Fixed/Single Speed Commuting

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  • Greg T
    Greg T Posts: 3,266
    LonGSFGSGSGS is too hairy for me - I'd get myself into all kinds of trouble.

    They'd rumble me as an aspirant middle class middle manager and that would be the end of it.
    Fixed gear for wet weather / hairy roadie for posing in the sun.

    What would Thora Hurd do?
  • Littigator
    Littigator Posts: 1,262
    I too fear the same thing as they are all without doubt proper cyclists who would duff me up behind the bike sheds so much as look at me.

    My view on your problem, keep casting about for the right gizmo, there must be a gadget or tool that does what you're looking for and is cheaper than a new build wheel, seems a shame to bin such a nice old frame
    Roadie FCN: 3

    Fixed FCN: 6
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Greg T wrote:
    LonGSFGSGSGS is too hairy for me - I'd get myself into all kinds of trouble.

    They'd rumble me as an aspirant middle class middle manager and that would be the end of it.

    Probably sums half of them up anyway! TBH though Greg, Why not just bite the bullet and by an off the peg singlie - Pearson have the Bowery so cheap at the mo it seems rude not too. Otherwise take the Dawes down to Brixton Bikes one weekend, they'd be able to help you, good bunch down there.
  • Greg T
    Greg T Posts: 3,266
    JB I think you are right.....

    I fancy a bit of a winter project to keep me out of the house and in the shed drinking tea and eating biscuits.

    I'm thinking that I need a horizontal drop out / track ended frame as a starting point and I'm just storing up trouble with the Dawes.....

    Also on another thread (that I directed here...) Will Lea asked:
    I have a 15 mile commute to work across London and I use a standard Cannondale hybrid that does the job well. I am interested in getting a single speed bike (maybe a Langster/Charge Plug or similar to do my commute). Can anyone give me the pros & cons on single speeds for this type of use? Cheers, Will.

    I'm just trying it for a change to be honest......

    What about you blokes
    Fixed gear for wet weather / hairy roadie for posing in the sun.

    What would Thora Hurd do?
  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    Greg T wrote:
    JB I think you are right.....

    I fancy a bit of a winter project to keep me out of the house and in the shed drinking tea and eating biscuits.

    I'm thinking that I need a horizontal drop out / track ended frame as a starting point and I'm just storing up trouble with the Dawes.....

    Also on another thread (that I directed here...) Will Lea asked:
    I have a 15 mile commute to work across London and I use a standard Cannondale hybrid that does the job well. I am interested in getting a single speed bike (maybe a Langster/Charge Plug or similar to do my commute). Can anyone give me the pros & cons on single speeds for this type of use? Cheers, Will.

    I'm just trying it for a change to be honest......

    What about you blokes
    do it, get a track frame... then buy a otp singly cause you don't want to wreck the lovely project bike.. do it
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    is the dawes steel? If so you could get some track fork dropouts welded on...
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • Greg T
    Greg T Posts: 3,266
    ride_whenever wrote:
    is the dawes steel? If so you could get some track fork dropouts welded on...

    It is steel........

    The effort involved in finding someone to do this and then getting it done and then having the frame sprayed is surely on a par with just getting a proper frame?

    Non?
    Fixed gear for wet weather / hairy roadie for posing in the sun.

    What would Thora Hurd do?
  • Littigator
    Littigator Posts: 1,262
    What i get from my SS is a different style of riding and more diversity. It gives a new angle to my commute compared to my leisure riding which is all good.

    It also means I have another steel pony in the stable to fettle fiddle and f*ck about with and let's face it that's always a double plus good!
    Roadie FCN: 3

    Fixed FCN: 6
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Littigator wrote:
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    Right then, I've ordered the kool pads, thanks, and I will pay a visit to LBS man, and tell him about the hood-insert-brake-lever-lifty-things... which is also about as technical as I get... and we wonder why they laugh at us girls... :lol:

    LiT, if you wait until we have the next drinks I'll have a fiddle with your brakes (no sniggering at the back it was not an offer regarding rings or inches), see how they are after that with a lots less travel etc and then decide whether to change your levers.

    I've switched my pads, moved them closer to the rims and tightened up the cables and have a much better set up now than before.

    (cue me locking up the brakes on the way home and losing large amounts of skin.)

    Thanks Litts! :D

    That would be v handy. Hopefully my ultra-stoppy kool pads will have arrived and perhaps been fitted by then, so some fine-tuning would be fantastic!

