Re: Finally fixed (me too! thread)

In message <[email hidden]>,
sothach <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

OK, couldn't fit it and me ion the kitchen, but this is quite close:
http://my.opera.com/Velo-City/homes/albums/49101/fixed2.JPG

Gotta agree with most of what Bob Downie said about riding fixed for
the first time, but he should have mentioned stopping: seriously weird
experiance, like being puched in the soles of your feet. I guess I'll
get used to it, but I'm glad I didn'f fit toe-clips or spuds yet, cuz
on a couple of hills it was a case ot just bottling it, and holding my
feet in the air as the pedals span. I think I'll fit a rear brake.

Like those bars. What do you call them?

Sorry, I should have said about the stopping. See Sheldon for seriously
cool dismounting.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#mounting

Cheers and shame about the kitchen
--
Bob Downie
Downie GeoScience Ltd.
please remove #n0spam# to reply directly

Bob Downie said:

In message <[email hidden]>,
sothach <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

OK, couldn't fit it and me ion the kitchen, but this is quite close:
http://my.opera.com/Velo-City/homes/albums/49101/fixed2.JPG

I should add some techie info, for anyone thinking of treading this
path.

Frame is a NYCBikes in black, costs about 90quid (plus some 30quid of
shipping costs), most parts were from my cellar (front wheel, saddle,
brakes, mtb crank,
got a Suze cheapo hub + 14 tooth sprocket, using the smallest chainring
(30 tooth),
giving slightly taller than 2:1 (its hilly round here), weighs in at
about 9kg,
which feels like nothing after my steel, rohloff, magura, racks, etc.,
equipped
commuter, but the wheels and forks could be swapped at a later date.

Quoted message said:

Like those bars. What do you call them?

They are supposed to be Nitto moustache-handlebar copies, but the ends
are straight rather than curved. I think they are just normal
Dutch-bike bars that I've fitted upside down. Feel good though, and
nice for mashing up the hills.

Quoted message said:

Sorry, I should have said about the stopping. See Sheldon for seriously
cool dismounting.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#mounting

Can you do that? Sounds wierd, anyone got a training video?

Quoted message said:

Cheers and shame about the kitchen

It's a fine kitchen, the best that our Ikea did sell.... just not a
good bike workshop.

in message <[email hidden]>,

sothach (') said:

OK, couldn't fit it and me ion the kitchen, but this is quite close:
http://my.opera.com/Velo-City/homes/albums/49101/fixed2.JPG

Very pretty. Very minimalist. The small chainwheel and sprocket will be
marginally less efficient than bigger ones with the same ratio, but they
make the bike look very cool.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.

sothach said:

OK, couldn't fit it and me ion the kitchen, but this is quite close:
http://my.opera.com/Velo-City/homes/albums/49101/fixed2.JPG

Gotta agree with most of what Bob Downie said about riding fixed for
the first time, but he should have mentioned stopping: seriously weird
experiance, like being puched in the soles of your feet. I guess I'll
get used to it, but I'm glad I didn'f fit toe-clips or spuds yet, cuz
on a couple of hills it was a case ot just bottling it, and holding my
feet in the air as the pedals span. I think I'll fit a rear brake.

Ooh, cool looking bike! You must be very chuffed. 🙂

I went straight with clipless pedals, that worked well for me.
Preferred that to letting a foot slip off the pedals and then taking
one in the calf.

On 28 Mar 2006 00:14:29 -0800, "sothach" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

OK, couldn't fit it and me ion the kitchen, but this is quite close:
http://my.opera.com/Velo-City/homes/albums/49101/fixed2.JPG

Smooth. Low ratio though.

Quoted message said:

Gotta agree with most of what Bob Downie said about riding fixed for
the first time, but he should have mentioned stopping: seriously weird
experiance, like being puched in the soles of your feet. I guess I'll
get used to it, but I'm glad I didn'f fit toe-clips or spuds yet, cuz
on a couple of hills it was a case ot just bottling it, and holding my
feet in the air as the pedals span.

Don't delay fitting the spuds, it makes the whole thing a lot easier.

Quoted message said:

I think I'll fit a rear brake.

Good move.

Tim

Quoted message said:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#mounting

You could have warned us about the photos at the bottom of the page!

