SFBC Winterfest Auction Bike - Custom built by Pedal Revolution
SFBC Winterfest Auction Bike - Custom built by Pedal Revolution
This bike was assembled from the frame up by Pedal Revolution and given to The San Francisco Bike Coalition for their Annual fundraising party - Winterfest!
Lead Mechanic Todd B. with assistance from two our Youth interns Daniel and Josh spearheaded the assembly utilizing many donated components from Soma Fabrications. This is a signature example of a custom refurbished Pedal Revolution bike; a classic steel frame completely rebuilt with great quality new parts into a totally reconfigured city bike. Our focus is versatility, function, reliability, and fun! Early mountain bike frames like this one had a very high level of craftsmanship from Japan and had more of a touring bike geometry compared to contemporary mountain bikes. We love transforming these classic bikes into unique and utilitarian commuter style bikes, capable of carrying significant loads and accommodating racks, baskets, and fenders. Many of our customers rely on their bikes as their primary mode of transportation, grocery getting, commuting, and recreation. They want a bike that can reliably get them to work and back home and then be outfitted for a weekend bike camping trip or out of town adventure.
Pedal Revolution is a non-profit bike shop that has been in business since 1992 and hosts a paid work internship program for at-risk bay area youth. We employ 20 young people every year as interns in our shop working side by side with our professional staff. Our interns learn a combination of basic work-readiness skills and participate in a bicycle service based training curriculum experiencing bicycle repair, assembly, and sales in our own business. Interns assist our professional staff in the building of our new and custom refurbished used bicycles like the one you see here. Our refurbished used bicycles arrive from donations from individuals like you who want to support our program. The bikes are stripped, assessed, and then rebuilt with new components to assure a long and reliable life. These bikes are unique, one of a kind creations with distinct style and a character all their own. Please consider donating your old bicycles, frames, or bike parts to our program to support our social mission. Next time you are in the market for a fantastic new or refurbished used bike come visit us!
Here are some photos of the before and after bike build process:
Pictured below are two of our current youth interns Josh and Daniel holding the vintage Miyata “Terra Runner” frameset that provided the foundation for this build:
80’s Japan built, triple butted, lugged steel goodness.
The paint was a little rough so we sent it off to our friends at Champion Powdercoating for a super sweet repaint.
We’ve come to referring to this textured blue finish as ” Pining for the Fjords Blue”.
Service Manager Joel had the bright idea to have the stem painted to match.
Came out quite nice!
Here are Josh and Daniel again with painted frame, fork, and stem with the new wheels and Soma Fabrications New Xpress tires which they set up and installed.
Below Daniel carefully shellacks the cork grips designated for the bike. We love the classic look of cork grips.
Shellacking weatherproofs them and keeps them looking good for a long time.
Brand new drivetrain with Sugino touring cranks, Shimano and IRD mechanicals, and stylish MKS touring pedals.
Shop bottle/shop sticker steeze.
Sprung leather touring saddle.
Soma Fabrications Oxford Handlebar, IRD thumbshifters, Champs Elysees front rack, and Wald basket….gotta have a basket.
Those grips though!
This was a really fun project for the Pedal Rev crew. Hope you like!
Bike details:
-80’s era Lugged steel Miyata “Terra Runner” early MTB frame
-Made in Japan
-Size 21”
-Custom powder-coated “Pining for the Fjords Blue”
Parts:
-Shimano 26” wheelset
-Soma Fabrications New Xpress Touring Tires
-Sugino XD500 Touring Crankset
-Shimano Deore M591 Long cage rear Derailleur
-IRD Front derailleur
-MKS Sylvan Touring Pedals
-Velo Orange Leather Saddle
-Soma Fabrications Oxford handlebar
-IRD 9spd indexed thumbshifters
-Shellacked Cork Grips
-Soma Fabrications Champs Elysees stainless front rack
-Wald basket
Motobecane Super Touring 58cm, Custom Town-Style
From what I can gather, 1980 seems to have been a fairly tumultuous time. Americans were being held hostage in Iran as their home country watched helplessly on (at least for the most part). The Soviets were invading Afghanistan, beginning the decades of political instability and human misfortune in that country; in response, Jimmy Carter boycotted the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics. And the U.S. economy wasn’t doing too well; Reagan was about to perform his trickle-down on America and swell the ranks of the billionaire class. On a more positive and politically unrelated note, the Lakers won the NBA championship and Magic Johnson played a real nice Game 6.
