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Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 2:42 pm
by bjz
I know a lot of all y’all out there ride!
While I’m primarily a mtn biker these days I spent ~10 years as a daily, year-round bike commuter in Portland Oregon, so there is a small spot in my heart for oddball bicycles!
I’ve been recovering from acl surgery and not quite able to start riding on trails yet, but needed a bike to zoom around town on and for short PT rides. This frame has been a good friend since 2008, and seen life in a number of different configurations. This is the most recent (just finished this morning), set up with tubeless gravel tires and some old slx brakes that I rebuilt and converted to have free-stroke adjustment.
Let’s see your fun oddball weirdo bikes!
…or am I the only one
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 3:07 pm
by LakeOconee
Here's my "bike-and-a-half"..
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 3:21 pm
by Evil D
I don't know if this qualifies as weird but this is what I ride these days.
I was heavily into BMX when I was younger and I've got some old freestyle bikes but they're just not very comfortable for cruising with the family. We generally do a 20 mile round trip when we go riding.
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 9:38 pm
by VooDooChild
Im about to buy two frames this month and build them up so Ill come back to this thread later.
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 9:59 pm
by Coastal
This is Astro, my beach bike.
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 10:15 pm
by bjz
I’m liking it so far!!
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 10:15 pm
by bjz
…folks posts! Not my bike, I liked that bike before building it up!
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 1:22 am
by VooDooChild
My Surly Ice Cream Truck Ebike with a full Luna build kit and version 1 ludicrous controller.
And a Fairdale Ridgemont thats smaller than I need. I just bought it as a beater bike, I plan on building up two frames this year that will be my do everything fun bikes.
I also bought a drop bar kinda touring/bikepacking bike on craigslist a while back that I want to turn into a commuter but Im not sure how much I will actually ride it.
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 7:03 am
by Manixguy@1994
My Dad’s funky 1949 :) MG2
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 10:04 am
by bjz
I’m still liking this! That surly ebike is cool! I have an early karate monkey that I’d like to convert, but keep hearing that the conversion works best with a geared drivetrain, which can be a pain with the old horizontal dropouts.
I might, in time, give it a 3-speed or 7-speed if hub but for now it’s been my wacky indoor recovery bike!
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 10:52 am
by VooDooChild
bjz wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 10:04 am
I’m still liking this! That surly ebike is cool! I have an early karate monkey that I’d like to convert, but keep hearing that the conversion works best with a geared drivetrain, which can be a pain with the old horizontal dropouts.
...
Whats the issue?
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 1:01 pm
by bjz
VooDooChild wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 10:52 am
bjz wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 10:04 am
I’m still liking this! That surly ebike is cool! I have an early karate monkey that I’d like to convert, but keep hearing that the conversion works best with a geared drivetrain, which can be a pain with the old horizontal dropouts.
...
Whats the issue?
The dropouts are a pain with a derailleur because the way the hanger is positioned, you have to take the derailleur on/off every time you want to take the wheel off (tires, brake pads/rotors, drivetrain etc). Might have been the particular derailleur (a zee long arm 10-speed…decidedly NOT what the karate monkey would have been expected to get!)
As for the single speed ebike thing, I suspect it’s more of a commuter thing where you are starting/stopping a lot for lights, traffic, stop signs etc. Also, I live in a place with steep hills in town where you are pretty much going up or down and having some mechanical advantage is easier on everything when you add a motor.
At this point, I would need to get a job working at the bottom of the hills from my house to justify the expense of the ebike conversion. That way I could swing home a few times a day to let the old dog out to go potty and get home sooner to spend time with him.
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 1:20 pm
by VooDooChild
bjz wrote:
VooDooChild wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 10:52 am
bjz wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 10:04 am
I’m still liking this! That surly ebike is cool! I have an early karate monkey that I’d like to convert, but keep hearing that the conversion works best with a geared drivetrain, which can be a pain with the old horizontal dropouts.
...
Whats the issue?
The dropouts are a pain with a derailleur because the way the hanger is positioned, you have to take the derailleur on/off every time you want to take the wheel off (tires, brake pads/rotors, drivetrain etc). Might have been the particular derailleur (a zee long arm 10-speed…decidedly NOT what the karate monkey would have been expected to get!)
As for the single speed ebike thing, I suspect it’s more of a commuter thing where you are starting/stopping a lot for lights, traffic, stop signs etc. Also, I live in a place with steep hills in town where you are pretty much going up or down and having some mechanical advantage is easier on everything when you add a motor.
At this point, I would need to get a job working at the bottom of the hills from my house to justify the expense of the ebike conversion. That way I could swing home a few times a day to let the old dog out to go potty and get home sooner to spend time with him.
Huh.
Maybe its that derailleur, or maybe that frame does have it in a weird position.
Mine also has horizontal dropouts but I can take the wheel out once the chain is off without removing the derailleur.
If youre going to do a conversion it would probably just be easier to research which frames people have had luck with and look for a used bike.
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:30 am
by Dazen
I was into BMX as a kid too, so I now a 29” BMX so I can still do wheelies.
Also have a 26” cruiser to pull the kid trailer and to hold my beer!
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:52 am
by z1r
Wouldn't call it oddball exactly but I had this bike commissioned in 1997, years before "Gravel" bikes became a thing. It was my commuter, do-it-all, bike. Found a crack in it and sent it back to the maker after more than 20 years for repair. Talk about a warranty!
In the meantime, I was volunteering at a non-profit bike shop and got this frame at cost and built it up. Some idea, go anywhere, do anything, daily commuter.
Liked it so much I also got this single speed version:
Finally got the Lyon back repaired recently but the Macho Man is such a sweet ride. Thinking of rebuilding the Lyon as a 1x11, the challenge is finding a set of Tubeless rim brake wheels I can afford.
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:59 am
by JRinFL
So far only two I would consider in any manner "funky" or "oddball". Seems to have morphed into a bike flex thread.
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:13 pm
by bjz
JRinFL wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:59 am
So far only two I would consider in any manner "funky" or "oddball". Seems to have morphed into a bike flex thread.
So, which are the oddball/funky ones?!
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:54 pm
by Manixguy@1994
bjz wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:13 pm
JRinFL wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:59 am
So far only two I would consider in any manner "funky" or "oddball". Seems to have morphed into a bike flex thread.
So, which are the oddball/funky ones?!
I guess my Dad’s Whizzer was unfunky . I’m sad . Dan
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 10:13 pm
by bjz
^i want to see a video of that thing in action!!
Re: Funky oddball bikes!
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:45 pm
by Bloke
bjz wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:13 pm
So, which are the oddball/funky ones?!
