Ironykins

project

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.

[ Keep Reading... ]

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.

[ Keep Reading... ]

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.

[ Keep Reading... ]

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... ]