Not too sure what was going on over in France, but I do know that Motobecane was still making bicycles. They’d file for bankruptcy in 1981, but this fine Super Touring was ushered off the production line just in time for your cycling enjoyment. Relatively thorough online research leads me to conclude it is indeed a 1980 model.
This bike came to us in a pretty unorthodox fashion. A gentleman called the shop a while back and I (Todd) picked up the phone. He explained that he had an old Motobecane he wanted to donate, but would be shipping it to from out-of-state. I tried to suggest that it might not be worth his trouble, but he wasn’t sure what to do with it and wanted the bike to go to good use. So I thanked him and said sure, ship it on out.
As it turned out this was one of the better-quality Motobecane frames of that era, built with heat-treated steel tubing and a derailleur hanger. We replaced the damaged original fork with a chrome one, and it’s been built up nicely for stylish around-town use. Nearly all the parts, including the brakes and wheelset, are new. Favorites of mine include the comfortable Soma Oxford handlebar and excellent Suntour ratcheting bar-end shifter.
The bike would be a great fit for somebody about 5’10” to 6′. Come check it out today!!
$600
SOLD!!!!!
Custom Gitane 63 cm Town-Style 3 speed @ Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bicycle Update
Are you or someone dear to you between 6’1″ and 6’4″, dig the color orange, and in the market for a unique town-style bicycle that rides like a dream? If any of this rings true, you’d best come in to Pedal Rev to check out this Gitane.
According to the original sales paperwork provided by the gentleman who kindly donated it to us, this bike cost $165 way back in 1972. It still had all the original parts on it, and the paint is in great shape for its age. But cycling has come a long way since then and major changes were on order; in fact, the frame, seatpost, and matching original Zefal pump are the only items that weren’t replaced.
Cool details on this bike include a new polished 3-speed wheel, some vintage Suntour Cyclone cranks, and some pretty wide Nitto handlebars that’ll be well suited to the larger individual who ends up putting miles on this rig.
Some ergonomic Portland Design Works grips are comfortable on the hands, and the retro-look Tektro brake levers control new dual-pivot calipers that’ll bring this orange whip to a stop in no time.
Come on by and take it for a test ride!
$725
Specialized RockHopper Commuter 19.5" @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
Another rebuilt gem from yester-year. Cool grey and aqua color scheme on this classic steel Rock Hopper frameset. Rebuilt by Pedal Revolution for heavy duty commuter use with new drivetrain, wheels, upright bars, shifters, brakes, saddle, and burly Continental Touring Plus tires.
19.5″ (fits 5’9″- 6′).
$375.
Specialized Expedition Commuter Bike 17" @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
Another great deal to be had! A nice condition Specialized Expedition commuter bike rebuilt with new wheels, drivetrain, tires, saddle, pedals, and cables/housing.
17″ fits 5’5″ - 5’10”
$300. SOLD
Powdercoated Custom Step-Through Commuter 50cm @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
Who says “Mixte” style bikes need to be dainty and pastel colored? We had this one powdercoated in a stylish finish we’ve come to refer to as “Scorched Earth Brown”. Full custom rebuild job on this one and it rides like a dream. All the good stuff and Pedal Rev favorites are represented: 1×7 “just enough” drivetrain, Mavic/Shimano road wheelset, Panaracer Pasela tires, WTB comfort saddle, Velo Orange Milan handlebars, Soma Sutro stem, and leather grips. Understated and awesome.
