SuperCycle road/commuter hybrid
by Steve ~ August 27th, 2007. Filed under: Other people's bikes.Contributed by EthanC
I originally came to your site after searching for good information about replacing cone bearing bottom brackets with cartridge type BBs. As it turns out, I ride a Supercycle Medallist Road Bike that I bought at CT last summer for $170. I promptly put another $120 into it, replacing the traditional turned down road handlebars for more commuter friendly flat bars. This meant new brake levers and handgrips as well, but the gripshift-style shifters that inexplicably come with the bike slid on without even having to adjust the cabling. The frame, from my limited knowledge, is a good one. It is made of aluminium and handles my large size (250+ lbs, 6′) well. I’ve put 1500-2000 kms on at this point. Aside from replacing the BB, the only parts I’m thinking of replacing are the brakes. It comes with rather antiquated single pivot brakes that have been reliable, but are heavy, difficult to adjust and provide limited braking power. I’m thinking of replacing them with these. The derailleurs are Shimano, and have worked will, aside from needing seemingly continual adjustment.
I’d happily drop $1000 for a bike, if I thought it made sense. I live in a city and commute to work and to University, and the chances of an expensive bike being stolen are quite high. The additional cost and thus risk of more expensive parts isn’t offset sufficiently by the increased performance or reliability I might receive. Anyway, good to know that they are people thinking along the same lines as myself. Let me know if you’d like a picture or more information.
P.S. I’m intrigued by the idea of in-hub gearing systems, like the Shimano Nexus. They’re up to 8 gears now, which is certainly enough for anything I’m doing. They are super reliable, and can also include a roller brake, coaster brake, or a dynamo for powering lights, internally.
Ethan
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SuperCycle SC1800 Girl and Boy Versions
August 27th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
I actually looked at one of these when they went on sale, but I wasn’t sure it would be rugged enough to handle my commute. It turns out that the SC1800 wasn’t rugged enough, either!
August 29th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I have a Nexus 8-speed rear hub on a bike. They aren’t cheap…I took a 1984 Schwinn bike and converted it to the Nexus, including the front dynamo hub, and by the time I was done the only thing left from the original bike was the steel in the frame. It defeats the purpose of buying a cheapo used bike in the first place, but it is kind of fun and, as one of my friends says when I wonder just how much I’ve squandered on this machine, don’t think about it! Anyway, very brave of you to ride a heap and blog about it so we can all suffer along.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Sometimes it’s fun to mix and match, take apart and put together again. There’s a lot less risk when you do that with a cheap bike.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:50 am
How does the grip shift feel on the bike? I actually got one myself and am…kinda impressed with it so far. For a cheap road bike I have had little problems *for now*, but the grip shift still takes a lot of getting used to.
September 5th, 2007 at 2:13 am
I got mine in early July on sale for $199. Right away it needed adjustments to the brakes and gears. It’s pretty adequate for a commuter bike. I ride it almost daily to work which is a 25KM round trip and the occasional trip to Vaughan which is 40KM. Only problem I had with it was a rear flat which you can expect from any road bike. I think it would make an excellent training bike due to it’s heavy weight of 30 lbs. Hop on a pro bike race day which weighs almost have as much and you are flying!
September 17th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
The shifters have proven to be very good. Recently, I have had trouble with the cones on the rear wheel and the derailleurs have to be adjusted constantly. They seem to be affected by changes in the weather, which seems ridiculous. This winter they will be replaced by a Nexus internal 8-speed hub.
October 1st, 2007 at 9:16 am
[...] SuperCycle road/commuter hybrid [...]
February 26th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Stay away from the Nexus internal 8-speed hub. They require no maintenance but when they break few bike mechanics can fix them. I had this system on my commuter bike which last 2 years - about 4000 miles. Also even fixing a puncture on a bike with this system is more complex!