Probably the first bike I actually love. I have some affection for the old, cranky Schwinn Continental which served me for the two years in which I caught the cycling bug, but the IRO Mark V is so much more fun. Thought I’d post my favourite photo, which I left off velospace because it isn’t so much a good shot of the bike as a good shot of one of my favourite spots in Chicago:
Since the frame is a little too big for me I never used the drops, so I’ve since swapped them for bullhorns, and installed a shorter stem. The result being:
The CETMA rack, which I had some intial doubts over due to its weight, has turned out, I think, to be an immensely practical choice. With a conventional rack I’d have to either use panniers or a rack top bag or install baskets, but with the large flat base of the CETMA I can strap anything on with my cargo net without any additional hardware.
Orange reflective tape bought for cheap off Ebay. Chicago Wig dingpad with reflective strip (much more reflective than the reflective tape). Foam tube protectors are actually pipe insulation from the local hardware store. SKS raceblade rear fender.
Most of the bike itself is stock IRO, except (as mentioned) the handlebars and stem, the pedals/clips, and the rear tyre. The Duro Hypersonic tyres that come with the stock IRO are complete crap. My front wheel survives with it, but that may have to do with the thorn-proof tube that I installed after it flatted on the Boulevard Lakefront Tour. After numerous flats on the rear wheel, one of which resulted in a 1cm gash in the rear tyre, I splashed out on a Vredestein Fortezza SE tyre, and haven’t had any flats since then. The completely unintentional orange and blue combination on the rear reminds me of the Dutch national colours. The pedals are MKS GR-9 platforms, which felt odd at first due to my many years with MTB-style pedals, but whose narrow profile I now like very much. Winwood toeclips and straps.
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