50cm and an ideal fit for a rider 5’3″ - 5’6″.
$850.
Trek Valencia Commuter Bike 15.5" @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
Trek Valencia Hybrid Commuter bike. A great everyday bike for the daily ride, outfitted with disc brakes and fenders for solid stopping power and worry free riding in wet weather.
15.5″ - great fit for a 5’1″ - 5’5″ individual.
$600.
Specialized Sirrus Hybrid Commuter 13" @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
A superb condition Specialized Sirrus in sexy matte black on the floor in the heavily visited Pedal Revolution refurbished bike department. This little number is a 13″ and sized for a human of smaller stature…around 4’7″ - 5’2″.
$500. SOLD.
Fuji - Mt. Fuji Touring Bike 55cm @Pedal Revolution Custom Bike Update
Fuji, Mt. Fuji
Another day, and another gem of a refurbished bicycle is here at Pedal Rev. This cycle started its life as a higher end Mt. Fuji mountain bike from what I (Nolan) believe to be a 1980. This lugged steel steed was created in the magical time when bicycles were expected to do more: your mountain bike was your touring bike, your commuting bike, and your beverage bike. Quality steel, comfortable geometry, copious eyelets and more made this bike an exemplary all-in-one eighties powerhouse.
While the Mt. Fuji is a great bike, this particular Mt. Fuji was in a bit of a bad way when it arrived at Pedal Rev as a donation. Distressed paint, and parts worn beyond repair left us wondering: “What were we to do?” Champion Powder Coating provided us with a screaming matte green paintjob (thanks y’all!), and a new parts build got this bike back in fighting shape. While the bike was originally built with a riser bar, we built it with the cockpit of a touring/randonneuring bike. Randonneuring bicycles seem to be all the rage right now and the newly dubbed Mt. Fuji Destroyer falls in with the best of them. Our Destroyer has traditional road bar/levers and bar end shifters to allow for multiple riding positions. The wide range 3×9 drivetrain give the bike plenty of gears to tackle the hills, while a powerful set of cantilever brakes provide enough Umph! to stop after bombing down said hills. 26” wheels and the perennial Pasela PT tire round out the build. Just when you thought the Destroyer couldn’t get any better, we added some flair in the form of a color correct Velocity H2O cage, and wrapped the drive side chainstay with black Newbaum’s cloth bar tape for a real curated look. The Willys Jeep is (matte) green with envy.
This bicycle measures out to a 55cm, and would work be perfect for a rider 5’9”-6’. Come in and put some fun between your legs.
$850.00
Pedal Revolution Used Bicycle Update: Motobecane Step-Through 3-Speed
Pedal Revolution Used Bicycle Update: Motobecane Step-Through 3-Speed
Another Pedal Revolution original here. This bike was donated with long obsolete 27″ wheels, a conventional derailleur drivetrain, a low long deep drop handlebar (i.e. uncomfortable) and a bric a brac of low-endish 80s parts.
The bike was reconstituted with a more upright Velo Orange Milan bar and svelte Tektro neo-retro levers (they look like a lot of levers on older bikes but benefit from stiffer cold forge construction and return springs for smoothness and greater cable life).
New 700c wheels with a Sturmey Archer 3-Speed internal gear hub replace the clunky and complex original drivetrain. Soma Xpress terra cotta tires make another appearance here. These are essentially a slightly more beefed up version of the Panaracer Pasela tires that get are often spotlighted on this blog.
The gold housing just looks really great. It jives well with the painted on logo but neither enhances or undermines the brake function.
The cork grips were heavily layered with shellac for good looks but they also don’t feel too bad.
The demi-mixte frame construction is totally wild. Just prior to Pedal Revolution being donated this bike, I (Joel), had seen another one of these frames in the shop for the first time and it blew my mind. So strange to have another one given to us so soon after that. The unconventional frame construction and 3-Speed rebuild make this a super unique bike.
