Fixing an old bike

I remember when I took my track bike on the road - going great as I headed up to the roundabout - no
brakes, fixed wheel - bloody thing accelarated, then I saw the car. Super tight sphincter!

How is the cornering clearance?

Alan

Suzy Jackson said:

Hi all,

Well 'tis done. My new Suzue track hubs arrived, so I laced the back one to an Open Pro rim and
bunged the 19 tooth sprocket Sheldon had sent on it.

Next I took an old Campy Athena crankset, took off the rings, and plonked a 49 tooth TA ring (which
I often use on my race bike) on the inside position, with shorty bolts (again thanks to Sheldon).

Finally I pulled all those awful unnecessary derailleurs and shifters off my old roadie, bunged the
new back wheel in, stuck a chain on, fiddled for a few minutes with chain tension, and went and had
a play in the street.

It's certainly different to ride. I've already lost count of the number of times I've unconsciously
tried to coast, only to be reminded quite forcefully that it's fixed. Going down hills is a
challenge - though I've not worked up the courage yet to wear cycling shoes (just joggers on the
back of the pedals).

Next challenge is to ride to work 🙂

Cheers,

Suzy

"Alan J Bishop" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I remember when I took my track bike on the road - going great as I headed up to the roundabout -
no brakes, fixed wheel - bloody thing accelarated, then I saw the car. Super tight sphincter!

How is the cornering clearance?

Not too bad. I use 170mm cranks. FWIW, it still has a pair of brakes.

Regards,

Suzy

"Alan J Bishop" wrote

Quoted message said:

I remember when I took my track bike on the road - going great as I headed up to the roundabout -
no brakes, fixed wheel - bloody thing accelarated, then I saw the car. Super tight sphincter!

Two of my brothers rode track bikes on the road all the time. Their technique was, to slow down back
up on the pedals, to stop quickly pull the back wheel off the ground momentarily, stop the pedals
and slide to a halt with the back wheel locked up. Lots of kids with fixed wheel bikes did that. I
never mastered it myself. I had the luxury of a freewheel, and a rear only brake. My freewheel was
the envy of my street (until some rich kid got a Sturmey Archer three speed hub).

Theo Lived in a country town with 6000 people, and a velodrome.

"Suzy Jackson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:nEccb.120579$bo1.14266@news-

Quoted message said:

Finally I pulled all those awful unnecessary derailleurs and shifters off

my

Quoted message said:

old roadie, bunged the new back wheel in, stuck a chain on, fiddled for a few minutes with chain
tension, and went and had a play in the street.

Bikes look really sweet without all that clutter, don't you think?

Quoted message said:

It's certainly different to ride. I've already lost count of the number

of

Quoted message said:

times I've unconsciously tried to coast, only to be reminded quite forcefully that it's fixed.
Going down hills is a challenge - though I've not worked up the courage yet to wear cycling shoes
(just joggers on the back of the pedals).

Any idea of your maximum cadence? I've never had a cadence computer that worked (Vetta C-20 cadence
never worked from new!). I've only ridden briefly on the 'drome so hills are still foreign to me..
but I don't have dem brake fings...

Quoted message said:

Next challenge is to ride to work 🙂

I'd love to do that, but no brakes means no commute. Although, I think I'm almost stupid enough to
try it.. "almost".

How far away is your nearest velodrome? Are you using a track chain?

hippy

--------------030307070309070903060300 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Theo Bekkers said:

"Alan J Bishop" wrote

Quoted message said:

I remember when I took my track bike on the road - going great as I headed up to the roundabout -
no brakes, fixed wheel - bloody thing accelarated, then I saw the car. Super tight sphincter!

Two of my brothers rode track bikes on the road all the time. Their technique was, to slow down
back up on the pedals, to stop quickly pull the back wheel off the ground momentarily, stop the
pedals and slide to a halt with the back wheel locked up. Lots of kids with fixed wheel bikes did
that. I never mastered it myself. I had the luxury of a freewheel, and a rear only brake. My
freewheel was the envy of my street (until some rich kid got a Sturmey Archer three speed hub).

Theo Lived in a country town with 6000 people, and a velodrome.

Could be any number of places in Victoria or Tasmania....

