Hi George

Well I know little about bikes in general but I got the bug after living in Amsterdam for 2 years and decided to buy one when I came back. My bike is made by Giant. I've no idea what nationality the company is originally as they call themselves "the Global Bicycle Company" (!) but I'm pretty sure they are mostly made in Taiwan. The model is a Suxes 7. It came fully loaded. You're right it comes with a front dynamo light and a back battery-powered light. It also has an integral back wheel lock, and back rack. As you can see the chain is fully enclosed. It has Shimamo 7-speed gears. I believe they also do a 3-speed version.

It does have two proper brakes on the handlebars even though the front and rear brakes are I think reversed to what I remember from my youth. In any case, no backpedaling required! I remember riding a second hand bike like that in Amsterdam and never really got on with it. I mentioned this to my Dutch teacher at the time and she replied "Oh no, I prefer it as it means you have your hands free for doing other things" . As it was the first time I'd cycled for many years at the time I was just happy to hang on for dear life while the Heineken trucks whizzed passed me down the narrow canal streets!

Anyhow, it's certainly very robust. I bought it new for about £350 in 2003 from a local family bike shop in Northampton called Oakley Cycles. I've never had any problem with it other than inevitable punctures and new batteries. A quick internet search suggested it may be available for about £300 though that may be for the 3-speed version. I think Giant are well distributed in the UK though.

I have to say I liked the look of your picture of the Pashley Sovreign as well!

Hope that helps

Steeve

Dear Fredrik.

Since you posted a picture of yourself with your bike, I will post a pic of me too. This is from the 2004 trail riding-Gathering at Skeikampen



Lovely, eh?


And this is my new toy:

Dear Christian,

Lovely bike for sure. Bit too good for me! If I did off road I would use my old Falcon, which actually handles very well. It is at least two inches too big for me, and what happens at the traffic lights must look comic to any car driver behind me. I have to leap off the pedals and stand, stalk-like over the cross-bar! I am looking for a good fully mounted pannier carrying road bike, to run beside my Falcon, which would cost a good deal to fix panniers and lights to! It is so old, and quite light-weight, so I will keep it for day use and use in rougher road conditions [and long trecks], or even off road, which I have done because I went cross-country rather than use the much longer road! It would be shame to weigh down the Falcon with lots of practicle extras, as it is good for a thirty mile trip in very quick time. A new bike will be for shorter runs about town and getting to work at hours that require lights and a call by the grocery store on the way home ...

Well what can I say! I am honoured that a half Norwegian has managed to get one of the complete Norwegians to post a picture of himself! Thanks [Tusand-tak] is the very least!

Dear Steeve,

Thanks for the information. After the fifth of August [taxi job for a friend from the airport!] I am going to lay my old car off. In the last month all I have done is start her up to keep her running - two miles round the block, and park her again - once a week. She is redundant! So Henrietta the Volvo 240 GL is to retire to the car park in the sky! But I must get a good load carrying bike, with lights and panniers, good for use to go to friends, concerts, get the grocery, and so forth.

At £300 for the Giant, I would need to ride it, in the fashion of a dem, and compare to the Pashley Sovereign. Of course my tendency to support a great British company cannot be ruled out as the Sovereign is £550 and so more expensive, but hardly devastatingly so.

I enjoyed the back-pedal on old grandfather's bike, but maybe that is not something easily found in the UK. It is rather sensible though.

Many thanks for replying.

ATB from George

George, Giant is an Italian company. If you want to buy British and perhaps move a little bit forward technology-wise may I recommend a Dawes hybrid bike which range from just over £200 to around £500.

http://www.dawescycles.com/

Dear JAB,

A friend of mine has a Dawes Hybrid [utility] bike, bought a couple of years ago, and a very nice ride too. He was rather surprised when I jumped on it and rode off without asking! He would never have agreed to me using the pride and joy!!!

That replaced a redundant [ecological grounds: not money to buy the fuel!] VW Golf!

All food for thought, thanks.

ATB from George

Here's another Gary Fisher I own - a Hoo Koo E Koo



and then I also have a Trek Fuel 90, although rarely used




This might appeal to fans of Naim - the Gary Fisher Hi-Fi Deluxe available in black to go with your system black boxes. He has a whole range of Hi-Fi bikes in different colours and specs



Adrian

This is handy having a bike thread coz i am looking for one.

I did a super-sprint triathlon a couple of months ago on my trust but very cheap and heavy mountain bike, now I need a tri/TT or road bike.

