Tracksman IFG** Pics/Detailed parts list on page 3. =P

[Bicycle808]

Well, dangit Jake... you bumped me up to page #1, before I'd even earned it. I guess I better throw Something up to justify page 1 status.

I haven't done much, beyond ordering some bits and filing some stuff. The real "fun" won't begin til I buy spokes and build the wheels, plus I wanna powder this piglet and I gotta find time/money to drag'r down to the powdercoater's....

So, got the chainguard nubs all filed down....

I got overzealous with the file; I'm pretty good at tuning stuff, mechanically, but I'm a hamfisted maniac when it comes to making things look pretty and other finesse jobs....downtube....

seattube...

chainstay...

I kinda notched things up a bit in my zeal, and it's a crying shame, but the worst of it will be covered up anyway, by powder and other frame-dressin'... Special "thanks" to my main man Harry for sorting me out with proper tools/ expertise/ advice/ hard labor, etc.....

I also had a bit of an ordeal today b/c I'd had some xxxtra-special "doodads" (as the kids're callin' them) on order and when I checked up on the tracking number, it said that my doodads had been left by the OOPS-PS man on the front stoop on Friday. This was, of course, Monday, so I knew that something was awry. I investigated, and the purveyor of bike doodads, whom I hadn't ordered anything from since like 2010, still had my old address on file. So, after work, I had to ride the extra 2 miles or whatever to collect my package from my old address. I expected that I'd have to knock and ask either my erstwhile landlord or my old neighbors if they'd received a package for me, but the thing was still on the front step... on a busy street in a half-shady neighborhood, all weekend. Restored my faith in humanity.

So, I got the package home and opened it up and I liked the l'il geegaws they'd sent me (even though I'd specifically ordered doodads). Here's a picture of the box:

(and some weird tape...again....)

I was gonna show y'all the box's contents, but I'm thinking I'll keep it shrouded in mystery for a minute, so I'll just offer up this video clip as a hint:


Since the build is stalled til I get spokes and/or powder, I'll prolly finally swap axles on my other hub and show gratuitously boring close-ups of the hubs, or else I'll give an in-depth tutorial on what a madman's cruiser-friendly franken-track "gruppo" looks like... sometime later this week.... Been riding and working (and riding to work) too much to be taking a lot of pictures....

 

[Bicycle808]

PS- I see that "Mebbe" has taken a commanding lead in the poll, which I think is fitting for this build so far, plus it'll help build suspense and keep everyone sitting on the edge of their seats, biting their fingernails and bristling with anticipation.

I'm thinking of changing the name of the build, but not drastically. Same basic annoying format, but switch it up some, like Tracksman IFG or something along those lines. I'd also been considering changing the main color of the frame/fork from white to orange, partly b/c I think it'd be a fine sell-out/poser maneuver to make it look like a fake flat-tracker or somesuch:

... and partly because I think I'm about to buy a different white bicycle frame for some other project and while I don't mind having too many orange bikes, I don't wanna have too many white bikes....

So, yeah, just so you know: I'm not claiming both white w/white&black checks and orange with white/black checks or anything as "my idea", but if someone else builds a bike for BO9 with either of those schemes, it's not b/c I ripped you off. It's b/c I drug my feet on finishing this thing. So, "sorry"....

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Doodads and Geegaws maketh the bike!

Luke.

 

[Uncle Fide]

Nice box!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bicycle808]

Nice box!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks..So far, it's the finest box in the build-off... at least til the truck guys start bolting better boxes to the fronts of their bikes....

 

[Bicycle808]

Update: Changed the name, semi-officially. "Tracksman IFG"--- Tracksman like a tracked-out Worksman, IFG is to INB as Idiot Fixed Gear is to Industrial News Boy. Deal with it.

So, I messed around with one of the hubs yesterday, to make a front disc hub into a rough-n-ready rear hub with a fixed cog. I used the Shimano m756 b/c the guts are all 10mm (more powerful for all the torque and fat-azzedness that a rear hub axle needs to contend with) and it has the standard 6-bolt disc interface, to accept a cog without any adaptors. Here's the hub parts pile:

Bought the m5 bolts for the cog at the local hardware; bought slightly longer than I needed, so I can move chainline out a little bit using washers, if necessary. Also pictured: the m756 hub, the TomiCog, a solid chromoly 10x1mm axle, nuts w/captured washers, a 10mm spacer, and Lucas Xtra Heavy Duty bearing grease. I put it all on a big ol' envelope, for better visibility b/c I'm a gentleman, guldangit.

Here's a pic of the bolt-side of the hub; I pried the rubber dust cover off with a flat head, and you can see the slightly oversized innards of the hub:

Notice the clearish Shimano grease on there; that's good stuff.... but I brought the Lucas for back-up b/c things were bound to get weird.

Here's a pic of a cone, still slimy with Shimano grease, going onto the 10mm solid axle. Most quick-release front hubs take 9mm axles. 10mm=more fat=more betterer.

Below is the 10mm axle spacer, getting installed. A regular quick-release disc hub is 100mm wide at the jam-nuts; a Worksman INB , I mean Fixman ITB, or actually Tracksman IFG is spaced at 110mm at the dropouts, for a regular coaster hub. So, I grabbed the 10mm spacer b/c I needed something in there to do a thorough job for this unsolicited tutorial, plus we all know it'd be awesome if I could build the rear wheel with zero dish. However, even before I tightened anything down, I already knew in my heart/guts that the chainline would be too far right....

