I bought this off of Craigslist for $50 as my last ditch attempt to build up a cheap used bike with a frame the size I needed. Nice, but in the end, still too small. Since I switched from the Brooks saddle I had on when this picture was taken to the Velo Plush that came on my Long Haul Trucker, which has longer rails for more adjustment in moving the seat backward, this bike fits ever so slightly better. Not a bad bike except for the drivetrain which is starting to get a little sloppy, and the uber-cruddy headset missing the bottom dust cap and top spacer ring which needs replacing. After this picture was taken I added a set of Planet Bike Freddy Full Fenders in an oh-so-subtle shade of bright yellow for cruising around in near monsoon conditions.
As time went on and the fit of this bike started to bug me more, the headset that was never right from the beginning started to get ‘dangerously’ loose. It was the death knell for a bike that never felt right from the beginning. When I decided to reincarnate the Giant as a 7 speed, I stole parts off of it left and right. (fenders, brakes, levers, handlebars, shifter, rack, deraileur, cranks… ) In the end, I did end up replacing the headset, but only so I could have practice installing one on a frame that I didn’t care if I ruined. It was a good experience, and I broke even when I sold the frame with the new headset installed.
It was good for a couple hundred miles and 2 winters of spinning on the trainer in the basement, but it was time for it to move on to someone who it will be a better fit for.
