Fixed Gear Deathtrap

From SF Craigslist:

I'm selling a complete fixed gear. It is totally ready to ride and will probably kill you.

I pushed it into a bike shop recently to have the rear wheel trued. At the bottom of my receipt it read, 'My advice, get a new bike.' So, I am. And maybe you are too! He was reserved enough not to use the words 'death' or 'trap,' but I'm not!

The frame is probably an old Raleigh that could have been worth something. It's rattlecanned and chipping rapidly. The paint is almost completely gone where my car's bike rack grips. There are, however, parts of the bike that are still entirely painted.

Looking a little deeper, the headset is completely fucked. Unless you can ride a unicycle, you can't ride this bike with no hands. I'm expecting something terrible to happen in the headset in the next few rides that will pitch me onto the pavement. For the right price, this could be you!

Also, the pedals were never supposed to house toe cages. So, the cages are kind of ruined and inoperable. Sometimes when I'm skidding, my front foot will almost slip out and I'll get all wobbly before righting myself. During these moments, my eyes are usually plate-wide with terror. This could be your terror!

There are still front and rear brakes installed, because it was always kind of a half-assed conversion. These could definitely be removed, though. The bike shop guy even tightened up the rear brakes for me. You could be the only fixie rider in SF with fully functional rear brakes.

But the brake cables are also completely shot, so I wouldn't count on it.

The handlebar tape is falling off and one of the plugs is missing.

Also, I don't remember what kind of cranks are on it but the pedals are super long. Every now and then when you're riding they slam off the ground and get more ruined. Again, there's some aspect of terror here.

The gear ratio is 52/20. The rear tire is flat and the Presta valve is broken off.

This bike is what my brother affectionately refers to as a 'time bomb.' Why? Because there's no track hub or cog. Actually, there's a freewheel with loctite in it. So far, I've been able to learn how to ride fixed on this setup without it falling apart. But someday it will. And when it does, someone is going to get fucking screwed.

I paid $80 for it 8 months ago in Buffalo. Considering we're in San Francisco, the asking price is $350. I think that's only fair.

Heh.......

Note: The pics are just a couple of bike pics I saved from the 'net, not the bike listed. If the pics are your's and you want them removed, drop me a line. If the ad is your's good luck.....

Riding Fixed

It was the fixie that I took out early this morning to get my morning ride in with. I have placed some reflective tape on it to make it a bit more visible in headlights and to meet legal restrictions. The asthetics of my minimalist approach to visibility is still becoming acceptable in my mind, but it was quick, easy, and reversible with a heat gun. I suspect it will grow on me. It has kind of a retro look to it. I like it better than plastic reflectors tacked fore and aft.

I took the bike into the old down-town area, and found that I can get to the hospital quicker by bike than by driving. Of course, I have to be prepared to change clothes after the ride, and possibly ride home in bad weather. A couple of days ago, I took the freight elevator down to the first floor of the hospital, to see where it opened up. I could store the bike inside, but I had to get it upstairs discreetly. Nuclear med got their panties in a bunch when I exited the scarred up freight lift. Thus far, it looks like I will continue to drive.

I have finally tweaked out the bike and gotten used to the geometry, so I flipped the hub. I saw quickly that I will want to keep brakes on it for now. Old Xavier's knees can't take the strain of using pedal resistance to slow the machine. If I ride fixed, it will be at a leisurely pace, with brakes. Say what you like.......When you are trying to maintain tenuous knees against the prospect of two knee replacements, you will make the same decision.

Riding fixed was indeed a unique experience. Having the pedals push your feet as the bike traveled was both relaxing and strange. Decisions to increase speed had to be made with due consideration of the consequences. Yes, I felt much more in tune with the bike. It was actually easier to propel the bike down the asphalt in fixed mode, but of course, stopping was a different matter.

Finally, when the sun was high enough, I rode to the local bike shop where I had inquired about a fixed gear bike and been treated with an elitist attitude. I rolled the Sun Uno inside, dropped the kickstand and picked out a water bottle carrier. I figure I will need something to secure a bottle. I put my keys, money and other small items in the bottle.....Paying $5.99 for a bottle carrier instead of $1200 for an overpriced Trek 1 was sweet indeed.

Morning Ride

The temperature was in the fifties again this morning, and I had to first wear Ilsa out on the Raleigh PUB before I could take a ride myself. Once she was panting and back home, I stuffed several Allen wrenches in my hoodie pocket, and rolled the Sun Uno out the door. My objective was to adjust the bike out to my physique over the course of an hour.