Here we have a close-up of the beautiful Lucas XHD grease. I didn't use a ton, but I greased the cones, jam-nuts, and cog-bolts with it. I would normally put some blue Loctite on the cog-bolts, but I'll soon be removing this cog when I lace the wheel, so I held off. The grease:

The Lucas stuff is really good; it's more teal than green, although it looks pretty froggy-green in the above pic. I'm reasonably sure that this is the exact same formula as the stuff that Park sells as "Poly-Lube".

Here's the cog installed:

Hub looks pretty cool in my opinion:

Hub slipped right into the frame; looks tougher than the average fixed rear-end, but my suspicions were well-founded:

The cog and bolts clear the frame and it spins freely, but the cog is definitely too far right.

I'm going to need to build it with the same dish as the front wheel; use 5mm of spacers on either side. I compared the above set-up to a Velosteel coaster hub, and it looks like 5mm to the left'll do it, and I can always use washers to fine-tune it.

Stay tuned for a painfully lackluster in-depth review of an Idiot Fixed Gear "gruppo", with pics and excessive details on esoteric specs of cheap parts.

-Rob

 

[jasper87]

Tasty indeed

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Cool looking hub.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Great envelope!

Luke.

 

[Bicycle808]

Great envelope!

Luke.

Think so? I was planning to switch it out for a better one before August 1st. I wanna find a more patinated envelope.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Think so? I was planning to switch it out for a better one before August 1st. I wanna find a more patinated envelope.

Have you thought about fake patina? Maybe sand it in some key areas, some steel wool, rub it down with used sump oil... A couple of used stamps for interest?

Luke.

 

[Bicycle808]

I hear what you're saying, Luke, but you can't beat the beauty of an authentic, well-used vintage envelope. Check out this gem I scored at work, that I'm using on one of my other Worksman builds....

Now that's legit patina. Months' worth of old recipients' names, including Lakisha.... A lot of Sharpie scribbles in multiple colors, several mailing labels, etc. I'm hoping to find a dirtier one for the Tracksman project....

 

[Bicycle808]

PS- I've gotten hundreds of views, but only 13 votes. Let's get some more predictions here, ppl.... Don't worry; I got thick skin.... I can handle more "nope" and "mebbe" votes....

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Now that's legit patina. Months' worth of old recipients' names, including Lakisha.... A lot of Sharpie scribbles in multiple colors, several mailing labels, etc. I'm hoping to find a dirtier one for the Tracksman project....

That is a true survivor, I bet it could tell some stories!
(I already voted maybe... Before any pics you understand...)

Luke.

 

[Bicycle808]

Yes, your vote was muchly appreciated, Luke. I'm sure all these envelopes and boxes are making you wish you could change your vote....to "nope". But, it's like the old saying here in the States: Vote Early, Vote Often....

You could set up a 2nd fake account to cast another vote; you wouldn't be the first.

 

[Bicycle808]

Well, it's Saturday, so I will have to do something with this today, even if it's just mocking stuff up to dial-in chainline or whatever. I'm taking a 5 minute break now from the grind; been doing household chores and makin' soap all day, plus the work phone keeps ringing/buzzing with calls/texts from pesky subordinates. But I'll have to toss some pics of the build on here; I've received strict instructions to stay off page 3....

In other news, the guy at the LBS is apparently opening a small-scale powder-coating firm one town over. I'm amped about this, as I'd like to support him regardless, but there's a chance he'd let me do a hands-on frame job.... (I used to work there, and I still spend a fair amount of time in the back room of the bike shop, so I feel comfortable asking him.... I'd also totally understand if he couldn't oblige....)I'm gonna ask him this weekend. I think that'd rule the school.... Make for better photo ops than even the coolest boxes and envelopes.

 

[Kroozerdave]

Now that sounds like a good business idea, one that supports the LBS primary one and may even bring more business in for parts etc. on frames that are powder coated.

 

[Bicycle808]

Now that sounds like a good business idea, one that supports the LBS primary one and may even bring more business in for parts etc. on frames that are powder coated.

Yeah, Pasquale has been talking about this for ages, and it'd always been a "some day" type of plan.... Something he talked abut doing some day. Now, he's talking about July. Yeah....

Definitely gonna create synergy between the lbs and finishing biz, plus maybe more $$ coming from work on cars and motos. If he got the rig and location cheap, he's sure to profit.

 

[Bicycle808]

Fake updates.... I just dropped the frameset off at the shop for powder this past Friday. Went with white; I almost went with orange, but decided to stick to my uns. Other updates: got my chainline dialed in to <1mm between the hub and the crank, which feels pretty darned good. My saddle came in, too. I just need to buy spokes, lace the wheels, and I guess I need some grips, too... maybe 1 or 2 other l'il items, but mostly, I just gotta build the wheels and build the bike once I get the frame back from powder....

I saw some fancy outer-space/retro pedals on eBay, and I kinda want'm for this build, but they're probably from the 80s and I'm mostly using new stuff.... even the frame is prolly between 5 and 10 years old...

What do y'all think?

-Rob

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Personally not a fan of plastic pedals, but I do admit, they look better than most!

Looking forward to seeing the frame come back, just got mine back from powder yesterday, and it is cool!

Luke.