The Chainlink

Looking for help building/buying my first bike

Hello everyone, thanks for welcoming me to the forums here.

I'm new to the Chicago area, originally from the suburbs of Minneapolis and downtown area for work.  As the weather has warmed up since I've moved here I've become more and more antsy about getting out and riding.  Currently I have a Rans Tailwind recumbent which is not something I'm very comfortable riding anywhere but on trails due to my own lack of skill piloting it and the low visibility factor.  I had a Schwinn hybrid but that was stolen the first day I tried riding it up to the Financial district (I live in the South Loop).  Yes I locked it up!  Apparently not well enough after posting in the stolen bike forums and messaging with a member here afterwords. :)

Anyway, I would really love to be able to get out and ride and use a bicycle for commuting around to various appointments and such.  I also really love building/creating things with my own hands if I think I can give it an honest effort.  I've built my own speakers before and built/maintained a lot of IT related equipment/servers/etc.  I'm fairly technical and good with my hands once I'm comfortable, but I admit I have next to no knowledge of working on bicycles outside of basic maintenance.  I have worked on various motorcycles and cars so I have some mechanical aptitude outside of the electronics world.

So, now that you know some of my story, should I build my own bike or would I be better off just buying a used bike off craigslist/posting a want ad on these forums?  In general I'm looking for something city-oriented, so I thought a single speed might actually be nice here to remove that added cost and complexity when trying to stay safe around here (Chicago drivers are much more aggressive than what I'm used to from back in MN and it does worry me some in regards to riding safely on the roads here).  I also have pretty regular back/neck pain from some prior injuries so I prefer riding in an upright position as much as possible so I'm not a big fan of the drop down road bike bars.  I see a lot of people around here riding what look like single speed steel framed bikes with a single brake and a tall flat bar that looks really perfect for city riding.

Thank you to anyone who is willing to offer advice/help.

Also of note, I'm very much willing to part with my recumbent as part of financing my build or trading for parts, or whatever.  It's not being ridden at the moment as I don't feel safe on it unless I basically walk myself over to the lake shore drive / museum campus trails.

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Permalink Reply by Aaron Jones on April 14, 2015 at 12:29pm

I'm 5'8, the idea of a fixie sounds interesting to me but I would definitely like to stick with a freewheeling rear hub for the time being as that's what I'm used to.  Definitely open to meeting up with whoever to discuss options and get to know the bike community here.  Looking back it's something I should have done in my home city.

Permalink Reply by David P. on April 14, 2015 at 12:07pm

Given what you write, I'd encourage you to try building up your first bike. If you like, you can get something else to ride in the interim. I think you'll find it fun and rewarding, and I think you're capable of it. With knowledge that is relatively easy to acquire, and attention to detail, it is not that hard.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on April 14, 2015 at 12:10pm

Building your own bike can be a hugely rewarding experience. But the better part of our year-round riding season is here now! Being in hurry about building a bike could take a lot of the joy out of it and result in a less than ideal build. I would suggest getting an inexpensive daily rider at Working Bikes or via Craigslist to ride while you are building your dream bike.

For inspiration, here is my current daily rider which I've been riding for about three years and building for about 3 and a half:

It was initially a fixie, then a three speed, then a fixie again and finally (or at least currently) it is a two speed.

Permalink Reply by Aaron Jones on April 14, 2015 at 12:31pm

That's a sweet ride!  I love the idea of a internal hub 2+ speed for a city bike, I've ridden the blu bikes in France and assume the Divvy bikes here are similar and really enjoy the ability change an internal gear on the fly.  So smooth.

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on April 14, 2015 at 12:14pm

Welcome to Chicago and sorry for your loss. We're more what you might call a 'double U lock' sort of town. Search the forum archives for tons of tips on securing your bike.

As far as your build project, I recommend these places-

http://www.workingbikes.org/

http://www.therecyclery.org/

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on April 14, 2015 at 12:17pm

Sorry to hear that your bike was stolen. Not cool. 

I'm excited for you because you are going to have some great options and opportunities. 

1. Local bike shops can sometimes hold classes that cover basic maintenance.

2. Looking for more? The Recyclery and West Town Bikes have classes for deeper, hands-on knowledge e.g. Tune-up, Overhaul classes. 

3. Looking for a bike on a smaller budget? Check out Bikes N' Roses, West Town Bikes, Working Bikes, Blackstone. They rebuild bikes and sell them, benefiting their programs (youth programs, bikes for Africa, etc.). Buy a bike AND feel great about helping others with your purchase.

Here are some websites to get started:

http://westtownbikes.org/

http://www.therecyclery.org/

http://bikes-n-roses.weebly.com/about.html

http://www.experimentalstation.org/blackstone-bikes

http://www.workingbikes.org/

You can also Divvy for short trips if that helps. Oh, and come out to the Chainlink Bar Night on Thursday and meet some of your fellow bike enthusiasts. Good luck!!

Permalink Reply by Aaron Jones on April 14, 2015 at 5:27pm

Thanks for the Bar Night invite, I will do my best to get up there.

Working Bikes is pretty close to me and sounds like a great fit for me.

Thanks again for all the information and tips everyone.

Permalink Reply by Aaron Jones on April 14, 2015 at 12:33pm

Wow! What an outpouring of information and good advice!  Thank you everyone for responding to me and so quickly and detailed at that.  I'm going to have to dive into all the links and information given to me and see what I can figure out.  I think at this point based on what you have all said I'm leaning towards picking up a used bike for the immediate use and I'll start to brain storm building something special to me.  Double U-lock.  Nice. :D

Cheers!

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on April 14, 2015 at 10:19pm

If you're looking for a good used bike, there are plenty on craigslist.  That's where I usually go, or ebay (especially looking for ones in the area to save shipping).  If you go new, there are lots of great bike shops around.  My personal recommendation would be to look for something like a Trek Multitrack, especially the chromoly ones from the 90s like the 720s, the 730s, or the prized 750s.  A humble 700 would be fine as well, or one of the later aluminum models.  I think this is the kind of bike you're talking about.  They are well-built (many of that era were built in America) and have excellent frames and decent components.  They can be set up as great city bikes with the ability to hit the road, as well.  They have straight handlebars and a fairly upright seating position.  You would be able to use your creativity in terms of setting one up for your own purposes.  Used, they provide a lot of bang for the buck.  I personally like them a lot.  I see there are a few on craigslist right now if you want to see how they look.  Good luck whichever way you go!          

Permalink Reply by Aaron Jones on April 15, 2015 at 6:30pm

I am definitely a big fan of those bikes, the Schwinn I had was very similar to them with the obvious quality bump of Trek's higher end bikes.  I looked at 7.1-7.6s many times as well.  I wound up going the Working Bikes route and picked up an 06' Novara Fusion.  It's a big, burgundy, heavy, smooth shifting internal 8 speed.  I got pretty tired just riding it from 18th to Roosevelt and back so I should get my workout in every time I ride it.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on April 15, 2015 at 6:36pm

Nice!  Ride safely and have fun.  Don't forget to check out the Skylark, Cermak and Halsted!

Permalink Reply by Jeff Blumenthal on April 16, 2015 at 12:58pm

I'm biased because I volunteer there, but Working Bikes at 2400 S. Western Avenue has tons of parts and people who can help you build your dream Frankenstein bike.  Start with frame and add components of your choosing.  Besides, it helps support the mission of Working Bikes to recycle unused bicycles to third world countries where having a bicycle often means having the ability to get to work.

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