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New bikes, FSVO "new"
Well, 30 odd year old really. I bought a folder from the tip^H^H^H recycling centre.
It's a Dawes Kingpin, which once I got home I found has an obscure tyre size, 500A (440 ERTRO), in between the "normal" 20" size size (406) and the less common 20" (451). (Bike tyre sizing is weird and complicated). Drake's do stock 500A tyres, but the ones on it will do for now, so I just bought some inner tubes (the same ones do 451 and 440). Long term it might be nice to fit alloy 451 wheels (406 would mean changing the fork or brazing on brake studs), but it's not really worthwhile.
It's not ideal, but £3 to have a bike that fits in the Ford Ka seemed worthwhile. See earlier thoughts on folders for more links.
(There is a Raleigh Twenty on eBay I quite fancy, but Worthing is a long way to go for a cheap bike.)
And, for another bike, I built my first wheel.(Though I haven't actually tried using it yet.) Back when we were living in Suffolk for six months and I was commuting by train, I thought it might be useful to have a bike at work and bought an old mountain bike at the police auction. It's a reasonable frame (Orange), but was 15-speed with very basic thumbshifters. I also bought a pile of parts that included better 21-speed shifters and a 7 speed wheel with a buckled rim. I laced together the rim off the five speed freewheel hub and the 7 speed freehub, using Sheldon's instructions, and have finally got round to doing it up properly (once I realised I was trying to dish it with a spacer missing on the non-drive side). Bought a new cluster for it today, so should try it soon.
It's a Dawes Kingpin, which once I got home I found has an obscure tyre size, 500A (440 ERTRO), in between the "normal" 20" size size (406) and the less common 20" (451). (Bike tyre sizing is weird and complicated). Drake's do stock 500A tyres, but the ones on it will do for now, so I just bought some inner tubes (the same ones do 451 and 440). Long term it might be nice to fit alloy 451 wheels (406 would mean changing the fork or brazing on brake studs), but it's not really worthwhile.
It's not ideal, but £3 to have a bike that fits in the Ford Ka seemed worthwhile. See earlier thoughts on folders for more links.
(There is a Raleigh Twenty on eBay I quite fancy, but Worthing is a long way to go for a cheap bike.)
And, for another bike, I built my first wheel.(Though I haven't actually tried using it yet.) Back when we were living in Suffolk for six months and I was commuting by train, I thought it might be useful to have a bike at work and bought an old mountain bike at the police auction. It's a reasonable frame (Orange), but was 15-speed with very basic thumbshifters. I also bought a pile of parts that included better 21-speed shifters and a 7 speed wheel with a buckled rim. I laced together the rim off the five speed freewheel hub and the 7 speed freehub, using Sheldon's instructions, and have finally got round to doing it up properly (once I realised I was trying to dish it with a spacer missing on the non-drive side). Bought a new cluster for it today, so should try it soon.
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(Earlier photo had an extra-long seatpost I bought, but it still wasn't really long enough.)