Burgundy (in New Orleans, they would call the color “Ber-gun-day”) Motobecane Step-Through 3-Speed:
$500 - A Good Ride for someone about 5’4″?
SOLD
Motobecane Grand Touring Road Bike 53cm @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
As attributes, quick, light, and affordable are generally not found together in one bicycle. Generally you’d have to settle for one or two of the above characteristics. This 80’s Motobecane Grand Touring is a gem of a bike that finds a happy balance between all three. It was rebuilt with a new wheelset, brakes, Soma New Express Terracotta tires, and a Soma Highway one bar. It’s a great mix of old and new at a very reasonable price.
53cm ST - 55cm TT. A great fit for 5’5″-5’9″.
$575. SOLD
Scott Sportster Step-Through Commuter Hybrid @ Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
Scott Sportster step-through hybrid bicycle. Upright and comfortable, this commuter bike is a great match for city streets.
17″ sized for 5’6″-5’10”
$489. SOLD
'MERICA! A Slightly Patriotic Specialized Rockhopper! @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Used Bike Update
Just in time for Independence Day, this patriotic little number just hit the floor at Pedal Revolution. A refurbished Specialized Rockhopper with timely red, white, and blue accents. Perfect for the July 4th parade or your general run-of-the-mill enthusiastically patriotic commute to work. - Update: SOLD
(ALSO! Works for patriotic Frenchies, FYI). Vive la France! Sacre Bleu! USA! USA! ‘MERICA!! etc. etc.
$350 SOLD!
Cannondale C300 16″ Step-through commuter bike @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Used Bike Update
Cannondale C300 16″ Step-through commuter bike.
A great, affordably priced Cannondale hybrid built in the US. Cannondale’s are known for being lightweight and this one is no exception. Geared to take on any hill you want to throw at it this upright positioned commuter bike will make a fine new partner for some lucky person who can appreciate it’s understated charms.
16″ fits 5’1″ – 5’5″.
$350. SOLD!
Custom rebuilt 17" Specialized Stumpjumper with Sparkle powdercoat @Pedal Revolution Custom Used Bikes Update
Custom rebuilt Specialized Stumpjumper with Sparkle powdercoat.
This beauty began it’s life as a high-end mountain bike but after a creative makeover from Pedal Revolution it’s transitioned into a great city bike. A mix of high end Shimano components matched to Panaracer Pasela touring tires, Soma Sutro stem and and Ahearne Map bar for a comfortable higher bar position, and Selle Italia saddle makes this a great all-around ride. The quick geometry makes it react with snappy turns and fast handling plus the added durability found in the classic mountain bike platform. A great do-it-all bike with an exceptional paint job.
17″ fits 5’5′-5’9″
$750.
1970 Chicago Built Schwinn "Racer" 57cm Perfect condition @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
1970 Chicago built Schwinn “Racer”. This bike is in pristine condition with newly replaced tires, brake pads, cables/housing, chain, and pedals. For Schwinn fans out there, this is a real gem.
57cm fits 5’8″ - 5’11”
SOLD!
Sekai "Solid Gold" Town and City Bike @Pedal Revolution Custom Used Bike Update
Sekai Townie Conversion. Japanese built lugged steel Sekai road frame got the Pedal Rev touch and was transformed into a classy more upright riding town and city bike. Full parts rebuild on this great pale gold frame set. Very light and quick for a tall bike.
62cm - fits 6’0″ - 6’3″
$695 SOLD!
Cannondale C400 Hybrid Commuter Bike @Pedal Revolution Custom Refurbished Bike Update
This is a great smaller sized Cannondale commuter bike. Rebuilt to have an upright riding position. This one has all the great characteristics of Cannondale bicycles; made in the USA and very lightweight!
13.5″ fits 4’10” - 5’2″
$425.