help me put lipstick on a pig

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if so, do you think I should just grab this one off ebay?

it's clearly hideous but it's cheap as fuck and the measurements are right, and it's alloy so I might even save some weight!

>>1032299
Alloy will very easily seize in a steel frame making it a problem if she ever wants to sell it on or sit more upright or even get a better riding position.

>>1032300
no no, it's an alloy frame, but the old stem is steel, sorry for the confusion

do you think it could still seize if I clean the residual rust out of the steerer? I didn't think of it

>>1032298

if this is really about lipstick than get a 1" to 1 1/8 adpater and a a ahead stem.
it'll look way better

the grips are a good move

get here some thumbshifters

and if you're fancy a proper saddle , all my lady frinds dig the specialized riva (that's like 25 e)

if your super fance get a matching seatpost for the stem.

how do I do the opposite and make my decent commuter bike look more crappy so that local meth heads will look elsewhere?

>>1032349
Plasti dip it hot pink. The cool thing about plasti dip is if you apply it correctly you can peel it off.

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>>1032315
>get a 1" to 1 1/8 adpater and a a ahead stem.
>it'll look way better
>1" to 1 1/8 adpater
>look way better

said no one ever

>>1032354
My bike has a shabby pink paint job, so far it worked great as thief deterrent.

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>>1032298
I've got the same bike. Sure it isn't anyones dream bike but it does a good job.
In eight weeks I have ridden it 850km and I am even getting a bit attached to it.
I got the XL frame which is a bit too big so I put a shorter stem on and some brifters and mtb cleats.
If you are in ADL I can give you the original stem

>>1032486
I'm in Melbourne but thanks anyway, that's a really nice thought

the brifters and bottle cages make yours look pretty cool I have to admit. where did you get the cages?

>>1032497
$1 each on ebay

>>1032408

exept for everyone

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>>1032513
wat did u just say about quill stems

>>1032517

you heard me just right !

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>>1032315
>>1032513
>>1032554
>get a 1" to 1 1/8 adpater and a a ahead stem.
>it'll look way better

Every single one of these I've seen looks like a ghetto/homeless hack job. Show me one that looks decent.

>>1032580

yeah your right most are terrible.
but there are ones that aren't visible.
the headset plays a role in this also.

there's a guy here that rides a diamondback roady with an adapter that looks super nice

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>>1032580

>>1032597
Nice frame, bet it weighs a tonne though.

eey op post some before and current pics. I wanna see this beast born

>>1032597
Yeah no that's still ugly as fuck. And it has the wonderful disadvantage that now you can't adjust your headset without taking the whole stem off.

>>1032597
>spacer stack larger in diameter than the headtube
That just looks fucked mate.

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>>1032554

>>1032587
i think he has a 1" threadless fork

>>1032619
Why would you need to be constantly adjusting your headset? The only real reason to adjust your headset is to regrease and replace bearings.

Maybe your gf could use the drop bars if you put brifters on. I hated the stem shifters before I changed them. They were AUD$64 at AliExpress. Search for microshift 2x7 and filter by cheapest.

The front deraileur is a huge pain in the ass to adjust, it has a nut instead of hex key to clamp the cable. While you are changing gear shifters, install an inline barrel adjuster to make life easier later on. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/391537244952?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&var=660684106846&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

>>1032597
Is that 48cm frame?

>>1032882
part of the issue with the drops was that they were pretty enormous and made the bike's geometry too long for her overall

you got me thinking about shifters though. if this bike is only 14 speed (2x7) do you think a cheap pair of indexed thumb shifters would work on the flat bar?

>>1032298
This pic... for a second I thought this was a Condor bike. My heart skipped a bit.

>>1032916
Same here, the short stem helped a lot, but the bars are retarded. In my pic you can see the shoulders are parallel to the ground which puts the drop parallel to the downtube.

A compact bar with a 40mm reach will give me the best fit, but of course these bikes come with a 1 inch clamp and all modern bars need a 31.8mm clamp.

Indexed thumb shifters will work fine. I would go for Shimano ST-EF51 (3x7) - $22 on ebay, and force the front to 2 with the limiting screws.

Consider a switch to north road or mustache bars, as you won't need to replace the levers.

>>1032916
>you got me thinking about shifters though. if this bike is only 14 speed (2x7) do you think a cheap pair of indexed thumb shifters would work on the flat bar?

Yes.

And before you get too crazy with the stem, figure out where her hands need to be.