Oh, no, I bought a Trek ! (Ugliest bike ever?)

Raging_Bulls

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Okay, here's the story :

Every once in a while, the city will collect abandoned or illegally parked bicycles. First they attach a warning to the handlebars, telling the owners to remove the bike within 30 days. If it's not removed by then, they'll cut the lock and confiscate it.
After a few months, the bikes can be picked up by some trusted organizations and legally brought back into circulation.

I'm training at a non-profit shop that gets a bunch of those bikes every few months, fixes them up and then sells them cheap. It provides education for the students and gives less fortunate people the chance to own a good bike without paying lots of money for it.
This morning me and the shop owner were walking around in the attic to grab a few bikes, and suddenly I spotted this little gem buried between a bunch of other bikes.
I told him I wanted it for myself, stripped it down and fixed it up with some old (but good) second-hand parts we had in the warehouse. Here's the result :



Seeing as I wanted a shopping bike I could park in the city without worrying, I wanted it to look as bad as possible.

Don't let the looks fool you, this bike has had a thorough service and runs as good as a new one.
In fact I did the 8 mile trip home in 23 minutes without even trying hard, which means I averaged 20+ MPH. That includes 1.5 miles of city traffic and a few red lights.
So it's no slouch, this thing.

To make it less attractive, I put on 2 different pedals and 2 different levers for the brakes and shifters. I could have gone for matching pairs, but didn't want to do that.
To top it off, I added the rack and saddle bags to make it even worse, and those have the added benefit of making this an ideal shopping bike as well.





Despite the looks, it's a hoot to ride. Yes, it corners just as badly as any other american-designed bike I ever tried, but on the plus side it wheelies like a madman and rolling stoppies aren't a problem either.
The rear brake is a bit spongy due to the combination of the canti brake lever and the V-brakes, but the front is just perfect.

I can read, so I know it's a trek 800. However I'm not sure about the year. Anyone have any idea?

And laugh with it all you want, I actually like it like this. I might even enter it in BotM. If the activator can score a podium spot, this one can win.
 

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Truely vile, I applaued you good work. All its missing is a really bad rattle can paint job. Im trying to make a non desirable bike for work/shop rides, perhaps we need a shonky old bike thread.
 
God that does look hideous. All it needs now is some randomly applied duck tape, some broken wheel reflectors and a Kelloggs spokey.

I've been sick on my keyboard.
 
Just thought I have one of those disgusting rear mech protector if you want to add some more disgustingness to it.
 
drystonepaul":296fx2s5 said:
God that does look hideous. All it needs now is some randomly applied duck tape, some broken wheel reflectors and a Kelloggs spokey.

I've been sick on my keyboard.



:LOL:
 
Wow, great bike ;) you've done well, but i must agree, it is a hoot to ride, i had one for a short time and it was a blast, although it was stripped out as a Single Speed ride :)
 

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poweredbypies":3qv7roxb said:
Jussa that one looks worth stealing tho, so its a fail.

Agreed, it was very nice, ok how can i redeem myself???? Well just for old times sake, here is my Craptivator prior to joining slimming world and being sold to a collector :)
 

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