I'm thinking more road bike as those Tri/TT bikes look a tad uncomfortable - I was looking at a Cervelo P2-SL or Felt S32.

Or as a cheaper road bike only option a Cannondale CAAD9 5

I am 6' 4" and weigh 18 st or 255 lbs so I am definitely a Clydesdale :-)

Any words of wisdom?

This is my toy. Knolly Delirium T
Few changes since this old picture.
Now running Sunline bars, Thompson stem, AMP seatpost, a CCDB with Ti spring, and Schwalbe rubber.

michael

No pics I'm afraid, at least not yet but my current bikes selection...

Road: Bianche with carbon stays and forks (you know why carbon makes sense when you've ridden all Al frame/bars/seat post), Campag Zonda, Shimano Ultegra (triple I'm afraid! with Dura-ace shifters) and recently carbon post and bars, Sella Italia SLR

MTB: (recently built), Viper Pro Carbon (an HT), Manitou R7 MRD Absolute 2008, Fulcrum Red Metal 0, Shimano XTR chain set, Magura Marta SL brakes, other Carbon bits and bobs, Sella Italia SLR
trying decide if I want to go full sus and get an Ibis Mojo but can't make my mind up which forks make sense, the rest of the hardware would be good for All mountain duties, but getting 150-160mm travel without having to shift to 20mm axels and therefore new wheels is proving difficult - still enjoying the hardtail so it can wait

My (DIY) commuting bike: BeOne Road frame (all Al), Shimano Tora (I think) with LX dual use shifters on shaun off riser bars with shimano road hubs respoked with Mavic touring rims and continental contact tires (towpath commuting) and Alien shock post to make up for the Al frame (I also recentl added Ergon grips which are good for harsh frames). It also has a rack and looks really odd so I hopefully less thief friendly.

Pics to follow!

Matthew

Dear Matthew,

What is an "AI" frame? That sounds an interesting mixture.

My Falcon is very impure as it is made from the original nice frame with new parts and parts from a Dawes road/hybrid model, which was my preceding bike, and funny cheap, but very effective "Vee" brakes, acted on with the wrong sort of operating levers [from the rather poor cantilever brakes on the old Dawes] etc.

Really it is work of art, considering it is cobbled together as it is! The brakes are amazing! You can easily pull the levers back to the handlebars, but such is the gearing on the pull that the wheels are really gripped, even in the wet, so that the soft feel is not a problem. They require very frequent adjustment, which is the only downside, but there are quick adjusters on the lever bodies, so that it never gets out of hand.

The old Dawes I had was the usual sloping crossbar MTB shape [with normal width road tyres], but actually was the right size for me, and the Falcon is much too big, so stopping at the lights is comical. I have to hop at the last minute and perch, stalk-like over the [high and exactly horizontal] crossbar! But the Dawes was a sod to ride. It simply felt uphill all the time, and yet there was nothing wrong in the wheels or crank [bottom, bracket] bearing. Weird. The Falcon is the oposite, and I rarely get out of top, and often overtake other bikes even at my age! All those gears are wasted on me!!

The bike I had before that was also the proper size - an Elswick Hopper, which I was give for my thirteenth birthday. A nice sensible three speed [Sturmey Archer hub] normal road bike with horizontal crossbar, but it had a false neutral between two and three, which I wore until it became treacherous! Once it dropped out and I landed on the cross-bar going flat out, standing on it along the flat in Hereford, and as soon as a slight hill put pressure on it, it slipped out of gear! That did hurt. I walked the rest of the way! That bike used to go like a rocket on top gear! Terrible brakes though!!!

My first bike was a little Raleigh child’s bike that was indestructible. Childproof bikes are rare indeed!

ATB from George

George,

Al is for Aluminium.

Now for some pics...

The back end

Engine room

The front end

And then...

I have now finished the bars in case you where wondering... the back end

And for the commute, and a bit of a laugh

I have been examining the options, and it looks to me like the best answer is the Pashley Sovereign:





There is a dealer in Worcester, and it is a stronger machine than the Dawes with respect to panniers and so forth. I had a Dawes [before the Falcon] and I prefer the frame geometry of the Pashley, which is much nearer to my Falcon than the Dawes frame. I do not know why but this near horizontal style of crossbar seems to suit me bowling along faster, but that is a significant consideration.

I would buy the smallest sized frame, as it is just about low enough for me to straddle at the traffic lights, unlike my old Falcon ...

So I had better start saving!

ATB from George