Fixed Gear Bikes

hacksterbator · Post by **hacksterbator** » 21 Jul 2008 19:23

i keep meaning to get pics of my whip, but i never get around to it because i'm too busy thrashing it. I'll probably get pics up of my most recent road rash before i get pics up of my frame. And yes, i'm following the tour jon. Did you see ferera bail??? Massive! I want a disc wheel!

jon · Post by **jon** » 21 Jul 2008 19:53

I'll take what everyone else is riding:

Anyone got $5 g's. I'm good for it, I swear.

Lol ...

2008 Mavic IO/Comete Track Wheelset

Weight: 1730.0g
$5,000.00

It's a rare pleasure to know the equipment you're riding is indisputably the very, very finest that money can buy. "Best" is almost always a debatable point -- but in this instance there is zero debate whatsoever. The Mavic iO/Comete wheelset is unquestionably the finest track wheelset money can buy. Most tantalizing, of course, is the carbon fiber iO front wheel. Mavic first designed it for use at the Atlanta Olympics, and it's won countless Olympic and World Championship medals since. Mavic spent hundreds of hours in the wind tunnel to better understand the factors that affect drag -- spokes, rims, hubs, tires -- and the overall design of the iO (most visible in its five asymmetric profiled spokes) is the manifestation of their knowledge.

The iO is available as a front wheel only, and the logical matching rear is Mavic's Comete Track disc wheel. Its symmetrical lenticular walls are shaped to reduce drag to an absolute minimum, while its unidirectional and honeycomb weave carbon fiber keep it nicely lightweight for rapid acceleration.

The iO and Comete Track are available for track use only. While you'll see the occasional rider in the Tour de France on an iO front wheel, those are prototypes different from the iO you see here(!) They come in 700c tubular only. The iO weights 750g, while the Comete Disc tips the scales at 980g. Both wheels come with fixing nuts, valve extenders, a bearing adjustment tool, and the disc comes with a cog lockring.

They even throw in a free lock ring

Too bad I stripped the rear hub on my first set of these.

quadgun · Post by **quadgun** » 21 Jul 2008 23:12

Some things I already want to do, change, or add on the bike ...
(in no particular order)
1- add a front brake
2- change my pedals ... some flat simple ones without toe clip thingies
3- change my seat ... the current one makes my ass hurt
4- change the handle bars to ones like mosher has on his .... this is a maybe
5- spray paint the spokes black
6- change out the rear cog to one with less teeth(?)
7- add a freewheel

The brake and pedal changes will most likely happen on friday when i get paid.

As for my first couple of rides ... I like fixed gear riding, I still have to get used to the whole not coasting. I also want to learn how to skid.

P.S.
Ill try getting some pics up tomorrow or the day after.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 22 Jul 2008 08:33

Here is some advice about your ideas:

1 - good call for a beginner
2 - DEFINITELY NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You use your feet to moderate everything and SAVE YOUR LIFE, so DO NOT take straps off! If anything, get better ones!
3 - def find a comfy one
4 - bars are personal preference, if you get the chance try out as many different ones as you can, they really affect what the bike feels like
5 - would probably look sketchy pretty quick, but you never know and you may not care
6 - less teeth will make it feel like a higher/harder gear, is this what you're after?
7 - I bet that after a week of fixed riding you'll never want to go back to a freewheel, so give that one some time and maybe save some money.

I like bikes!

brian relly · Post by **brian relly** » 22 Jul 2008 09:50

i just found out about an alley cat they're throwing right by my work this saturday afternoon. it starts at the bottom of this huuuge valley and the checkpoints are really spread out, so it should be pretty challenging. hopefully i can finish in time for work. stoked!