    And Greg, you could perhaps contact a shop with a fixed guru in it, I took the gollum bike to Evans in Fulham when no-one else would fit a brake to it and a lovely chap called Tim Holroyd sorted it out, very friendly and helpful. Also, maybe Pearson's would give you some tips... they seemed v nice too...

    I don't like the FGFGSGSGFGSGFSGFSGFSGSSS peeps since they dissed my bike innit. :P
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Hmm, frameset about £1500, what do you reckon?

    CJ-lg.jpg
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    £1500?!?!?!?!??!?!

    Flippin' 'eck.

    I saw someone on a fashion fixie with writing on it that looked VERY similar to the bottom tube writing on that one.

    £1500 for a fashion fixie?

    Flippin' 'eck.

    And by fashion fixie I mean ridden by a guy dressed like a member of one of the myriad bands which begin with a 'k'...
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    new rear dropouts would be 105 quid from argos racing cycles.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    From the same company (Independent Fabrication):

    BlackJack%20large.jpg
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Oopsie - that last one is from Fixie Inc; the previous is Independent Fabrication.
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • Coriander
    Coriander Posts: 1,326
    That's pretty.

    But I keep being told I can't choose my bike solely on the basis of colour. :(
  • Greg T
    Greg T Posts: 3,266
    ride_whenever wrote:
    new rear dropouts would be 105 quid from argos racing cycles.

    Hmmmmm........

    So I could send it off,

    have a new set of drop outs stuck on

    Have all the braze ons and furniture taken off

    For just north of 200 notes....

    Now that isn't looking too far off the pace is it. Of course after that we have a myriad of chrome options......

    I might swap all the running gear off the tractor and see how the Dawes handles (it's been a while....)
    Fixed gear for wet weather / hairy roadie for posing in the sun.

    What would Thora Hurd do?
  • Littigator
    Littigator Posts: 1,262
    I saw an Independent with some fashionista dude with foppish (my word of the day) fringe riding it and his bar tape was all unravelled and very straggly.

    Imagine having a 1500 quid bike like that and treating it in that manner. If I had have known at the time I'd have taken him to task...by God Sir!
    Roadie FCN: 3

    Fixed FCN: 6
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    That's £1500 before saddle, pedals, wheels, deraill... oh.
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Straggly bar tape may well be the height of fashion for all we know...

    Maybe I should change my name so I begin with K and unravel mine...
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Yay, my Ring has been successfully enlarged. To my shame I had to don latex gloves and get down to business in front of all my colleagues (small office) one of the directors even offered to lend a hand although in the end just one of his fingers sufficed... it all got rather messy.

    Getting chain length right was a total pig, I've messed it up a bit... and the chain-tug won't fit now but it'll do for a while, think I'm going to have to order a new chain though, grrrr.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    BWahahahahahhaaaaa snicker snicker....

    Excellent!

    What's your GI now?
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • victor ludorum
    victor ludorum Posts: 310
    jashburnham wrote:
    Yay, my Ring has been successfully enlarged. To my shame I had to don latex gloves and get down to business in front of all my colleagues (small office) one of the directors even offered to lend a hand although in the end just one of his fingers sufficed... it all got rather messy.

    Getting chain length right was a total pig, I've messed it up a bit... and the chain-tug won't fit now but it'll do for a while, think I'm going to have to order a new chain though, grrrr.

    A small hand or a large finger usually suffices...
    Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.
    (John F Kennedy)

    Hairy Roadie (new scoring) FCN 1/2
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    82.1 I reckon. I have a sneaking suspicion that the chain will snap on the way home though...
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Cool cool... Maybe get a half-link one if it does... I do think they're better... but I haven't got one for the Bowery yet.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Can you get half link chains in blue though I wonder?
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    These ones come in white...

    http://www.winstanleysbmx.com/product/8 ... k_V2_Chain

    which I admit is not blue but still...

    kuih+tart+3.JPG
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    I'm not sure how much stronger a half link is inherently, the plates have a curve to them so they might not be as strong as a plate exclusively in tension if you see what i mean.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Also....

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... rrow-31664
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Cheers... think I'm going to go with KMC though as I use their chains on both geared bikes and they're very reliable. White wheels have still not turned up though, very upsetting!
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    which KMC?

    I'm personally a big fan of the connex wipperman Z1 star stainless chains, they're properly beefy!
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred

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