Ironykins

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Tags: bike (17) diy (16) opinion (4) project (14) winter (3) RSS

The Purple Cruiser

Tagged: bike diy project

This is a continuation of Adventures in Frame Painting.

So, I have a painted bike frame sitting in the closet. Now summer is full swing, and the weather is perfect to show off the new paint job. Plus, I have enough accumulated garbage bikes so surely I have enough spare parts for a build.

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Adventures in Frame Painting

Tagged: bike diy project

My daily driver is a black commuter bike with hybrid geometry. It’s got a black paint job, black handlebars, a black stem, black grips, black pedals, a black bottle cage, a black rack, and black fenders. I’ve taken to calling it Johnny Cash, a monicker that came about just by outfitting it with parts that match. Beggars can’t be choosers, of course. And black is a common denominator for scrap bike parts since it goes with everything.

But Black is boring. I want a purple bike.

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Winter Riding Retrospective

Tagged: bike diy opinion winter

This is a continuation of The Winter Huffy Build.

My first winter of riding a bike was a roaring success. I can proudly (and with much hubris) say that I never wiped out or had an accident, though I definitely had my fair share of moments where I lost traction. To that end, I’d like to give my own list of advice for anyone who wants to ride in the winter.

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The Winter Huffy Build

Tagged: bike diy project winter

Every year, after the first dump of snow, I roll my bike up in a tarp and pack it away for the winter. But this year was different. I had accumulated a ton of trash bikes, and replaced basically every mode of transportation I regularly used with cycling. I was having a great time, and when winter rolled around, the thought of going back to walking, riding the bus, and driving seemed like more of a bummer than usual.

As the months rolled on I became more and more determined. Could I keep cycling through the winter? I’d heard of people doing it, even in my city, which has a (perhaps undeserved) reputation for harsh winters.

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Becoming Obsessed with Bikes

Tagged: bike diy opinion

In 2021, I started getting into cycling. Like, really into cycling. Or more accurately, getting into bicycles. Cycling conjures up images of men in skintight spandex riding $2000 carbon fiber framed bicycles with garish brand names plastered all over the thick tubing.

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The Peugeot Club UO5

Tagged: bike diy project

This spring I stumbled upon an estate sale while riding over to meet some friends. I took what I thought would be a quick detour to check it out. The first thing I saw was the only thing I purchased. It was an old road bike, missing its handlebars and brake levers, among other things. Parts of it were dotted with rust, but it didn’t look too bad. I took one blurry photo and then dropped $40CAD on it. [ Keep Reading... ]