Edit: word to everything tom said. you'll never skid without decent straps

quadgun · Post by **quadgun** » 22 Jul 2008 10:48

So I had my first "longer" ride today ... 4.5 miles.
At around 3 miles ... i really started feeling it in my legs.

brian relly · Post by **brian relly** » 22 Jul 2008 23:00

it's hard to even appreciate the 'fixed feeling' until your going at least 20 miles consistently every day. then it's your life.

snafu1322 · Post by **snafu1322** » 24 Jul 2008 16:43

My fixed gear:
2008 Jamis Sputnik with no name risers, MKS staps, MKS Touring Pedals and MKS Cages. other than that it is stock.

I love this bike. The tubing is nice and light and forgiving since it is a steel bike. The carbon fork is a nice touch, Makes it ride very nice. I stripped the one side of the rear hun (formulas) even though it was cranked down, locked ringed and had lock tight on it. The wheels seem pretty true and nice for being a cheap wheel set (Formula Hubs with Alex CPX22 i belive). The bike fits me great and I will be riding it around Tacoma and Seattle the next 4 years so i will see how it deals with the rain. Over all i love the bike. No complaints at all really. If anyone is looking at going pre built for under 1000 the Sputnik is where it is at.

My BMX:
2003 (i think) S&M Dirtbike
I will list all the parts if someone wants me to i am just lazy right now.

jon · Post by **jon** » 10 Aug 2008 09:07

What does your sputnik weigh in at? 17/18 pounds? That frame looks huge how tall are you?

Encase you guys are interested (Track Schedule - taken from another forum):

Laoshan Velodrome. Laoshan, Shijingshan District, Beijing

2008 Summer Olympics Schedule - Track Cycling

Track Cycling Schedule
Date/Time Event
Aug 15 5:45 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Team Sprint - First round
Aug 15 5:45 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Team Sprint - Qualifying
Aug 15 6:40 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Team Sprint - Final heat for bronze
Aug 15 6:45 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Team Sprint - Final heat for gold
Aug 16 4:30 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit - First round
Aug 16 4:30 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit - Qualifying
Aug 16 4:50 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Keirin - First round
Aug 16 5:05 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit - First round
Aug 16 5:05 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit - Qualifying
Aug 16 5:25 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Keirin - First round repechage summary
Aug 16 5:25 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Keirin - First round repechage
Aug 16 5:40 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Points Race - Men's Points Race
Aug 16 6:30 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Keirin - Second round
Aug 16 6:50 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit - Final heat for bronze
Aug 16 6:55 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit - Final heat for gold
Aug 16 7:15 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Keirin - Final round heat 1-6
Aug 16 7:20 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Keirin - Final round 7-12
Aug 16 11:05 PM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Qualification round
Aug 16 11:20 PM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Qualification round
Aug 17 4:30 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - 1/16 final
Aug 17 4:50 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - 1/16 final repechage summary
Aug 17 5:05 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit - Final heat for bronze
Aug 17 5:10 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit - Final heat for gold
Aug 17 5:15 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - 1/8 final
Aug 17 5:25 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - 1/8 final repechage summary
Aug 17 5:45 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - 1/8 final repechage summary
Aug 17 6:15 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Team Pursuit - Qualifying
Aug 17 6:15 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Team Pursuit - First round
Aug 18 4:30 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Points Race - Women's Points Race
Aug 18 5:05 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Quarterfinal heat 1
Aug 18 5:20 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Quarterfinal heat 1
Aug 18 5:45 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Quarterfinal heat 2
Aug 18 6:00 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Quarterfinal heat 2
Aug 18 6:15 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Team Pursuit - Final heat for bronze
Aug 18 6:20 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Team Pursuit - Final heat for gold
Aug 18 6:30 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Quarterfinal heat 3
Aug 18 6:40 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Quarterfinal heat 3
Aug 19 4:30 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Semifinal heat 1
Aug 19 4:40 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Semifinal heat 1
Aug 19 4:50 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Final heat for place 9-12
Aug 19 4:55 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Semifinal heat 2
Aug 19 5:05 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Semifinal heat 2
Aug 19 5:15 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Final heat for place 9-12
Aug 19 5:20 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Semifinal heat 3
Aug 19 5:25 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Semifinal heat 3
Aug 19 5:30 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Madison - Madison
Aug 19 6:30 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Final for bronze heat 1
Aug 19 6:35 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Final for gold heat 1
Aug 19 6:35 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Final for bronze heat 3
Aug 19 6:40 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Final for gold heat 1
Aug 19 6:45 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Final heat for place 5-8
Aug 19 6:50 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Final heat for place 5-8
Aug 19 7:00 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Points Race - Final for gold heat 2
Aug 19 7:00 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Final for gold heat 3
Aug 19 7:05 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Final for bronze heat 2
Aug 19 7:10 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Final for bronze heat 1
Aug 19 7:10 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Final for gold heat 2
Aug 19 7:10 AM ET Track Cycling - Men's Sprint - Final for gold heat 3
Aug 19 7:25 AM ET Track Cycling - Women's Sprint - Final for bronze heat 3