--------------030307070309070903060300 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title></title>
</head> <body> <br> <br> Theo Bekkers wrote:<br> <blockquote type="cite"
cite="[email hidden]"> <pre wrap="">"Alan J Bishop" wrote
</pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre wrap="">I remember when I took my track bike on the road -
going great as I headed up to the roundabout - no brakes, fixed wheel - bloody thing accelarated,
then I saw the car. Super tight sphincter! </pre> </blockquote> <pre wrap=""><!----> Two of my
brothers rode track bikes on the road all the time. Their technique was, to slow down back up on the
pedals, to stop quickly pull the back wheel off the ground momentarily, stop the pedals and slide to
a halt with the back wheel locked up. Lots of kids with fixed wheel bikes did that. I never mastered
it myself. I had the luxury of a freewheel, and a rear only brake. My freewheel was the envy of my
street (until some rich kid got a Sturmey Archer three speed hub).

Theo Lived in a country town with 6000 people, and a velodrome.

</pre> </blockquote> Could be any number of places in Victoria or Tasmania....<br> </body> </html>

--------------030307070309070903060300--

Quoth Suzy Jackson:

Quoted message said:

It's certainly different to ride. I've already lost count of the number of times I've
unconsciously tried to coast, only to be reminded quite forcefully that it's fixed. Going down
hills is a challenge - though I've not worked up the courage yet to wear cycling shoes (just
joggers on the back of the pedals).

Not a good idea, in my opinion.

I consider riding fixed without some positive pedal connection (either step-in or clip/straps) to be
an _advanced_ fixed gear skill, definitely not recommended for someone new to the cult.

Sheldon "SPD" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------------+
| I still feel that variable 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 derailleur? | We are getting
| soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear! | --Henri Desgrange, _L'Equipe_ article of 1902 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide captainbike.comcaptainbike.comOpen ↗ sheldonbrown.comsheldonbrown.comOpen ↗

"hippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bikes look really sweet without all that clutter, don't you think?

They sure do. It's tempting to lose the rear brake, too, except that I like to ride the hoods, so
having only one brake lever would be odd. It's turned my old clunker into something really lovely.

Quoted message said:

Any idea of your maximum cadence? I've never had a cadence computer that worked (Vetta C-20
cadence never worked from new!). I've only ridden briefly on the 'drome so hills are still foreign
to me.. but I

don't

Quoted message said:

have dem brake fings...

Maybe 160rpm? I have no speedo or anything on this bike - it's sort of minimalist. Dem brake fings
are a good look though. I'd be a bit worried trying to stop quickly with just my legs, and it does
make it a lot easier going down steepish hills, knowing that you can lose speed easily.

Quoted message said:

I'd love to do that, but no brakes means no commute. Although, I think I'm almost stupid enough to
try it.. "almost".

We need to start a "road fork for hippy" fund.

Quoted message said:

How far away is your nearest velodrome? Are you using a track chain?

Tempe, I think. About 20-25km. I have no car, so would have to ride over there. I imagine I could
set up a pair of bars with just one brake lever, and only partially taped, so I could ride over with
the brake, then take it off when I get there. I'm just using an old (but unworn) Sedis 8 speed
chain, complete with powerlink thingy. That seems to work quite nicely. The chainline worked out
really well without fiddling - just the track hub straight to the inner chainwheel position of a
road double.

Incidentally, my presumed 126mm frame actually wasn't. When I pulled the old back wheel out (126mm
seven speed) it sprang back to about 122mm.

Regards,

Suzy

"Sheldon Brown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I consider riding fixed without some positive pedal connection (either step-in or clip/straps) to
be an _advanced_ fixed gear skill, definitely not recommended for someone new to the cult.

I shall amend my ways and use my cycling shoes, tho I'm afraid this is an SPD free household, so
I'll just have to use my Looks.

Regards,

Suzy

"Alan J Bishop" wrote

Quoted message said:

Theo Bekkers wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Lived in a country town with 6000 people, and a velodrome.

Quoted message said:

Could be any number of places in Victoria or Tasmania....

Northam, WA.

Theo

Suzy Jackson said:

I shall amend my ways and use my cycling shoes, tho I'm afraid this is an SPD free household, so
I'll just have to use my Looks.

Regards,

Suzy

I'm glad I don't have to rely on my Looks.

&roo

Quoted message said:

SPD free household, so I'll just have to use my Looks.

: >
: > Regards,
: >
: > Suzy
:
: I'm glad I don't have to rely on my Looks.
:

Boom-tish.

Suzy Jackson <[email hidden]> wrote:
: Hi all,

: It's certainly different to ride. I've already lost count of the number of times I've
: unconsciously tried to coast, only to be reminded quite forcefully that it's fixed. Going down
: hills is a challenge - though I've not worked up the courage yet to wear cycling shoes (just
: joggers on the back of the pedals).

Congrats on the fixie. It certainly is a different ride and I'm still getting used to mine. After
the first 25k ride I was completely trashed. That was a few months ago. Now I put in similar times
on it to my multi-geared bike.