First was the seat. I like my seat level, and at a height that allows full extension of my legs with my heels on the pedals. Once locked into place, with the balls of my feet on the pedals instead of my heels, my knees are protected from strain, yet I still get a full power stroke in my cranking circle. I like my seat to the rear in general, placing my butt about three quarters of the way between the bottom bracket and rear axle. This seems to allow for the optimal weight transfer for braking and hopping curbs.

The longhorn handlebars on this fixie allow for two riding positions. The first, tucked in and on the brake levers, is adjusted to the height of the fork tube. I found that I prefer that level with the seat. I'm not a hunched over Tour de France wannabe. I tilted the bars upward a bit to allow me to be more upright if I so chose. The brake levers take a downward droop, and are placed in the inboard position. Luckily, the handlebar stem was just about perfect, and I installed it with the eight degree angle directed upward. I adjusted out the brakes, mounted my ride, and I was off.

Once again, I kept the bike in single speed mode instead of fixed gear. I was wanting to tweak out all the adjustments before I tried the pedals always turning. I had fashioned a custom kickstand mount yesterday, and I now had a prop for the bike if I decided to go inside a store to get a Slurpie. The kickstand was modified from a Greenfield chainstay mount stand. I took the upper portion, cut it down, polished and repainted it to fit in the tight space between the seat tube and rear tire. I may find method of accomplishing the same goal in the future, but this mount works for now.

I continued to ride as the sun grew stronger and whisked the dew off the grass. Without Ilsa along, I was free to whip about anywhere I wanted, with little worry a squirrel or cat might dart across my path. The streets were dry, people were still asleep, and the world was mine as the nippy air pierced the weave of my sweats. Then, as I passed an intersection, I saw blue lights to my left.

I turned down the street to find three patrol cars surrounding a harpooned Dodge sedan. Apparently, for whatever reason, some fool had skidded off the road, broke a telephone in two, and then had the back end of his car shishkebabed like a shrimp on the barbie.

It appeared if anyone had been injured, they were already on the way to the hospital. I told the cop writing a report I was a nurse and asked if any assistance was needed. He shook his head. Could I take a couple of pics? No problem. It never ceases to amaze me how many ways a person can destroy a perfectly good automobile. I wonder if their friends were impressed.

At any rate, it was a quick and sobering reminder that the streets were not mine, even at that early hour. There is always some dumbass around. I think I'll put that reflective tape on the fixie now.......

The Fly Bike Shop Fixie

The fixed gear bicycle that I ordered from Fly Bike Shop in Denver arrived on April third, and due to rain and other obligations, I had a couple of days to inspect, assemble, and tune it before it's maiden voyage today. The bike turned out to be a Sun Uno from Sun Cycles. Sun is a manufacturer of adult tricycles, unicycles and recumbent bicycles as well as other bikes. The Sun Uno came with a double butted TIG welded 4130 chromoly frame, made in China. That didn't bother me much, as most bicycle companies outsource their frames to China in today's competitive market. The bike was shipped in it's original box, and was packed very well. I removed the bits and pieces and had it assembled in about fifteen minutes using a set of Allen wrenches and a 15mm socket wrench.

The frame had Sun Uno stickers on it in a tasteless lime green color, but they were on top of the clear coat and easily removed. A paper towel and mineral spirits got rid of the sticky residue. The handlebars were unwrapped, so I used the supplied brown cork wrap to cover them. The handlebar wrap matches the seat nicely. A clear plastic chainguard was included with the bike. I hung that up in the garage. I have no desire for such a thing on this bike.

The 59cm frame geometry is very tight and "tucked in. The rear wheel spins close to the seat tube, and the front forks are almost vertical, with a 74.5 degree head tube angle, making the bike highly maneuverable. The wheelset is Alex DC19s, 700c X 32 double wall alloy rims with a high flange hub and a CNC machined sidewall. They come with Kenda Kontender rubber. The hubs are bolted to the forks, both front and rear, no quick release skewers here. The bottom bracket is sealed, and supports a 46 tooth chainwheel. There is, of course, no derailleur, no fenders,

The seat is a beautiful leather-like swallow style perch, produced by Velo, but only for this particular bike. Swallow style seats look uncomfortable, and while it is true they are no lazy boy recliner, they do not create pain. Instead, they prevent chaffing while pedaling. I had thought I might replace the seat with a Brooks if it was uncomfortable, but I have dismissed that notion. The seat is supported by a 29.8 x 350mm aluminum alloy micro-adjustable seat post. One Allen screw underneath controls the angle of the seat, another controls the height.

