I like nice bikes - Above are my first bikes, below are the ones I currently own/ride.  I'd let you ride them, but my Mom won't let me loan my bikes to other kids. Here's some more info on each of my bikes...

I built this bike from the frame up.  It has a "Made in America" GT Zaskar frame. It's got an XT crank, derailleurs, and shifters with a Suntour shock, Ritchey levers, and wheels built on Phil Wood hubs (9-speed cassette).  That's an Answer ATAC stem, a big Campy U-brake on the rear, and a Brooks Conquest saddle to soften the bumps. It's one of my favorite fat tire bikes - bomb-proof - a really sweet riding bike.  This beauty is on loan to my brother Ken.


This is my Klein Adept.  Technically, it's a "hybrid", but  I think it makes a great "fat man's" road bike.  It's a prototype model - one of the first ones built.  It's LX/XT/XTR equipped.  Extra light.  Comfortable (after 700 break-in miles on the Brooks "pre-softened" Team Professional saddle).  I really love the look of the big aluminum tubes and the massive headset. That's a Light & Motion Arc light up front to make for safe night riding - that light does a terrific job of lighting up the our Kansas roads. A really nice bike.


 Here's one that adds a little variety to my collection - It's a Rans V-Rex.  It's a short wheelbase (SWB) recumbent (or "bent" as folks in the know call them).  I was looking for something that was different, fun, and "nice" - This passed all the tests.  I got it from my buddy, John McMinn , who put it together piece by piece.  It's XT (9-speed) equipped with an Ultegra triple crankset.  It's really responsive, and rolls down the road like a champ - a real chick magnet.

Here's my modified Breezer Ignaz X cruiser. My buddy Ron refers to it as a "Braumsmobile" (as in riding a half-mile to Braums to get some ice cream).  It's really comfortable with it's upright stance and Brooks B.17 Champion Special saddle.  The paint job is a replica of a 1937 Schwinn Excelsior.  It has a Shimano Nexus 7-speed internal rear hub, a Sugino crank, and an old style Breezer stem.  Not bad.

Whoa - a 1973 Schwinn World Voyageur! This model was the first "nice" bike I ever owned.  It was so nice to ride, and so comfortable.  Like a fool, I sold it to buy a road racing Paramount which I found to be uncomfortable and harsh riding. I just picked up this one from Ebay - it's in great shape and really custom loaded.  It has it's original steel chrome-moly lugged frame, early DuraAce crankset, and Shimano Crane GS rear derailleur.  Everything else is custom - Mavic rims with old Phil Wood hubs (still super-smooth), early DuraAce side pull brakes, Campy front derailleur, Nitto dirt drop stem, moustache handlebars, Rivendell bar end friction shifters, Shimano 600 brake levers and a DuraAce seat post for its Brooks B.17 saddle.  It's beautiful and still rides great!  More pictures here.

Ahhhh, "Big Silver". This is a Schwinn Voyageur II that I bought in about 1975 when I missed my World Voyageur so much.  I like its steel chrome-moly lugged frame. That's a very early DuraAce crankset - it's still beautiful. I outfitted it with a Nitto dirtdrop stem, moustache handlebars, Rivendell bar end friction shifters, and a  Brooks Conquest saddle.  It's really comfortable and still makes going down the road a pleasure.


Here's another classic bike - it's a 1985 Ritchey Ascent loaded with Shimano top-line stuff for its time - DuraAce crankset, hubs, derailleurs, shifters and brake levers, and a Suntour XC Sport rear roller-cam rear brake – Except for the seat post and saddle it’s all stock.  I remember lusting over this bike when it first came out – It’s a classic – a real piece of history.  Steel of course – TIG welded rather than lugged, but still a great riding bike.  Pretty sure the only off-road riding this bike will be doing will be on a Kansas gravel road.  I've updated the bike to conform to the type of riding I do today.  Here's some more pictures.

Here's my 2nd classic Ritchey - it's a 1987 Ritchey Ultra.  It's all original - loaded with Shimano top-line stuff for its time, and black anodized componentry.  It's TIG welded frame is made from Tange Prestige frame tubes. This is one very nice bike that handles the gravel roads of Kansas nicely.  Here's some more pictures.


