Nice bike
I saw this bike on the bike rack at my work today. “What a nice bike,” I thought.
1) The frame has beautiful curves to it. I’m a big fan of the smooth curve on the top of the frame. The little wiggle by the front tire is classy. It’s some Austrian frame I’ve never heard of and can’t remember.
2) It’s got fenders. OK, they don’t make the bike beautiful, it’s just hard to respect a bike that doesn’t have fenders.
3) There’s a little basket under the seat. See #2. It’s actually a white plastic “weave” basket that is meant to go on the front of a kids bike. Very simple. Very practical.
4) It’s clearly not “off the rack.”
5) It’s got a bell.
6) It’s got a Sturmer Archer 3-speed hub and is single track.
I don’t like two things.
1) It’s locked by the rear wheel. Know I know it’s inside at my school and is probably fine where it is. But I worry about anybody who would lock their bike this way. One day it will get stolen. sniff.
2) The handlebar stem is a modern clamp job. It’s standard now. But I still think they’re ugly as hell and hope to never have one on my bike.
3) The Sturmer Archer 3-speed hub. I’ve come to the conclusion that they suck. The risk that it’s misadjusted and the peddles don’t catch is too high. Eventually it happens and I don’t want to be riding it when it does. But that’s just my opinion. It’s still cool. They’re good hubs and I love the clicking sound.
It’s a great city bike. It’s well loved. I assume a women rides it, just because of the basket. A sexy, urban, very attractive women. Just lock it, please.
Speaking of stealing, last week somebody ripped the rear light off my cruiser bike when it was locked by the Steinway St subway stop. They actually ripped the light off and broke the clamp rather than just taking the light off, which was perfectly removable. Bastards. Oh well.
7 Responses
A fine looking machine indeed.
Hey, that’s an old school bike. Keep up the good work.
THATS MY BIKE! and of course I am a sexy urban attractive woman/librarian. I only lock it by the rear wheel when I arrive to work late and someone (you?) take the side lockups. My fender messes up when I sling it over the rack. I never lock it up outside like that, check out the front wheel and it’s spokes are laced in a crow’s feet design. This is a special bike, sold to me by the Hub Station Soho but originally built by NY Bike works, I believe. I love my bike, and plan to soon change the ugly handlebar stem and bars. But I will never change the hub, 3 speeds rule . The little basket in the back was given to me by a kid in my building, it doesn’t hold anything but light.
Of all the bike racks in all the world, she had to bike into mine…
That’s the greatest comment ever!
How did you find your bike in my blog? It’s impossible. But you did. I know… You librarians… You find information! That’s what you do. Brilliant. And I’ve seen the movies, when you let your hair down and take off the glasses… watch out!
I’ve already warned my wife to be suspicious, be very suspicious when I come home late because of all that library work I suddenly have to do.
And I do understand the problem of front-wheel over the bike rack messing up the fender. And yeah, I usually get there around 1pm on Mondays and Wednesday, often Tuesdays. And if that primo side spot parking space is there, I grab it. I’m usually come to work with my celeste-colored bianchi, but sometimes I’ve got the Screamin’ Salmon fixed-gear As the latter is now sporting Syrian beaded work, you can’t miss it.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the handlebars on your bike. As long as they’re comfortable. But they never are. I love bikes. I have many bikes. And I still think the perfect handlebar is waiting to be designed.
And I can’t believe I missed the spoke pattern of the wheel. Next time you’re in the library, look up this book: The Bicycle Wheel (3rd Ed) by Jobst Brant (1996). It’s great. Uh… in a nerdy, esoteric, sort of mathematically-inclined librarian kind of way. Alas, I doubt it’s in our library. Not until more people start getting decapitated by bike wheels.
Check out the Craig’s List NYC below:
pre war wesren flyer beach bomb – $150
Reply to: sale-434335934@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-09-28, 7:20AM EDT
It looks llike kind of bikes that you may like.
Happy Riding.
I *do* like that bike. And the for-sale post has been reposted. That means that nobody wants it, despite its reasonable $150 price.
I, alas, would have a tough time rationalizing the purchase of a another bike.
actually, i found this blog and posting via my friend mike green’s bikeblog, and, once i saw the photo, i thought, hey, i know that bike!!!! naturally, i notified ellen right away.
indeed, her bike is fantastic, but i too feel the handlebars and stem need changing.
keep posting any interesting bikes you come across! while old school conversions are great for today’s urban cycling (such as the fixie conversion on my 80s trek), i too like really old school, well kept bikes with all the original (or near original) fittings, etc.
philipp