At the moment I do not have the supplied reflectors installed. I am considering reflective tape, a strip of white on the head tube, and two strips of red on the seatstays to get around local ordinances. I don't want to destroy the minimalist appeal of the bike with sparkly stuff screwed all over it. The bike also came with stainless steel strap-on toe clips. I opted to leave those off as well for now.

Braking, both front and rear, is supplied by Tektro R310A dual pivot calipers, compressed with Tektro RL576 levers. The brake levers have hinge mounts, and the stem has an open face four screw front clamp, making handlebar swaps a breeze. The stainless steel cables inside the sheaths were of a standardized to long length, so I cut them and soldered the ends to prevent fraying. Unlike some fixie fans, I intend to keep brakes front and rear. I don't need a hard core attitude on a bike. I lubricated the cables with silicone.

Speaking of hard core attitude, the Sun Uno does not come with a kickstand. I considered a Greenfield chainstay mounted kickstand, as the closeness of the rear wheel to the seattube makes fitting a kickstand in the usual place a custom job. I mounted the Greenfield chainstay kickstand, and immediately took it off. It worked, but I did not like the way it looked at all. I will cut down a the bracket and mount it in the traditional manner using a longer bolt.

Of course, the heart of the fixed gear track bike is a fixed rear sprocket. The Sun Uno comes with a "flip-flop" rear wheel, enabling the rider to change from a fixed gear to a single speed by removing and flipping the rear wheel. The 18 tooth dual cogs on the rear hub of the bike are spun by a 46 tooth alloy chain wheel up front. A 1/8 inch KMC chain supplies the power. I mounted the rear wheel as a single speed. I want to get used to the performance geometry before I attempt a fixed gear configuration.

So, the big question......How does it ride? It was 52 degrees and wet when I took the gunmetal grey racer out this morning, but I put on my sweats and went anyway. I was used to the cruiser configuration, and it took a bit to adapt to having half my weight supported by my shoulders rather than my butt. But as I rode the bike around, I felt my hamstrings begin to stretch, and my neck too, from the agressive riding position. I wasn't used to that. I pressed on, however. I pedaled for about five easy miles before I stopped to take photos. The Sun Uno was smooth. The handling was as certain as it was fast. When the bike was thrown into a corner, it reacted and went where it was supposed to. The pedals seemed a bit small for my big clod-hopper feet, but the swallow style seat was a non-issue.

As I rode by the local bike store, where the owner had tried to sell me a $1200 Trek T1 and then ignored me when I didn't order one, I saw an adult tricycle in the front window. I stopped to gaze........Yes, it was a Sun bike. The recumbents sold there were made by Sun. The place was a dealer of Sun cycles. How ironic that the owner lost a sale two weeks ago because he was an ass. By contrast, the people from Fly were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Chris, the gentleman who took my order had emphatically said "You are going to like this bike!" I do. Thanks Fly.

On the way back home, on the side of the road, I found a green Raleigh Grand Prix frame. It was solid. It had lugged joinery. It had horizontal rear drop outs. It was free. I hid it in an alley until I could make it back with my Jeep to pick it up. Here we go again..........

Addendum.....The Sun Uno was apparently previously the Cayne Uno.



The final bike, with refective tape.

Fixie Fixations

"I still feel that varable gears are only for people over forty-five.
Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer?
We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"
Henri Desgrange, L'Équipe article of 1902

When I first started riding bikes again, although I purchased a derailleured Raleigh Passage, I eschewed the road bike clubmen. I could just not see myself in multi-colored lycra pedaling away on an overly complicated object of mechanical lust. If I wanted to get somewhere quickly, I would just get in the car. Bicycling for me was to be healthy, but mainly enjoyable.

The more I read about bicycling, (I had never actually read about it before, I just did it), the more I read about fixed gear bikes. I heard there was an almost zen like quality to riding them, a oneness between the man and the machine that other bikes could not really match.

