with Campy hubs, and in that form I sold it at the last Cirque. Nice bike, great frame, and the 11-in bb center height made it a killer fixie for in-town use.

Along the way I had the world's most beat Peugeot PR-10L frameset built as a very French fixie ... but that went to a local racer who wanted it for training use.

A little past the vintage era, I had a late 80s Bridgestone RB-3 for which I paid a whopping $50. Seamed straight gauge tubing, nothing special about the parts - but it rode so well it would surprise you. It was a great bike for teaching you that it really is the design and not the material that matters in determining ride qualities. Another bike I should have kept.

These days, it's the infamous trash heap Raleigh Gran Sport that fulfills most of my beater needs, along with the "splits the line between beater and nice bike" Falcon San Remo built up as a fix.

Russ "I Find Lots of Nice Old Bikes In Bad Shape" Fitzgerald Greenwood, SC