There's some kind of purity in riding a fixie - it takes a different approach to getting down the
road. There's more committment if anything and once you get in the zone, spinning along can be
psychologically freer than other types of riding. You don't have to worry about selecting the right
gear for the situation - make the most of what you have - and you know you have to keep pedalling no
matter what else is happening.

Swapping between the two modes means the fixie often reminds me I have no choice about pedalling. On
the last ride I hesitated for a split second in contemplation of jumping a significant dip in the
road. I got a belting from the cranks and rode throught the dip anyway. If anyone knows how to
bunnyhop a fixie then I'm all ears.

I use Look pedals on mine so I can wear the same shoes on my other roadie. I've not had any sort of
problem and anyway, I'd rather have the security of clipping in and I can take advantage of circular
pedalling too.

Getting down hills can be exciting and yes, I avoid developing dramas by have both front and back
brakes. I've heard tales of people quickly getting out of control - even with brakes - because they
couldn't keep their cadence up.

I'm using about 76 gear inches (14 x 40) which seems a good compromise at the moment. I also have
165mm cranks and have no cornering issues either. The next 'upgrade' may be to 42 chainring
(Biopace!) and 170mm cranks.

My max at this time is about 45kph with around 125rpm cadence - that's pretty modest compared to
track riders, but I'll keep plugging away at lifting it. When I can spin to do 65kph I'll be able to
stay with most people on local rides. Mind you, it will probably take a cadence of about 180 or
something - imagine what that will look like!

Keep sharing your experience.

Cheerz, Lynzz

"Lindsay Rowlands" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Congrats on the fixie. It certainly is a different ride and I'm still

getting

Quoted message said:

used to mine. After the first 25k ride I was completely trashed. That was

a

Quoted message said:

few months ago. Now I put in similar times on it to my multi-geared bike.

Thanks. I rode it to work and back today, and had an absolute blast. It's turned an old bike that I
only rarely rode into something totally fun. It's _so_ quiet, and smooth. The feeling is kinda hard
to explain. You just pedal, and go.

The tricky bits were riding down Mowbray Road - perhaps a 3% grade. At first I tried to "keep up"
with the bike, and got up to a ridiculously high cadence. When fear kicked in, and I tried to slow
down, my pedalling motion (which was actually pretty smooth while I was pushing the pedals) went
all to hell, and I started bobbing on the seat like an idiot. A quick dab of the brakes slowed me
back down to a rate where the neurons could keep up with the pedals, and I was fine. On subsequent
hills, I simply didn't let the cadence get up to the silly ranges in the first place, and found it
was much smoother.

On the way home, there's a nasty bit where you have to let yourself through a gate, then go up a
short very steep bit. Usually I do that in one of my lower gears. Today I had no choice but to give
a mighty heave and clip in with my other foot _instantly_. Perhaps in future some sort of track
stand while I clip in might be a good look.

The steep bits coming home weren't terribly hard - I just got out of the saddle and pushed hard.

What a hoot!

Regards,

Suzy

Lindsay Rowlands wrote: <snip>

Quoted message said:

On the last ride I hesitated for a split second in contemplation of jumping a significant dip in
the road. I got a belting from the cranks

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Cheerz, Lynzz

Could you please explain to those of us who have never ridden a fixie what getting "belted by your
cranks" is? Doesn't sound like fun...

&roo

P.S. Are you the Lindsay who rode a single-speed at the Waratahs for a while, before getting
a "gearie"?

Andrew Swan <[email hidden]> wrote:
: Lindsay Rowlands wrote: <snip>
:> On the last ride I hesitated for a split second in contemplation of jumping a significant dip in
:> the road. I got a belting from the cranks
: <snip>
:> Cheerz, Lynzz

: Could you please explain to those of us who have never ridden a fixie what getting "belted by your
: cranks" is? Doesn't sound like fun...

It's no big deal to resist the rotation of the cranks, but it's something else to try to just stop
pedalling entirely - as you do on a freewheeling bike. The cranks/pedals violently throw your
feet/legs around the circle they are compelled to move. I trust that gives you the general idea.

: P.S. Are you the Lindsay who rode a single-speed at the Waratahs for a while, before getting a
: "gearie"?

Sorry, that's not I. I'm Lindsay of Armidale, NSW.

Cheerz, Lynzz

Lindsay Rowlands <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

It's no big deal to resist the rotation of the cranks, but it's something else to try to just stop
pedalling entirely - as you do on a freewheeling bike. The cranks/pedals violently throw your
feet/legs around the circle they are compelled to move. I trust that gives you the general idea.