This is another classic beauty - a 1988 Fisher Mt. Tam.  This is a hand-finished and fillet-brazed thing of beauty.  It came all original and loaded with top-of-the-line stuff for it's day.  I modified it somewhat to make it more comfortable for me to ride - new rubber, bullmoose bars, NOS Suntour brake levers and a Brooks B.17 saddle.  It rides great. Here's some more pictures in its original state if you're interested.

Wanna see another nice bike?  This one is another classic - it's a 1987 American Breezer.  It's got a 6061 T6 aluminum frame, an American Breezer stem, and a cro-moly fork. The frame construction is top-notch, and the welds are really something.  I outfitted it with mostly old-school stuff - a Phil Wood rear hub and 7-speed freewheel, Suntour thumb shifters, and a Suntour XC crank.  That's a Campy U-brake in the rear, a dual spring Brooks B67 saddle, and a pair of Suntour brakes up front with XC Pro brake levers.  It makes for one very nice ride.  Here's some more pictures.

Ooooh, here's a really nice bike. It's a '91 Bridgestone MB-1. This steel lugged frame is equipped mostly with old-school Suntour stuff, XT brakes, a Nitto bar and dirt drop stem, Ritchey Logic fork and headset - all topped off with a Brooks Team Professional saddle. It's one fine riding rigid machine - it's tough to beat the ride of steel!  This one is no longer mine - it belongs to my son-in-law Jody, but he let's me ride it when I visit.


Here's my new Olaf from Rawland Cycles.  I call it a "commuter" even though I'll really probably never commute.   It's loaded with really nice stuff from Minnesota, Rivendell, and my private stash.  Sean Virnig from Rawland Cycles, and Jim Thill from Hiawatha Cyclery are great to do business with.  Wanna see more pictures - click here.

Here's a great bike. It's an Atlantis by Rivendell - a beautiful steel lugged frame for all the loaded touring that I do. I also built this one from the frame up. I got the frame from Tim Rangitsch of Acme Bicycles in South Dakota, and a number of very nice accessories from Bill Laine's Wallingford Bicycle Parts. The bike's got Phil Wood hubs, Paul brakes, DuraAce shifters, MKS touring lite pedals and a British racing green Brooks B.17 Champion Special saddle. Those are moustache handlebars - again, a chick magnet type thing. My son-in-law Randy now owns this Atlantis.  Click here for more pictures.

Here's a Wilbury by Rivendell.  Its mixte style frame allows me to more easily mount and dismount since I had an accident which hosed up my leg and hip.  I got it from Jim Thill ( a great person to deal with) at Hiawatha Cyclery.  As you can tell it has a beautiful steel lugged frame and is outfitted to the hilt.  It rides as nice as it looks.  More pictures are available here. This Wilbury now belongs to my daughter Julie.


Here's a Rivendell Sam Hillborne.  Rivendell describes it as being a versatile do-everything bike.  I know it's a good-looker and a comfortable rider, similar to the Atlantis which my son-in-law Randy now rides.  Those are 48 spoke 700C wheels custom built by Jim Thill of Hiawatha Cyclery.  This beauty is loaded with nice stuff.  More pictures are available here.


Here's my favorite bike - A Bombadil designed by Rivendell.  It's a sturdy mountain bike frame that I'll use mostly on the road.  It has a custom paint job which I really like.  I waited a long time for this frame (20 months), but I think it was worth the wait. It's loaded with really nice stuff, some of which came from my buddy Jim Thill at Hiawatha Cyclery.  This steel lugged frame bike is probably my prettiest, and it rides as nice as it looks.  More pictures are available here.


Boy, here's another pretty one - a Saluki by Rivendell.  That's a 56 cm frame with 650B wheels.  I kind of liken it to an Atlantis with 650B wheels.  The custom wheels built on Phil Wood hubs were built by Jim Thill of Hiawatha Cyclery.  This is one great riding bike.  More pictures are available here.

There's a bunch of stuff on the internet on fat tire/mountain bikes/recumbents, but here is one of my favorite links.  Wanna see some "real" bikers? Click here.  Wanna see one good looking bicycle pin-up girl?  Click here.