mis-use of equipment, bike abuse

forgot to ask/ didnt see it covered... what ratio did you run? did you switch it up?

I toured my Chareg beaterbiek round the south coast this summer. It took eight or nine days. I strapped my tent to my top tube, didn't take panniers, didn't take a sleeping bag, didn't wear appropriate clothing. Stupid idea.

...I did win a brand-new Chareg fixiebiek from Levi's, though, for Tweeting the pictures.

^ and you did all that with only a rear brake.

My Gazelle Champion Mondial has late-80s mountain bike running gear (XT hubs, cranks, mechs). Yeah, you heard me.

I also destroyed a 3-speed by riding it through a flooded road, filling the tubes up with water and flushing all the oil out of the hubs and BB. I got home, put it in the garage with the intention of stripping it and leaving it next to the radiator to dry... well, I forgot about it and a week later it was totally seized up.

forgot to ask/ didnt see it covered... what ratio did you run? did you switch it up?

48x17 all the way.

^ and you did all that with only a rear brake.

Carrying a Krypto, wearing Converse, on flats! Would not want.

Cool thread

I once put a Brooks saddle on my bike.

Rode to Africa on 65GI without coasting.

Richmond Park 3 Laps Challenge on a Brompton with saddle too low and extension that wasn't clamped on properly;

I have on more than one occasion locked up on Shoreditch high street.

I once broke a spoke in my rear wheel. Then, a couple of months later, I broke another spoke in it. Then I got a new rear wheel. Then I got a new bottom bracket. #csb

I forgot the mistreatment my Colnago has got. Plenty of off-road, but also touring mode in Cornwall:

Getting that up a 25% was fun.

Did you deliberately choose to block the water bottle on that mount instead of the other?

TM, antlers, edscoble, you nutters. I am now inspired to take my fixed more seriously as a proper mode of transport rather than for just hacking around london.

Two summers ago I was staying in the north highlands of scotland, I was touring on worn out easton EA90's, £500 lightweight racing wheels, which were hand me downs from the road bike. I got the time for my train wrong and had to do 100 miles in 6 hours carrying 40kg with two broken spokes. In the rain. Heard a third spoke go as I rolled into inverness, back wheel had about 20mm of play in it.

I ride in London.

wouldnt call 42/16 or 53/18 particularly track gearing really ;) perhaps thats not your commute bike tho...

53/18 or 16 depending on what wheel.

Did you deliberately choose to block the water bottle on that mount instead of the other?

I may be wrong, but it looks like the water bottle is structurally integral in keeping the tent in place........ I may be wrong though..... Fox, spill....

Hah, that was possibly the case at the time. The photo was taken at Paddington before I got on the train to Cornwall, so it hadn't been used in earnest at that point. I didn't go that far with that set up as I had a big backpack full of stuff on too.

Took the fixed gear for a few laps of Peckham BMX track on the way home from climbing today. The main thing is you have to keep both wheels in contact with the ground. The steep asphalt banking on the corners is great fun. Bit of a pedal strike issue on some of the sharper jumps. I thought the office was empty but on about lap 4 a bloke appeared and, smiling, told me "that's enough". Fun while it lasted.

^ nice, this made me smile