grand bleu
1984 Schwinn Sierra
integrated "bullmoose" bar and stem, steel, no name
steel, with forged sloping fork crown
"Made in Japan" hubs with high, solid flanges; Araya rims
same as front
Sugino double crankset, Shimano sealed bottom bracket
Serfas Cosmo saddle, generic seat post
old MKS road pedals with toe clips, SRAM chain, six-speed 14-28 Shimano freewheel
Deore XT cantilevers, stock Shimano shifters and derailleurs, Tubus and Nitto racks, SKS fenders, Continental tires
My winter bike. Got it dead stock and barely used for next to nothing. It's a first- or second-generation mountain bike, Schwinn's mid-range offerning, but it has some nice details: fastback seat lug, forged ends, sloping fork crown. Took it down to the bare frame, got one of the fork's cantilever bosses brazed (thanks, Toby!), applied Frame Saver, then built it back up. Rebuilt the front and rear hubs (they had the original grease, which was more like adhesive than lubricant); narrowed the stock bars; upgraded the bottom bracket and brakes; put on Continental tires; added fenders, mud flap, and racks. Update: As related elsewhere, this bike was stolen Dec. 13, 2006, in Boston. Tried like all getout to get it back, and when that didn't work, applied myself to re-creating it exactly. After several months of searching and work, did just that, and it's now up on Velospace for all to see. Remember: Secure your bikes well!