I suppose that before I blather further, I should elucidate on what a fixed gear bicycle is. A fixed gear bike is a bicycle that does not have a freewheel. In other words, there is no coasting. The pedals are always moving when the bike is in motion. Frequently, these bicycles have no brakes, as the riders are generally able to use the pedals themselves to stop the travel of the cycle. While a fixed gear bike can be any type of bicycle, most people who ride them are of a minimalist mindset. They want the simplicity of no derailleur, indeed the simplicity of no brake cables. No coaster brake. The frames are typically those of a Track Bike, tight, strong, tucked in, and light, with horizontal rear-opening fork ends for chain adjustment.

I considered building my first "fixie", and after I added up the expense, even with an old garage sale special 10 speed, the cost to build what I wanted would reach near the range of a new entry level bike. A Bianchi Pista sold for $549, while a Tommaso Agusta cost $399. The Agusta required an additional $89.99 for a brake package. The Pista would require a Shimano or Campagnolo brake set-up, even more expensive. Yes, I wanted brakes on my fixie. There was the Motobecane Messenger on ebay, but it was in horrid colors and the wrong size. I wanted a tall bike, at least 21 inches, with a horizontal top tube. I detest the look of a seatpost cranked up like a television antenna. I wanted real track fork ends, a 1/8 inch chain, a flip-flop hub, 700c wheels, bullhorn handlebars, and a discrete paint job.

I decided to pay a visit to my local bike shop. Last year, I had purchased three four bikes there. I saddled up the Raleigh Passage and rode on over. As I pedaled, I thought about how my perceived biking needs had changed over the past year. I locked my bike outside, and entered the store to take a look around. The owner greeted me, asked if he could help, and I told him what I was interested in. He recommended a Trek T1. I asked if he had one in stock. He did not, but he could order one, since he was a Trek supplier. We looked it up in the catalog, and I gazed on the red rocket that was the T1. I asked how much one would run.........$1200. I asked if there was any fixed gear bike any less expensive. He looked at me as though I had just dropped a dog turd in his bowl of granola. He did not speak very much after that, and he finally left me alone, ignoring me, to ponder what a podknocker I was for not dropping twelve Franklins on his counter while thanking him for the privilege. Worse than a gun shop. I decided to check the classifieds and ebay for any deals on frames and I did not let the door hit my lycraless butt when I exited.

The newspapers yielded three old 10 speed bikes. The first did not have horizontal drop-outs, the second was too small and also lacked horizontal drop-outs, and the third was overpriced as well as matching the first two for not meeting my purpose. I went to ebay. I found a beautiful, ornately lugged Puch Bergmeister frame in a copper color, with a fork, bars, and a bottom bracket attached. I did some calculations.......If I could obtain the frame at less than $100, even with shipping of the components, I just might be able to keep my fixie under $400. It looked like decent new wheels would run between $150 and $200 after shipping, and then there was the issue of converting the rear wheel to a fixie. A Brooks seat would be another $75 off ebay. Cranks and a chain wheel would be needed. It looked like shipping was going to eat my lunch. Damn. I thought about combining the nice ornate frame with one of the used 10 speeds I had looked at. Each example had rusty chrome wheels. I wanted alloy. Then there was tires and tubes. Handlebar tape. The little stuff was going eat a hole in my budget. Finally, I considered the fact that using a 10 speed's chainwheel, cog and chain would result in increased risk of chain dropping due to the shorter tapered teeth designed to slip a chain onto another sprocket. That's not good.

I saw a Trek T1 on ebay........US $499.00 and rising. No telling how high it would go. Frankly, it was too short. I decided not to bid. Several Bianchi Pistas were up for bids, and obviously held their value well. Bike thief bait. I keyed in track bike though and I found........exactly what I wanted.

An outfit in Colorado, Fly Bike Shop, was selling the bike I had in my mind. It was simple, clean, discreet. It even came in my size, 59cm. Reading over their Buyer's Guide to "Fixie" Bicycles, it was quickly apparent they understood the animal. The auction said to call Chris to check availability. I called. The phone conversation was nothing short of thoroughly comforting and convincing. They had the bike in the size I desired. I placed an order. I now wait on the big brown van of joy.

Specs:
4130 double butted Chromoly frame
Straight blade aluminum fork
Track fork ends
18 tooth flip flop hub
46 tooth crankset.
Bullhorn bars
Tektro dual pivot front and rear brakes
Velo saddle
700c alloy rims with decent rubber

Dave Pickett's Raleigh Super Course Fixie Build

Fixing Gears

Lord help me. I'm starting to have fixed gear fantasies......

Fixed Gear Testimonials