Outside the velodrome - amazing

jon · Post by **jon** » 10 Aug 2008 10:33

Damn I want this bike - http://www.jamisbikes.com/canada/bikes/ ... ile29.html

snafu1322 · Post by **snafu1322** » 10 Aug 2008 10:44

It is a 62cm and about 18 or 19 pounds.

I am 6'6" haha.

jon · Post by **jon** » 10 Aug 2008 14:45

(orginally posted on a bike forum, reposted here, will take pretty pictures later

)

My build is finally (well almost) done. It's a really rainy day here today so I thought I would post a few quick pictures of the bike and also write down some thoughts on the process I went through building up my first bike.

First off the specs:

52 cm Green Bareknuckle Frame (only frame left in my size from EAI when I purchased it)
Thomson 100 mm X2 stem.
Thomson elite setback post
Profile T2 42 cm Bullhorns
Selle Regal Saddle
Truvativ Omnium Track Crankset 165 mm
Truvativ GXP BB
KMC K710SL Chain
15 tooth DA cog soon to be replaced by an 18 tooth cog (lbs ordered the wrong one so using my old cog)
Cane Creek Solo Headset
MKS Gr-9 pedals
Dimension Double Straps with Toshi Buttons
Cinelli Gel Cork Tape
Velocity Fusion Non-machined rims laced to HF Formula Hubs

Still have to change the cog, might blacken the steerer tube, have a reload pad on the way, and have some mks alu chain tensioners to throw on (which for some reason didn't seem to fit with the current cog but hopefully will fit with the new cog)

The blue tires are from my old bike. I know it might look a bit tacky/tarcky but less than I expected. I wasn't about to replace perfectly good tires because of color. I will wait till they wear down and replace them with black tires.

It built up to 19.02 pounds.

Pics:

-----

So as a newbie bike builder I learned a lot. I thought I should share what I learned in case anyone else out there is going through the same thing and can learn from my experiences.

Building up a bike is expensive! The wheels/seat/pedals I had but everything else had to be bought. I planned out how much it would cost and still went over what I had planned. However, there is something about picking all the parts that made the build special.

Actually buying the parts can be difficult. As a Canadian I had to do a lot of my shopping via mail across the boarder. I ended up ordering parts from Ottawa and Cambridge (Ontario, Canada), California, Milwaukee, where ever Performance bikes is, and Niagara Falls USA. The service I got from most shops was pretty bad. It was a struggle to get people on the phone, to answer emails, to basically just sell my products. The key was patience and lots of phone calls. I also learned not to trust a shop when they said they were ordering parts for me. I also learned that with most shops to expect to wait a long time for things to actually arrive at my door from the time they were first ordered. I started ordering parts at the beginning of July and the bike was just built up last week.

I learned what facing and chasing were. I have been on this forum for over a year and only learned about chasing and facing the week I ordered the frame. I think its probably really important for any new frame and I surprised I didn't know of it sooner.