Tim Hall said:

On 28 Mar 2006 00:14:29 -0800, "sothach" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I think I'll fit a rear brake.

Good move.

Quote from the page linked above: "Most fixed-gear riders only use a
front brake--a rear brake is quite unnecessary on a fixed-gear
machine."

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

LSMike expressed precisely :

Quoted message said:

Tim Hall said:

On 28 Mar 2006 00:14:29 -0800, "sothach" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I think I'll fit a rear brake.

Good move.

Quote from the page linked above: "Most fixed-gear riders only use a
front brake--a rear brake is quite unnecessary on a fixed-gear
machine."

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

I think I'd add, "until your brake cable snaps as you're descending a
steep hill."

Some may think this unlikely, but it once very nearly happened to me.
Luckily (incredibly, really) I just happened to need to brake hard at
the top of the descent - where I'd have needed brakes for sure - and
the cable snapped. I did actually continued to ride down the hill, but
*very* carefully and *very* slowly, so that I was able to keep the bike
under control.

Having said that, I've not had a cable snap on me for about fifteen
years, so the risk is pretty low, I suppose. The brake lever in
question was an old Campag Super Record (so hardly low quality), and
broke a number of (quality) cables. I imagine that there was some
defect with it, but I could never spot it. Eventually I ditched it, as
you can imagine!

Anyway, I still use front and rear brakes on my old hack.

--
Simon
www.simondaw.freeserve.co.uk

sothach said:

got a Suze cheapo hub

Big mistake... I'd heard the cheapo Suzue Basic was made of cheese, but
I thought, Cheddar or Appenzeller or something. Wrong, it was Brie.
The sprocket was tighted on with a chain whip, and the lock ring with
the correct park tools C-spanner, but I was able
to strip the thread purely by pedalling forwards.

So, what hub do I want to buy for the wheel re-build? Are Ambrosio any
good (cuz they're black you see....)?

sothach submitted this idea :

Quoted message said:

sothach said:

got a Suze cheapo hub

Big mistake... I'd heard the cheapo Suzue Basic was made of cheese, but
I thought, Cheddar or Appenzeller or something. Wrong, it was Brie.
The sprocket was tighted on with a chain whip, and the lock ring with
the correct park tools C-spanner, but I was able
to strip the thread purely by pedalling forwards.

So, what hub do I want to buy for the wheel re-build? Are Ambrosio any
good (cuz they're black you see....)?

ad luck.

Are you sure that your hub was the problem, and not the sprocket,
though? There are some awful fixed sprockets out there, and it wouldn't
be great to buy a better hub and find that your sprocket strips that,
too. Be particularly wary of Cyclo sprockets (I doubt they're still
made - at least, I hope they're not - but there's not telling what
might appear from the murky depths of a shop's drawers).

Sorry, I'm very out of touch when it comes to product availability /
quality. Ambrosio are usually a decent enough brand, though. I use a
Dura-Ace hub on my old hack; although others here have commented on the
lack of seals (they're a track hub, after all) I've found mine to be
very weatherproof.

--
Simon
www.simondaw.freeserve.co.uk

Simon D said:

... Be particularly wary of Cyclo sprockets (I doubt they're still
made - at least, I hope they're not - but there's not telling what
might appear from the murky depths of a shop's drawers).

Thanks for the heads-up - it looks like a cheap Cyclo sprocket, sort of
pressed-out
biscuit tin. I'm going to order up one of SJS's own-brand hubs, along
with a Dura-ace sprocket & lock-ring. Pricey enough, so should be
good...?

on 04/04/2006, sothach supposed :

Quoted message said:

Simon D said:

... Be particularly wary of Cyclo sprockets (I doubt they're still
made - at least, I hope they're not - but there's not telling what
might appear from the murky depths of a shop's drawers).

Thanks for the heads-up - it looks like a cheap Cyclo sprocket, sort of
pressed-out
biscuit tin. I'm going to order up one of SJS's own-brand hubs, along
with a Dura-ace sprocket & lock-ring. Pricey enough, so should be
good...?

I'm not familiar with the hub, but the Dura-Ace sprockets are (were?)
excellent, and well worth the price.

I used to be a trackie, and have known those useless Cyclo sprockets
strip top quality hubs - they're really not a good buy!

--
Simon
www.simondaw.freeserve.co.uk