I’ve got the women’s model, which suits me just fine when I’m carrying a heavy load. Plus it’s bubblegum pink, so not really getting away from that one. If I remember correctly the blade fork makes it no newer than the mid-eighties? But could be much older. Mine’s earlier 2000s.
Yep, 11 gauge spokes, rims you could beat a rhino down with, knock through hubs, and mine at least still has the kevlar tires. I’m rocking the Nexus three speed coaster hub which works quite well for the flattened badlands of Florida. There is a small community of Worksman fans on the forum at www.ratrodbikes.com; one is a builder with the handle ind-chuckz, who often has newly built wheels and prepped frames for sale. If I recall correctly he will custom build stuff, might be a place to start.
Also have a Worksman M2600 which is an easy Sunday cruise embodied in metal. And it’s bright orange. I like color.
I really don’t like that rim very much. Actually, I’m not a giant fan of pinned rim joints in general.
I’ve managed to flat spot the one I built up in a few rides…
Same here. I’ve been too content with my bike stable the last several years to pay much attention to bike tech that doesn’t make national headlines or into my LBS.
The wheelset is 26" rear, 20" front, so ISO sizes would be 559 mm and (checks Sheldon Brown) 406 mm. Tires on hand are ~2.3". Might go for some Big Apples though, seeing as they come in both sizes.
I use Mavic d521 rims on my trail bike- it’s a rim brake rim with a width of 21mm. Lovely thing, and, typically, they don’t seem to make them any more.
I’ve realized recently that the bike those are on was a 1999 model year. Sure, it’s had everything replaced since, but still- it’ll be old enough to drink, soon.
Got my eye on the new Surly Karate Monkey 27.5+ they just showed off. Looks tasty.
Oh, wow. Okay, that’s pretty damn cool. Interesting that they’re now tailoring it for the trails; before, they’d kinda marketed it as the ‘do-everything’ Frankenstein of the Surly lineup. With so many new models in the last few years, I can understand why’d they might decide to specialize some of their classics.
I had a 2007 Karate Monkey with dirt drops, BB-7s, and Big Apples. Cocaine on two wheels.
I can’t work out the function of the vertical piece that the front hub axle is bolted thru. I was hoping it was a kickstand? (because I really want a front axle-mounted kickstand for me, but my wheel is a different size anyway.) But it doesn’t look like it would work that way.
Could that be a front cargo rack? At first I thought the bike was pushed up against a little wooden table, but now that you mention it I guess that’s part of the bike. Unless you mean a different part.
Correct! It pivots on the axle and makes contact with a stop on the frame. Push forward to drop off and go. Here’s a picture from the web of someone else’s much prettier bikes that shows it better.
That I think would be a hard (read: impossible) kludge for your bike in the photo up thread. The front drop stand is a very stable set up but there’s a reason you don’t see it all that often, unlike a rear drop stand the bike really needs to be designed that way from the start. Your front racks would be in the way, pedal strike on the stand, and clearance with the frame would all be issues. If stability when parked is an issue, is there a reason you are carrying all the weight up front? The cycle trucks get away with it because the load isn’t on the front fork, it’s on an extension from the frame.
ETA: Have you considered a double kickstand?
Sort of, it’s a cargo section for the kids! At least it’s the rapid prototype I did to see if they would actually sit up there. They liked it so it was done anew with arms and belt restraints.
I have a rear drop-stand on my Gazelle and absolutely love it. I’d really like to know where I could find one aftermarket. That, and a full chaincase. I don’t understand why these things remain so hard to find in the U.S. These are essential parts to a commuter bike.
I love them, but I’m also never concerned about weight on my bikes so I also understand why some folks don’t. Last time I was abroad I picked up several for $5 USD each and carried them home on the plane. There is someone on ebay selling what looks to be the exact same thing I have but for $40- $50 after shipping. I would hesitate at that price.
I imagine poking around Alibaba might produce results, it’s not like half of Asia isn’t using these.
Thanks, now I have dutchie envy again. Next you’ll tell me you’re getting a Pashley for xmas.
I was lucky. I acquired my Gazelles (1968 opa and 2005 oma) years before U.S. urban cyclists began catching on to how great they were for commuting. I would never pay the prices they’re fetching now. Now that Wal-Mart is selling Dutch-style knock-offs, I know that word has gotten out.
These days eBay is flooded with similar imitations. Best bet is to scour local and regional Craigslists using SearchTempest.. That’s how I found my oma.
Ah, no new-to-me bikes for a while unless they stumble in off the street, cold, shivering, and alone. My official budget for bikes these days is a set of fresh tubes and whatever parts they want from the graveyard in the back yard.
When I was a kid, I rode my bike a lot. But, when I was a teenager, I had a minor wreck, that didn’t hurt the bike, didn’t injure me too badly, but completely destroyed my confidence to ride.
SO, now 30 years later, I would like to try again. But, I don’t know if it will work out. I walked into a bike shop and the condescending-bro-attitude was so thick I walked back out. I didn’t want a fancy expensive rig, I wanted to find out if I can even do it anymore. OK, I know I can ride, but would I have enough fun to do it more than once?
I have a third of a mile of rural highway before I reach more bike friendly roads, but the grocery store is 2 miles, and I’d really like to be able to ride there sometimes.
Does it complicate things that I am short?
So my question for all of you bike enthusiasts is, where to start?