And if you get it *really* wrong, it hurts. Lots.

In the UK, it used to be pretty common to ride fixed during the winter, so the salt on the roads
didn't eat your expensive aluminium transmission components. This was in the days of horizontal
dropouts - going fixed on a modern road bike would be a bit of a pain, I imagine.

I'd just switched from geared to fixed for the winter and was riding home from the bike shop where I
worked. It was raining slightly, so the roads were wet. Approaching a red light, I forgot I didn't
have a freewheel, attempted to coast to a halt while standing with the pedals horizontal and was
just *spat* off the bike - or not quite as I was well strapped in. I went sliding down the road on
my [censored] in a deeply undignified manner.

Fortunately I managed not to damage more than my pride and acquire some new bruises and a couple of
days walking stiffly.

John

"Suzy Jackson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We need to start a "road fork for hippy" fund.

The Raleigh fork that I have here is about an 1" to 1.5" longer than the track fork. It has almost
the same bend shape but extends that extra bit. The steerer might looks a bit longer too.

Quoted message said:

Tempe, I think. About 20-25km. I have no car, so would have to ride over

I would like to have no car too.. but I still use it sometimes.. 600k's to see my folks is not
something I'm up to riding just yet and I don't have the time to spend 9hrs+ on a bus getting there.
So it sits in the garage costing me much more than I would like. It does get occasional bike
transport duties though. Blackburn's track is about 16k from me (20min by car I think).

Quoted message said:

there. I imagine I could set up a pair of bars with just one brake lever, and only partially
taped, so I could ride over with the brake, then take

it

Quoted message said:

off when I get there.

What about rigging up some kind of quick release clamp? I don't know how levers mount but I guess
you could use pipe clamp or similar and clamp it over the bar tape. Loosen it to slide brake
lever off...?

Do velodrome rules require no calipers, no levers or no brake components at all?

I'll have to contemplate the same thing if I make mine a road/track bike...

hippy

"hippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The Raleigh fork that I have here is about an 1" to 1.5" longer than the track fork. It has almost
the same bend shape but extends that extra bit. The steerer might looks a bit longer too.

Sounds like it'll be perfect for taming the crazy head tube angles that track bikes seem to have.

Quoted message said:

I would like to have no car too.. but I still use it sometimes.. 600k's to see my folks is not
something I'm up to riding just yet and I don't have the time to spend 9hrs+ on a bus getting
there. So it sits in the garage costing me much more than I would like. It does get occasional
bike transport duties though. Blackburn's track is about 16k from me (20min by car I think).

My parents are about four hours drive away. Doesn't make much difference whether they're in the next
suburb or the next state, I still don't really see them. It's better that way.

Quoted message said:

Do velodrome rules require no calipers, no levers or no brake components at all?

Dunno. I've not done track, except going to Dunc Gray to watch the Oceania Champs, and they all had
very shiny bikes. I figure like anything, as long as there are plenty of others in the same boat,
nobody will bat an eyelid.

Regards,

Suzy

"Lindsay Rowlands" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

from the cranks and rode throught the dip anyway. If anyone knows how

to

Quoted message said:

bunnyhop a fixie then I'm all ears.

From 63xc.commikeb.htmOpen ↗ <quote> You're cruising along, up ahead you see an obstacle
and you want to hop the bike. Don't! Go around it if you can, or better yet keep pedaling--like
you've got a choice--and raise yourself off the seat. This works for a lot of situations, especially
if you took my advice and put some good sized tires on the bike. You can still hop, of course. It
takes practice and you have to get in the habit of keeping those feet moving. Over time, you will
start to take on the obstacles by hopping over them, but I'm certainly not the one to ask. For
something like that, you need to ask someone who's Goode. Meanwhile, enjoy your new fix, and let's
be careful out there! <end-quote>

Quoted message said:

I'm using about 76 gear inches (14 x 40) which seems a good compromise

at

Quoted message said:

the moment. I also have 165mm cranks and have no cornering issues

either.

Quoted message said:

The next 'upgrade' may be to 42 chainring (Biopace!) and 170mm cranks.

Why Biopace? Is that what you've got lying around? Also, why the longer cranks? I thought 165mm was
the standard for a reason - i.e. you really _don't_ want to hit a pedal into the ground going around
a corner...?

Quoted message said:

My max at this time is about 45kph with around 125rpm cadence - that's

I would like a cadence sensor, just for an idea. I'm no good at counting and looking at a watch at
3.5million RPM (at least, that's what it feels like!)

hippy