Introducing the junky black possible commuter bicycle build.

Going against the wisdom of everyone I know that rides and everyone here who has commented on any bicycle thread ever, I've done it again.

What I have done is bought another cheap no name bike with bottom of the barrel components instead of a better bike with better quality components. Hey, at least I know I'm pissing into the wind right? The junky green bike build turned out pretty good though and I enjoy riding that around the neighborhood. So I'm optimistic. 

I've been toying with the idea of commuting to work. The longer slightly safer route is around 8 miles. The shorter much more dangerous route is just over 6 miles. Either way should be doable. 

For some reason this thing caught my eye. It was probably the very cheap price. Anyway it's a Fischer. It's German. It's black. That's about all I need to get started. 

I bought it from a soldier who  bought it in Germany. He was going to Alabama for training and didn't want to take it with him. 

It's all steel. Steel frame, forks, fenders, seat post, stem and handlebars. It's heavy. Very heavy. It rides like a tank. It does have alloy rims. It feels very stiff though like an aluminum bike. My guess is it's because those steel tubes are really thick. The welds look great though and it should be durable enough.

It's got a 3x6 drivetrain. The rear derailleur is marked Shimano SIS  The front is DNP I believe. Anyway the 6 speed freewheel is shot. Not sure what I want to do about gearing. I do know the crappy grip shifters are going away. I love the simplicity of a single speed but shes a big ol' girl and I'm not man enough to grind for 16 miles a day. I'm still kicking around ideas. 

I did weigh it fully dressed as you see it. Anyone want to guess? 

In reply to Nick Comstock :

42lbs. That looks like a nice bike, but I hope your commute is pretty flat. 

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Close. It's 37lbs. We'll see what the bare frame weighs once I get it stripped down. 

Vee Germuhns, ya, vee built zings tuh lahst, ya. 

Hey, at least it's got fenders, lights, and those tires (if not all nasty and dried out) should roll better than the knobbies on that Rockhopper. So, not all bad on the commuter front.

I'm pretty sure the lights are going away too. It's old technology and modern LEDs will blow them away. Plus I hate how noisy that old bottle type generator is. The wiring is ran inside the frame though so I may incorporate that and mount a battery to power the new setup where the generator lives. 

The fenders and rack will likely stay. 

Those tires look brand new but old. Unfortunately someone didn't adjust the brakes properly and the pads have done a number on the side walls. Not sure I really trust them. I'm thinking 26x1.25 road tires.

In reply to Nick Comstock :

Good calls on generator and tires. I like that you never have flat batteries with a generator, but the items in the "pro" column pretty much consist of that and the fact that they're harder for a thief to unclip and walk away with...

I've got other things I should have been doing tonight but I just couldn't leave it alone. Got it all stripped down to the bare frame.

Got the critical measurements for shopping replacement parts. Took some weights just for the fun of it. The bare frame is 8 lbs, the fork is around 1, front wheel is about 1, rear wheel is near 5 and the freaking handlebars and stem combined for 5 lbs!? The fenders and rack together are under a pound and the heaviest part is the rear light which will be replaced. 

An alloy stem and handlebar, seat post and crank set  along with smaller lighter tires will give a massive weight savings. 

Everything seemed to be in good condition aside from the factory grease turning gummy. I'm just going to service the headset, bottom bracket and hubs and reuse all of those. 

I don't see the need to keep with a triple chain ring. Debating on going single or double. Leaning towards double 50/34t setup. I'll be getting a trigger shifter for the rear. The front is up in the air until I decide on a single or double chain ring but will probably do a friction shifter for the front. 

Thinking of maybe doing some painting on the frame. Maybe, maybe not.

Everything will get cleaned/polished up while I'm waiting on getting new parts rolling in. 

8 pounds!?!?!

Is it made of sch40 pipe?

Get rid of the dork disc :)

In reply to Trans_Maro :

It's thick and heavy and stiff. 

Somehow the dork disk fell apart in my hand.

At least it'll be a tough frame.

Trans_Maro said:

8 pounds!?!?!

Is it made of sch40 pipe?

Get rid of the dork disc :)

Probably. If it was sold in the US it would have had a Surly nameplate. Steel is real. Cheap steel is real HEAVY.

But seriously, that type of heavy, useful, indestructible bike is the SUV of half of Europe. I dig it.

Neat!  I'd love to commute on a bicycle, but at over 30 miles one way I'm not sure I'd make it home after work.  Interested in seeing how you set this up.

There are a lot of road cyclists in my town and I've always wondered...

If you're training for an event, why are you on your super-light carbon fiber wonderbike?

You should be on a bike like the one Nick is building, then when you're out playing Lance Armstrong on the weekend, you should be REALLY fast.

