b_b's new bike built thread :D

[bad_brain]

yay, time for a 3rd bike!
after my fully custom XC race bike, and then the fatbike, I had the feeling that 1 bike type is missing: a fixie.
for those who don't know what a fixie is: it's a bike with a single gear where the cranks turn when the rear wheel turns, there's no freewheeling. you also have no brakes on the bike, the only way to brake is to block the cranks from spinning by using force on the pedals, that way the rear wheel blocks too.
it's a little dangerous at first until you get used to it, but it enables you to build a super-lightweight bike because you only need the really essential parts.

there are 2 main bike frame types that are used to build fixies:
- track frames, those are fixed bikes by nature anyway
- road bike frames, which needs some fiddling to convert them to fixed gear sometimes

I first thought about getting a new track bike frame, but I find that old road race steel frames have much more style, so I have been monitoring the classifieds for almost 2 months now...and yesterday I found a really nice offer: a 30 year old bike from Dawes, which is a british manufacturer (they still build bikes), for just 100 euro!

so today I got it, and here's how it looks:







of course pretty much everything has to go, and I basically will only use the frame, so I had to disassemble the bike...which turned out to be a pain in the rear because when assembling the bottom bracket and the cranks obviously no grease was used..
but with some help of my friendly next door bike shop owner it worked in the end, so here's the stripped frame:




at this opportunity the bottom bracket threads were recut too.

next on the list: pumping rust converter into the frame (there's a whole bunch of rust, but all just on the surface luckily), letting it drip out and dry inside, and then doing the same with body-cavity sealing...that way the frame will stay fine for a long time.
and then: surfing for some nice bike parts...

[bad_brain]

hmmm....I think I better replace the headset with a new one, the lower bearing isn't looking that good anymore...XD

[maboroshi]

This looks like a cool project

[bad_brain]

yeah, especially because it's very different from my other bikes....quite the exact opposite of my fatbike for example... and well, the standards for singlespeed/fixies bikes (the standards of the components I mean) are very different too, so it forces me to learn new stuff....which is always fun...

ordered the wheels today:

track wheels...

[ph0bYx]

Aww it's pink

[bad_brain]

nooo....the camera lens...is...broken...

oook...it IS partially pink... I think it'll look pretty cool in the end, because pretty much everything else will be chrome/polished silver....still looking for some parts, but ordered the crankset today already and mounted the new bottom bracket (which worked wonderfully smooth with the recut threads):

[ayu]

"(b_b's colorblindness): It's OBVIOUSLY camouflage green!"

Cool project : D.

[scatter]

come on b_b admit it we know it's pink

[bad_brain]

come on b_b admit it we know it's pink

I'll even do more than that...

all my bikes have names (given by me or by others), my XC race bike is named "metal girlfriend", my fatbike is named "Jabba"....and to honor the awesome pinkness I hereby name my fixie....*drumroll*....."Barbie".
there you go...

[Hiram]

for those who don't know what a fixie is: it's a bike with a single gear where the cranks turn when the rear wheel turns, there's no freewheeling. you also have no brakes on the bike, the only way to brake is to block the cranks from spinning by using force on the pedals, that way the rear wheel blocks too.

Just worried about the braking system.
Any plans to modify this or you're going to cope with it?

[scatter]

I'll even do more than that...

all my bikes have names (given by me or by others), my XC race bike is named "metal girlfriend", my fatbike is named "Jabba"....and to honor the awesome pinkness I hereby name my fixie....*drumroll*....."Barbie".
there you go...

hehe that's still great b_b I was just joking ^_^

[bad_brain]

Just worried about the braking system.
Any plans to modify this or you're going to cope with it?

nope, because that's how a "real" fixie is supposed to be: fixed gear, no brakes. many people ride them with a freewheeling hub and brakes, but that's kinda boring....and one of my goals is to make this bike as lightweight as possible too.
and well, of course I'll definitely spend some time practicing first in a safe spot (like a big parking lot or something) until I feel safe enough to jump into real traffic.

here's a video of one of the biggest illegal street races on fixies, as you can see it's well manageable to ride with no breaks and a fixed gear.
of course those guys are professional bike messengers and exceed my skill level by far...yet
[youtube][/youtube]

[bad_brain]

and one step further. saddle, seatpost and crankset arrived today...all very classic track bike parts.....







the wheels are the old ones and just act as placeholders until the new ones arrive.

and a quick note to myself:
don't do ANYTHING before you had your tea in the morning.
the postman rang me out of bed when delivering the package with the crankset, and OF COURSE I had to mount it instantly before really waking up and having some tea first. the result: drivetrain side of the crankset was on the left....which is the wrong side. so I had to rush to the bike shop to get a tool for pulling the cranks off the spindle again...

[bad_brain]

wheels arrived today...

was a bit of pain in the rear though, the tubes I had in stock didn't work because the valves were too short...so I went to the bike shop "across the street" and got 2 tubes with extra long valves. after a lot of fiddling to get the tubes on the rims I saw people on road bike forums recommending to use dish soap as lubricant...which worked pretty well.

so what's missing now is the last package with the pedals, chain, handlebar and handlebar tape...I am considering to mount a brake on the front wheel for the start though, just in case of emergency.

[Hiram]

...I am considering to mount a brake on the front wheel for the start though, just in case of emergency.

Good idea. My worry is over now.