Mikes Fixie

[mikesbytes]

Step one, take one track bike


Step two, purchase a sprocket and dig the rest of the parts out of the garage. Purchase 2 new brake cables.

Re-stick the handlebar tape using double sided tape.

Step three, strip the hub removing the sprocket


Step four, borrow a wheel off Lindsay and put the thing together, removing the track handlebars of course


And vola, a fully operational fixie


Cost so far;
Double sided tape $2
Sprocket $7
Front brake cable $3
Rear brake cable $3
=============
$15

More cost to come! got to return that wheel to Lindsay

[weiyun]

Nice! You win the economy award.

Now the question is, how are you going to ride track?

[Toff]

I have an a 56cm c-c Apollo frame just aching to be built into a fixie. It's too big for me though. I got it for free. Here's a pic before it was stripped.

http://fixed.org.au/forums/index.php/topic,2948.0.html

Quality Tange 2 double butted tubes from the mid 70's. If anyone wants it for a build, let me know.

[mikesbytes]

Nice! You win the economy award.

Now the question is, how are you going to ride track?

I'll convert it back to a track bike

[fixedgear]

Going by the saddle and handlebar stem height, the frame looks a little on the small side Mike.

Are you riding this bike in the Bundanoon - Tempe ride?

[HyperHorse]

Just a slight off topic question...
Is it a legal requirement of the sport that track bikes have no brakes??

[mikesbytes]

Going by the saddle and handlebar stem height, the frame looks a little on the small side Mike.

Are you riding this bike in the Bundanoon - Tempe ride?

Probably another cm would suit me. But the picture also distorts the truth a little, it isn't a bad as it looks. Also the track bars are a little bigger.

The intention is to ride from Bundanoon. Experience on riding fixies amounts to about 8k ridden today. Saturday I intend to clock up 40 - 60k and on Sunday 90k.

[mikesbytes]

Just a slight off topic question...
Is it a legal requirement of the sport that track bikes have no brakes??

Yeh that's right, brakes are not permitted on track bikes.

[Adrian E]

Hi Toff,
I would be interested in the red apollo for a fixie conversion. My guess is the frame size would be close enough for me but it would be good to have a look. If you want to message me, we can organise to meet up some time.
Cheers
Adrian

[timyone]

niiiiiiiiiice

[mikesbytes]

James M also had his maiden fixie ride this morning on his Surley.

[fixedgear]

Well Mike, how did the Fuji perform as a road fixie this morning?

[mikesbytes]

Clocked up say 45k this morning.

- At first it felt horid going down hill, but after a while I got better at down hill.
- The gearing (48/17 = 74"?) was fine for uphill, probably an indication that higher gearing is possible if I find I need it.
- The handlebars are too small, I'd prefer my track one's
- Its a bit twitchy, as you would expect from a fixie
- I need to be careful with the cleats, another rider noticed that my foot wasn't in the correct position and later it happened again, the problem being that I'm not clicking the cleat in fully.
- Water consumption is high at the moment, I'm going to see if I can fit a second bottle for tomorrows ride.
- And the left brake handle needs to be tightened up.

Overall the ride went pretty good.

Evaluation of the Fuji
- light
- Nimble
- Responsive
- A little small
- The high bottom bracket combined with 165mm cranks gave me confidence in the corners

[fixedgear]

Yeah, the handlebars look very narrow, especially for your broad shoulders, you could always put them back on the bike and move the brake levers over from the existing bars.

A plastic Cateye style bottle cage can be attached to a frame without the brazed on bosses by using 4 or so decent zip lock cable ties and clinching them up hard. I've done the same on the Falcon which predates the braze-on era.

Not sure about 74" up Razorback, but we'll see next weekend , I've decided 65" (49x20) is the best compromise between spinning on the downhills and grunting the uphills. Based on past ascents of Razorback on geared bikes 42x21 (53") or 42x23 (48") have been handy.

[mikesbytes]

If I was to make this bike a permanent fixie, the handlebars would go for sure.

What's the incline on Razorback?

[Huw]

Nice one Mike!

[Simon Llewellyn]

Cost so far;
Double sided tape $2
Sprocket $7
Front brake cable $3
Rear brake cable $3
=============
$15

More cost to come! got to return that wheel to Lindsay

I get the feeling you've cheated a bit with this price, considering it's a $600-800 track bike you've put these parts on!

[weiyun]

I get the feeling you've cheated a bit with this price, considering it's a $600-800 track bike you've put these parts on!

Simon, I think you'll get shot down on your statement. But I'll let Mike shoot you.

[Simon Llewellyn]

Ya, but it is a bit like me whacking my fixie up there & saying price= $0. I've had it for a couple of years...

If I gave you a price of what it actually cost from scratch that would be abit different. The frame was given to me, I used an old front wheel, the back wheel was about $300 odd at the time I think, the brakes $40,chain $20, BB $30 saddle given to me, breakhoods given to me, cranks found, pedals $60. Total= $450....

But this is based the words 'cost so far' being from Huw's fixie build which was also built from scratch.

[mikesbytes]

I get the feeling you've cheated a bit with this price, considering it's a $600-800 track bike you've put these parts on!

Bike cost $250. Total running cost since purchase has been $4. All of the bits were lying around, the remnants of my old europa that kept cracking.

So gross cost to date is $250 + $4 + $15 = $269

Future cost is a new hub, so I can give Lindsay back his wheel.

[T-Bone]

I think Mike was going with the view that the frame etc. are "borrowed" from his track bike!! Just like my fixie has borrowed pedals, seatpost, and saddle from my touring bike.

Using the borrowed formula, m,y bike cost $300 for wheels, and about $30-50 for cables chain, bartape and stem. Everything else was from various junk boxes.

[mikesbytes]

Look what you find when you dig around. That configuration was horrid, especially on my injured shoulders, those handlebars were way too narrow.

Mind you in those days I had to ride for periods with one hand as the shoulder hurt so much. Funny after 4 years of injury it suddenly fixed itself.

The new configuration is much nicer