Antone: Will you please post a photo of your Cheviot? Long ago there was a “show us your beater commuter” thread on the boblist, with some very interesting results; I recall someone who had made a “pseudo-Ram” out of a cheap UJB by nicely taping the frame entirely in orange duct tape. Then there was Sheldon’s winter fixed gear mtb conversion commuter which he left outside in the snow, simply dribbling used motor oil onto the drivetrain every so often.
Question, aside: my daughter lives in Brooklyn, near Prospect Park. Is that general area largely safe for locked up bikes and human owners? Thanks. On Wed, Dec 11, 2024 at 7:35 AM lambbo <antone.ko...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Jamie, > > I'm in Brooklyn, and have a Cheviot which I keep locked up outside on a > street sign (8 years now). New locks, including for your seat, wheels, > stem, and any bolt you feel like locking, really are a game changer...I > also have intentionally destroyed the aesthetic of my cheviot using paint > stripper, brown paint, bits of other colors, and scratches on my seat, to > deter thieves. It looks like a huge, old, rusty women's bike to most > thieves, not really a market for that. > > I can't say it will always work, but is has so far, and the amount of > hassle I've avoided getting my bike in and out of my apartment over the > years has kept me commuting on a wonderful bike. If someone stole my bike > tomorrow, I think the cost benefit would still be in my favor (it's also a > used bike with used dynamo used everything for that reason, but still rides > like a dream). > > The paint stripper and brown matte paint are probably the best deterrent, > but the locks I use are Abus Bordo and a lot of hex locks on everything. > > Hope that's helpful, > Antone > On Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 4:01:03 AM UTC-5 Roberta wrote: > >> Hi Jamie. >> >> Try Ben’s Clem. ( ben—I thinkknow you— you have an adorable child and a >> green Clem that you share with your wife?) The Clem is very long but I bet >> you love the ride. If you also want to try 55 Platy you’re welcome to try >> mine for testing. It will be less long and lighter than the Clem. I’m >> in center city i’ve had similar issues getting my bike in and out of the >> house. >> >> Roberta >> >> On Monday, December 9, 2024 at 1:15:39 PM UTC-5 Jamie D. wrote: >> >>> Hi Everyone! >>> >>> Sorry for this long first post, I hope you can help me navigate stepping >>> into the Rivendell universe in a rational way. >>> >>> I'm just getting back into cycling again after a long absence. >>> Previously I lead a no-car-multi-bike lifestyle for over a decade. >>> >>> I'm drawn towards the Clem Smith Jr. – the accounts I've read here range >>> from something like riding Falcor through time and space to an existential >>> crisis from owning 'The Cadillac of Bicycles'. >>> >>> My main mode of transportation was previously a Bilenky cargo bike >>> <https://metaefficient.com/wp-content/uploads/bilenky-cargo-bike1.jpg>. >>> I loved/miss the upright posture and extra long wheelbase hence my interest >>> in the Clem. >>> >>> I live in a small Philly row house with some challenges (I did not have >>> the Bilenky at this house): >>> >>> >>> - To get into my house I have to get the bike up 4 stairs and in my >>> front door which opens into a wall. I have to zig-zag bikes around this >>> short wall to get them into the house. >>> >>> >>> >>> - I store all my bicycles in my basement which is a 90 degree turn >>> from the basement door to the relatively steep stairwell. To get bikes >>> down >>> the stairwell, I prop them up vertically on the rear wheel and walk them >>> down the stairs in front on me holding the handlebars and strategically >>> using the rear break. >>> >>> >>> >>> - To get them out of the basement, I have a ramp that locks into the >>> stairs. I shimmy the bike onto the ramp, put my left hand on the seat >>> post, >>> my right hand on the right handlebar grip and push the bike in front of >>> me >>> up the stairs and turn the bars at the precise moment navigate the 90 >>> degree turn out of the basement door. >>> >>> >>> My PBH is 85cm and saddle height 74cm so I could fit a 52 Clem but it >>> sounds like a 59 Clem would be more ideal. >>> >>> There's a chance I would not have to take the front wheel off of the 52 >>> to get the bike down the basement but it would likely require be turning >>> the bars slightly which could be more sketchy. >>> >>> I would definitely have to take the front wheel off the 59 to get the >>> bike down the basement. I might even have to take it off to get in the >>> front door. >>> >>> What would you do if you were in my shoes? Is the Clem worth the hassle? >>> Is sizing up to the 59 worth the extra hassle? Am I nuts for considering >>> the Clem in general? >>> >>> Thanks for any insight you many have! >>> >> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/30fdc581-1686-41b4-8d75-eeb4afabfc5bn%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/30fdc581-1686-41b4-8d75-eeb4afabfc5bn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *When thou didst not, savage, k**now thine own meaning,* *But wouldst gabble like a** thing most brutish,* *I endowed thy purposes w**ith words that made them known.* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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