Yes, steel is awesome, my Brodie Expresso is very light for a 24 year old mtb.

I remember seeing an interview with Keith Bontrager and he said that if chromoly steel came around after carbon fiber, everyone would think it's some kind of wonder metal and be building everything out of it.

Not only is it not made of a lightweight super steel. It's also built like an aluminum bike. The top and down tubes are oval. The chain and seat stays are massive for being a steel bike. I think they designed it to look like an aluminum bike but used steel instead. 

My first thought when riding it was that it was a tank. So I've decided to name it "panzerkampfwagen".  

Anybody remember who on the board does the decals? 

Trans_Maro said:

There are a lot of road cyclists in my town and I've always wondered...

If you're training for an event, why are you on your super-light carbon fiber wonderbike?

You should be on a bike like the one Nick is building, then when you're out playing Lance Armstrong on the weekend, you should be REALLY fast.

 

Well, I do know a lot of guys that take competition seriously that run MUCH heavier wheel/tire combos during training and switch to super lights when racing. It's hard to find a heavier frame that has the same geometry as the super light ones though. Minor geometry changes make a difference when you're training at that level, so they want to be on the same frame they race on. But I've seen weighted back packs, water bottles, etc added for strength training.

I just looked at this thread on a PC for the first time and the pics were large enough that I finally read the brand on the bike. It's my Grandmother's maiden name, also from Germany.

37 pounds.. wow. That is impressive.  If its flat who cares. 

If its a hilly 8 mile commute....   get a 1989 something something brand mid-range road bike for $80.  Those tend to be reasonably light.  Make sure it has some name brand tube set stickers on the frame and you should be good to go.  I mean I'd pay the 80 to drop 15 pounds. 

In reply to 8valve :

Honestly I think I can get it down to 30 although I'd love to loose a full 10. The cranks are solid steel and the whole crankset weighed in at a little over 8. The handlebars are what blows my mind they're like 1/8" thick. It's freaking ridiculous. 

It's all mostly flat but there is a small grade about a quarter mile long close to work. 

If in the end I deicde it is too heavy I'll just throw a 1000W electric kit at it and make everything flat. It already feels like it's crushing the earth beneath it so that wouldn't be a bad use for this bike.

Decided to change the color. Test sprayed the forks to see if I liked the color. I think It'll work. Forth and frame that color and black everything else. 

Pretty much decided on a 50/34 chain ring set. 

Still debating bars. I don't want flat bars. Trying to decide between drop bars and bull horns. 

Was planning to just clean and pack the bearings but after cleaning I found some considerable pitting. I will be replacing all the caged bearings with loose balls. Pretty sure I've got a solid plan for the lighting situation. Which is a must because I'll be leaving at 5:30 in the morning. 

Got a long way to go to get my legs back in shape. 

My vote is bullhorns, do you (and your back) really feel like drop bars after a full day at work?

In other news, I think you should put really light wheels on your really heavy bike, because I'm an asshat.  I went on craigslist and found you THESE.  You're welcome.

I remember those and aerospokes being super popular in the track bike crowd, although that rear wheel appears to have a freehub.  I always thought it was kind of funny.

But on a serious note, I would 100% take light wheels with a heavy frame over heavy wheels with a light frame every single time.  It's amazing how much more lively a bike feels with nicer wheels on it.  For a bike that's gonna get locked up outside a bunch, I'd be scared to spend much money on it though.

How do you feel about moustache bars? Or Trekking bars? Also, a 1x11 mountain drivetrain will still give you a TON of gear range, some of the new rear cassettes have an 11-46 range, or a 10-42. Play around here before you decide that you want to bother with a front double:

http://gears.mtbcrosscountry.com/#26I1624I3

look under "Germany", IDK if he's got your brand...:

Repro decals

I'm not going to be spending a ton of money on it because it's a cheap junk bike and because it's several sizes too small for me, 53cm vs. 58cm. Changing to a new freehub requires a new wheelset and derailleur plus the cassette and  shifter. I'm keeping the 6 speed freewheel, just deciding between a single or double chainring. And the only reason I'm really going to change that is because the steel crankset and triple chainring that's on it weighs a ton. New indexed thumb shifters are super cheap compared to what would be required to upgrade to really modern components. I despise grip twist shifters with a passion so those were getting replaced anyway. Thankfully I have indoor parking at work and at home so the only time it'll be outside is when I'm riding it. 

Okay just looked up hubs for a new style rear cassette and they are not super expensive. But add in all the ancillaries plus I wouldn't be able to resist swithcing to disk brakes and that gets stupid expensive. I'm hoping to have this thing completely in the road for $100-$150. More than that and it makes no sense to build this one vs. buying something much better.