I learned that the little buttons on the end of toe straps didn't just come with toshi straps but could be bough separately. I liked the way they looked and for me they are purely aesthetic. They way I have them set up on my bike makes no functional sense as I have my strap ends tucked in. I think they look cool and truth be told I never adjust my straps (I bet there is a collective groan being uttered by many reading that last statement). I wear the same shoes every time I bike and have them set so they are snug to those shoes. I know that this is not the way the straps are meant to be used but I like them this way and I like the way the buttons look.

I didn't know about setback seats before this build. The set back was recommended to me by a lbs.

Before I put down the money to order the frame (no shop in town would order one for me) I went to a lbs and got measured up. This gave me a lot more confidence that I was ordered the right size. Using the online calculators was not a substitute for a knowledge real life person.

Going to a trusted shop to have the bike build up (steerer cut etc. was important). I went to the same guy that measured me before I ordered the frame and got him to fit me properly on the bike as to get the stem height adjusted correctly.

Just because something is carbon fiber doesn't make it any better. It is also not always lighter.

People on the bike forum get upset if valve stems are not lined up with tire labels and get upset about other people's toe straps.

Toe Overlap is gonna take a bit to get used to.

The flat oval shape on the top of these bullhorns is nice.

I know I wanted a track frame and that is what I got. I wanted something fun and different than my conversion that I had been riding for a year. Knowing what you want can be the hardest thing. I struggled between getting track geo or road. I am happy with my choice.

Researching and asking for advice on parts lead to me spending much more than I had planned. Everyone has a different opinion of what is best. It is easy to get caught up with names. That said I am glad I saved money by not getting a sugino 75 crankset, I think the crankset I got is fine.

People on the bike forums can be really helpful esp over pm'ing. In the same way finding a good LBS is probably one of the most important things one can do as a person putting together their first bike.

I learned a lot and had a lot of fun doing this project. However, unexpectedly I already know the next bike I want just a few days after finishing this bike. Bikes are addictive.

Nathan · Post by **Nathan** » 10 Aug 2008 15:06

Is it safe to have that much of the steerer tube showing without spacers on it? I was told that spacers are a must, especially on a fixed gear where you are putting weight on the bars to skid.

snafu1322 · Post by **snafu1322** » 10 Aug 2008 15:16

I may be wrong but those look like carbon fiber spacers.

And spacers are always a must or your headset will suffer problems.

Anyways, Very Nice build, I dig the frame color.

jon · Post by **jon** » 10 Aug 2008 15:40

Ya you can see the steerer tube between the stem. Below the stem are about 3 cm of carbon fiber spacers.

Nathan · Post by **Nathan** » 10 Aug 2008 17:32

Ok I thought maybe that was the carbon fiber of the steerer itself. cool

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 10 Aug 2008 20:58

Slick looking bike Jon!

It's great to see all your hard work finally winding up as a sweet thing you can rip around on.

haha though it killed me how the that was! You had sooo many basic typos and it made my OCD go crazy! Also, the pedal pic doesn't show your buttons, I wanted to see how they wound up looking.

I am sure you will really enjoy this bike for a long time, it looks like a very solid build and I know you will treat it so nice.

have fun!

jon · Post by **jon** » 11 Aug 2008 07:48

thanks tom

sorry about my typing/spelling mistakes, I have a feeling it will never really improve :p

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 13 Aug 2008 22:15

xXLoss_of_ControlXx · Post by **xXLoss_of_ControlXx** » 26 Aug 2008 19:22

my friend trashed his bike so i just gotta new wheelset, but i might have to give it back if he gets a new frame. Its gotta flipflop hub but when i tried putting it on my bike the chain doesnt fit. I'm not too sure how to explain this but the holes in the chain are too far apart to fit on the teeth. What do i do? Get a new chain? does this mean I need to get a new chainring too? i'll post a pic tomorrow if i remember.