My New Bike...

I'd rock that in single speed form! Too many hills around here for a fixie..

PHeller wrote: that stem is so uncool, come on man, sacrifice comfort for the negative rise stem and bullhorns. i'm just playing, ride whatever you want, however you want, with whatever uncool stem you want.

Doesn't your face hurt when you go over bumps?

PHeller wrote: that stem is so uncool, come on man, sacrifice comfort for the negative rise stem and bullhorns.

LOL.

Tommy - the bike looks good. Neat mix of new bits and old bits.

What did you end up spending on it (money and hours)?

I spent about $250. I could have knocked about 20% off that price, but I splurged on expensive super-light triangular bars at the last minute. They were just sooo much more comfortable then normal ones.

I didn't keep track of hours, but it took three weeks from buying the frame to done. I spent a good bit of time planning it and finding parts. Assembling it took about 5 hours, but I had to make a quill seatpost, which added a lot of time.

Tommy I was more than motivated by your build. After hunting around half-az for about a year. The build pushed me over the top. I purchased a frame tonight to start the fixie build.

Now I need wheels. Where to start. Where to start? 27 inch or 700c? What is 700c?

Sorry to be a newbie on the fixie, but I am

700c is pretty much the common size for road bikes and track bikes now. Do what Tommy did and order a fixed gear wheel set off of eBay, you can get some good deals on there.

Tommy Suddard wrote: ...I had to make a quill seatpost...

Make one? How'd you go about that? I know what they are, just can't think of how I would make one that was safe.

vazbmw wrote: Now I need wheels. Where to start. Where to start? 27 inch or 700c? What is 700c?

27 inch was fairly common on bikes in the 1970s.

Everything from the mid-80s forward is more than likely a 700c.

Both numbers refer to the diameter of the tire, and not the bead seat diameter.

The 27 ends up a little bit larger than the 700c, so you cannot use a 27" wheelset on a 700c bike. But, you can use a 700c wheelset on a 27" bike IF AND ONLY IF you can fit brake calipers with a long enough reach (ie, you can move the pad low enough to work). Assuming the stock brakes don't work, you can find long reach brakes online for a reasonable price (<$50, maybe even <$25).

Go with 700c if you have a choice, as it's the most common road size these days and shops are more likely to have a decent selection of tires in stock.

As for sourcing wheels, what's the budget? Ebay is a decent source, as is bicyclewheelwarehouse.com, or any number of online shops. Of course, the local bike shop can probably supply something nice, but it will cost a bit more (but be well supported and hand-built).

CrackMonkey wrote:

Tommy Suddard wrote: ...I had to make a quill seatpost...

Make one? How'd you go about that? I know what they are, just can't think of how I would make one that was safe.

I put it on the lathe and drilled though the top, then I widened the top of the whole in order to recess the bolt. Then I cut the bottom of the tube off at an angle with a hacksaw, and got a long Allen bolt + threaded wedge at the bike shop.

Good advice. I see wheels similar to Tommy's on Ebay for $99 including tires and tubes I think I am there with those

vazbmw wrote: Good advice. I see wheels similar to Tommy's on Ebay for $99 including tires and tubes I think I am there with those

Oh, one more thing to check before you buy... The rear axle spacing differs between bikes (fronts are almost all the same)...

• 5 speed, track bikes and bmx are 120mm rear spacing.
• 6 and 7 speed (road) are 126mm
• 8, 9, and 10 speed (road) are 130mm
• most mtn bikes are 135mm

Most track-specific hubs will be 120mm. And many generic hubs have axles long enough that you can respace them. Easiest just to know what the frame is and buy accordingly - especially for a cheap/easy beater bike.

Good advice Mr CrackMonkey I might be selling the wheels that I already ordered I guess I will check now so that I know what I need to do

Thanks

Edit: Just measured and I am good to go. SWEET! Thanks again Mr CrackMonkey (I just like typing that)

I just learned how to skid on wet concrete. Does anybody have any tips on doing it on dry pavement?

Learn how to do it balls to stem first, then transfer the muscle memory to seated/near seated.

By now you figured out which foot is your strong foot, that one goes in front. When that foot gets in its frontmost position, right before the pedals go parallel to the ground, push backwards real hard with your weak foot and pull up real hard on the right foot. I've always found that it's really all about muscle memory, strength doesn't really play a part. Once you get good at that you can start trying to do it closer to the saddle, and then you try to do it with the opposite foot forwards, when you learn ambidextrious skidding you can stop FAST without using the handbrake.

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I thought it was time for a little update. The bike has been perfect so far, and I'm loving not having to shift. It's the quietest bike I've ever ridden, too. I've put about 325 miles on it so far. I also added a brake, just in case (although instead of a real lever, I put a mountain bike handle on it)

Oh, and I gave into PHeller's advice today. It actually seems more comfortable then my old setup.

This bike also motivated the King Dork to buy a bike. He found a 1990 Aluminum Trek 1000 for $200 on Craigslist.

Pedals in the 3 and 6:00 position. The key is coordinating pulling up hard on the pedal with the lead leg (need toe clips), pushing down hard with the trail leg and weight is shifted forward off the rear wheel.

The upward pull on the lead leg seems to be the key to not being ejected from the bike

Tommy Suddard wrote: I just learned how to skid on wet concrete. Does anybody have any tips on doing it on dry pavement?

back from the dead!

tommy, this thread has motivated me to throw some serious modernization at the early-'70s Mirella road bike i'm riding in the 200-mile Bike MS fundraiser in July. i'll start my own build thread soon. just wanted to say thanks for the inspiration. between you and ratghia, i think the next generation just might have a chance.

Thanks! I'll see it in person this summer, right?