I built this from the wheels up in one day at the local bike co-op. The only frames they had in my size was this Raleigh or a Fuji. The Raleigh had some character and the Fuji frame was a little too beat. All of the parts came from the co-op's various donor bikes, except for the wheels and tires. I wanted to go with double-walled rims and some really thick Kenda Kwest road tires because the city bus drivers either don't like cyclists or they have some anger management issues, and I have to occasionally jump a curb to get out of their way.
I call this bike "The Cat's Meow" because when I rode it home, two cats from my apartment complex were getting it on in the patio. The next day they were sleeping it off on the hood of my truck so I guess it was good for the both of them.
The first pic features a Kryptonite U-lock/chain combo I'm testing out on the handlebars for a different build. The two locks weigh as much the entire bike, but it also makes the bike real easy to walk. With fixed gears the pedals move when the bike does, so you can't walk the bike as easily as you do a cruiser by grabbing it by the handlebars with one hand and the seat with the other. If you do that with a fixie, the pedals hit your legs as you move. So with this Kryptonite set up, you just grab the top of the U-lock with one hand, which puts you a couple of feet in front of the pedals while walking and away you go.
It's got some nice lug work, as the old Raleighs normally do.........
Below is a pic without the lock combo. I do a lot of night riding because the smog is much lower in the downtown area during that time, so I bought two lights for the front. The original idea was to have one flashing to alert the drivers and one steady for me to see with, but the sight of two small lights close together seems unusual enough to get the attention of oncoming drivers. In as much as you want to be facing oncoming drivers when you ride at night, I strongly recommend this idea.
I might have to check the co-op for smaller cranks. These are 170 mm and I already had a pedal scrape the curb when weaving in and out of traffic. Thats the trick with fixed gear, you can't keep the pedal up when close to the curb or during a sharp turn
The final looksee
Overall, I'm real happy with the fixed gear. I had always seen them or read about them and wanted to try it out, and I'm glad I did. It's just another way to learn about bikes and enjoy riding them. Here's the pro and cons I've encountered with the genre:
Con:
1) Much like the average commuter bike, they don't have much to distinguish them. I guess that's why the fixed gear hipster crowd dresses them up with such combinations of bright and wild colors, unnecessarily padded top bars, etc.
2) With only one gear it's really only suited for flat ground.
3) You have to keep vigilant and maintain awareness of your surroundings, it's not quite as relaxing as a single speed cruiser ride. It can still be as much fun, it's just different.
4) Starting from a dead stop can be tough if the gearing is high and your pedals are in the wrong spot.
5) You might be mistaken for a hipster.
Pro:
1) Affordability. If you have an old ten speed in your collection, you have all you need to make a fixed gear bike. For nothing but a few hour's time you can have a fixie (provided you have a lock ring for the hub or some JB Weld to pour into the hub).
2) Extremely light weight. If you're like me and only worked on cruisers before, then it's shockingly light weight.
3) I won't say it's made me a better person or a more polished bike rider like you hear about in other bike forums, but I would agree that there is a better and more "connected" feel to it. If you like the feel of a skiptooth chain, you'll like the feel of a fixie.
4) It is super quiet and super smooth.
5) I will be putting a front hand brake on mine because it's insane to not have a front brake when riding in the city, but the smooth control of braking with your legs is really nice. Because of the physics involved it's simply not as efficient as a front hand brake, but as an option, leg braking is great provided you only want a gradual and minor adjustment in speed. You certainly don't want it to be the only option for a quick stop.
6) It is easy to learn and isn't nearly as physically taxing as some people say.
7) The neighborhood cats seem to dig it. The ones in my apartment complex, anyway...
And finally, #8) Track stands-the ability to remain in one spot moving neither forward or backward by minute adjustments in wheel and pedal direction. If I'm having trouble sleeping one night I'll take it out on the sidewalks around 2 am when all the drunks are driving home and I'll do a near track stand where I pedal super slow, about half the speed of the average person walking, and then wave to the drunks in slow motion and silently mouth the words "H.....E.....L.....L.....O.....", which is good for a laugh.
I call this bike "The Cat's Meow" because when I rode it home, two cats from my apartment complex were getting it on in the patio. The next day they were sleeping it off on the hood of my truck so I guess it was good for the both of them.
The first pic features a Kryptonite U-lock/chain combo I'm testing out on the handlebars for a different build. The two locks weigh as much the entire bike, but it also makes the bike real easy to walk. With fixed gears the pedals move when the bike does, so you can't walk the bike as easily as you do a cruiser by grabbing it by the handlebars with one hand and the seat with the other. If you do that with a fixie, the pedals hit your legs as you move. So with this Kryptonite set up, you just grab the top of the U-lock with one hand, which puts you a couple of feet in front of the pedals while walking and away you go.
It's got some nice lug work, as the old Raleighs normally do.........
Below is a pic without the lock combo. I do a lot of night riding because the smog is much lower in the downtown area during that time, so I bought two lights for the front. The original idea was to have one flashing to alert the drivers and one steady for me to see with, but the sight of two small lights close together seems unusual enough to get the attention of oncoming drivers. In as much as you want to be facing oncoming drivers when you ride at night, I strongly recommend this idea.
I might have to check the co-op for smaller cranks. These are 170 mm and I already had a pedal scrape the curb when weaving in and out of traffic. Thats the trick with fixed gear, you can't keep the pedal up when close to the curb or during a sharp turn
The final looksee
Overall, I'm real happy with the fixed gear. I had always seen them or read about them and wanted to try it out, and I'm glad I did. It's just another way to learn about bikes and enjoy riding them. Here's the pro and cons I've encountered with the genre:
Con:
1) Much like the average commuter bike, they don't have much to distinguish them. I guess that's why the fixed gear hipster crowd dresses them up with such combinations of bright and wild colors, unnecessarily padded top bars, etc.
2) With only one gear it's really only suited for flat ground.
3) You have to keep vigilant and maintain awareness of your surroundings, it's not quite as relaxing as a single speed cruiser ride. It can still be as much fun, it's just different.
4) Starting from a dead stop can be tough if the gearing is high and your pedals are in the wrong spot.
5) You might be mistaken for a hipster.
Pro:
1) Affordability. If you have an old ten speed in your collection, you have all you need to make a fixed gear bike. For nothing but a few hour's time you can have a fixie (provided you have a lock ring for the hub or some JB Weld to pour into the hub).
2) Extremely light weight. If you're like me and only worked on cruisers before, then it's shockingly light weight.
3) I won't say it's made me a better person or a more polished bike rider like you hear about in other bike forums, but I would agree that there is a better and more "connected" feel to it. If you like the feel of a skiptooth chain, you'll like the feel of a fixie.
4) It is super quiet and super smooth.
5) I will be putting a front hand brake on mine because it's insane to not have a front brake when riding in the city, but the smooth control of braking with your legs is really nice. Because of the physics involved it's simply not as efficient as a front hand brake, but as an option, leg braking is great provided you only want a gradual and minor adjustment in speed. You certainly don't want it to be the only option for a quick stop.
6) It is easy to learn and isn't nearly as physically taxing as some people say.
7) The neighborhood cats seem to dig it. The ones in my apartment complex, anyway...
And finally, #8) Track stands-the ability to remain in one spot moving neither forward or backward by minute adjustments in wheel and pedal direction. If I'm having trouble sleeping one night I'll take it out on the sidewalks around 2 am when all the drunks are driving home and I'll do a near track stand where I pedal super slow, about half the speed of the average person walking, and then wave to the drunks in slow motion and silently mouth the words "H.....E.....L.....L.....O.....", which is good for a laugh.
