Last summer I toured in Europe for a month on a Diamant 136 that I bought new for $850 in Austria. The bike was a good value, and I like riding it. It fits me very comfortably. Frame angles, reach and stack are basically the same as a Salsa Fargo, except the 136 has very long chainstays. Which I love, it's very stable and damp in the back because of the longer tubes, and it settles in under a touring load nicely, almost riding better loaded.
The bike is purple and ugly. Upon seeing it my daughter and her friend immediately named it Barney after the purple dinosaur, and not particularly as a tribute but more of a mean girl nickname.
I like that Barney is ugly and dorky. Barney doesn't stand out and scream steal me like my absolutely beautiful fuchsia pink blinged out Salsa Cutthroat does. It is certainly a stealable bike in Europe, but it doesn't draw the eye, and it doesn't necessarily out compete other bikes around it.
I want to get Barney a new wheelset. The wheels that came with it are not awful. Cheapest Shimano Dyno hub, lowest level road hub in back, 32 straight gauge spokes, heavy non tubeless 19mm wide rims. They roll but they don't roll so nice. Set weighs something like $2,900 grams.
I don't need the Dyno hub for summer touring. Without it I'd be able to pull off the associated headlight and tail light. It feels like a dyno hub and the associated lights could be fairly tempting anyway to the European bike thief. Also, I'd like to be able to run tubeless if not for touring then when I ride the bike is my around town commuter.
New wheelset, yes? Nothing fancy, seems like a good upgrade? But I'm trying to keep the bike from looking expensive or being eye-catching. Think I can pull it off without primping up the look of the bike too much?
The bike is purple and ugly. Upon seeing it my daughter and her friend immediately named it Barney after the purple dinosaur, and not particularly as a tribute but more of a mean girl nickname.
I like that Barney is ugly and dorky. Barney doesn't stand out and scream steal me like my absolutely beautiful fuchsia pink blinged out Salsa Cutthroat does. It is certainly a stealable bike in Europe, but it doesn't draw the eye, and it doesn't necessarily out compete other bikes around it.
I want to get Barney a new wheelset. The wheels that came with it are not awful. Cheapest Shimano Dyno hub, lowest level road hub in back, 32 straight gauge spokes, heavy non tubeless 19mm wide rims. They roll but they don't roll so nice. Set weighs something like $2,900 grams.
I don't need the Dyno hub for summer touring. Without it I'd be able to pull off the associated headlight and tail light. It feels like a dyno hub and the associated lights could be fairly tempting anyway to the European bike thief. Also, I'd like to be able to run tubeless if not for touring then when I ride the bike is my around town commuter.
New wheelset, yes? Nothing fancy, seems like a good upgrade? But I'm trying to keep the bike from looking expensive or being eye-catching. Think I can pull it off without primping up the look of the bike too much?