The Summer Bike Project

Greg T

So then.

I had an itch (surprisingly this had nothing to do with poor personal hygene / shameful and instantly regretted sexual contact) to build a bike up from scratch, overcoming all of the issues of compatibility / chainline / sizing / cost / effort that this involves....

However the drama of compatibility / chainline / sizing / cost / effort etc etc was too great and the risk of me spending a load of time and money on bodging together a bike that I then didn't want to ride was high....

I took the middle option of buying an off the shelf fixie, Kona Paddy Wagon and I've tinkerd with it a bit...

With winter coming on I'm thinking of sticking mud guards on it and perhaps even some comedy panniers - for I have a long goal in mind that will allow this workhorse to do it's job when it's too dark for anyone to see me......

Hello I am Greg T and I'm a shallow appearance driven bike geek.

Now I know that I like fixies - despite the lack of shining light and heavenly singing - so I'm now thinking that over the long dark winter I'm going to assemble the Summer Project Bike.

A bike of such absolute zero cool that it will leave a vapour trail behind me, a bike of such beauty that it will hurt the eyes of anyone gazing upon its crisp lines.....

However - in order to build this bike under the radar of the Domestic CFO and audit committee I'm going to have to stagger my build to prevent spikes in my "non agreed spend" profile. I'm thinking of a bit of kit a month......

This gives us (for I am technically naive and thick to boot - I'll need help) time to decide on the overall look of the beast and also the individual elements and components that will build it......

We have all winter to get it right and when the lights go on again in spring the Summer Bike Project can emerge in glory.......

Does this idea have legs - who will help me decide on the kit that will clad the SBP?

I'm thinking that this is the order of business


The Concept - Oct
Frame / Forks - Nov
Hubs / Rims / Tyres - Dec
Cranks / Chainring / Chain - Jan
Head Stem / Bars - Feb
Seat Post / Saddle - Mar
Brake Levers / mechanism - Apr

We can book May for taking the heap of mangled bits, stripped threads and broken chain links to the LBS and get them to unfuck my bike.....

lost_in_thought

Sounds like fun!

I, however, will step aside in an 'ooooh no I'm a laydeee and do laydeeees things' manner and let the people who know what they're talking about give the advice!

Greg T

Peoplle rarely know what they are talking about - they make it up as they go along ,hopping from one tenuous fact to another, occasionally they have a firm footing and capitalise on it but this is rare......

I'm hoping that we have enough bubbles of experienceand knowledge to build a very simple mode of transport with several moving parts.....

Clever Pun

That's what I'm going

it's all going to be based around what kind of track? frame you pick up. The style's got to suit the frame.

I'm rocking the pure classic route, I've only just decided to get hoods instead of little bmx brakes as that's where I spend most of my cycle time.

I trust your little piece month by month will involve carefully selected items of shiny greatness?


Here's something for you from LFGG

Cranks

Best

Suntour
Campagnolo Record
Sugino 75
Dura-Ace Track

Better

White Industries
Paul Comp
FSA
Truativ
Miche
Stronglight

Good

Sugino RD
Alien / Origin / Andel / Pake
RPM

Chainrings

Best

Sugino Zen Messenger
Sugino Zen Racing
Sugino 75
Sugino Mighty Compe
Dura Ace Track
Blackspire
Campagnolo

Better

Sugino Messenger
Sugino RD
Miche
FSA
Stronglight
SJS / Thorn
Gebhart

Good

Andel
TA Specialites

Greg T

Clever Pun wrote:

I'm rocking the pure classic route,

This has got to be the way forward......

Classic Skinny Italian Steel........

Lots of chrome, steel post, steel bars.....

Shiny "Phil Woods?" hubs.....

cjcp

Had the exact same problem last winter.

To create the right impression, I began by selling components I said would not be suitable (based on circumference etc) to part-fund the purchase of whichever pram was considered to be the most appropriate at the time. I then bought bit by bit.

I also set up an offshore company (based in the BVI) through which orders could be placed.

Is this a SS project?

Clever Pun

Greg T wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

I'm rocking the pure classic route,

This has got to be the way forward......

Classic Skinny Italian Steel........

Lots of chrome, steel post, steel bars.....

Shiny "Phil Woods?" hubs.....

with phil wood cogs natch... they are stunning hubs I went for fixed/fixed with a 15 and 17t options, I got mine from hubjub as it's about the same price as the US but with no import tax... My missus got them for me as a present SCORE.

I'm thinking of brooks brown leather seat and matching leather bar tape as well, white hoods if I can find some

nitto handle bars... some sort of shiny track seat post and I'm ready to go

Greg T

cjcp wrote:

Is this a SS project?

Fixed - also you are a player of the wife game that I can learn much from...

CP - you seem to be building my bike......

Now where can I score a cool frame, Campyoldy or whatever it's called has some horror show colour schemes.... at pre credit crunch prices.....

Clever Pun

Greg T wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Is this a SS project?

Fixed - also you are a player of the wife game that I can learn much from...

CP - you seem to be building my bike......

Now where can I score a cool frame, Campyoldy or whatever it's called has some horror show colour schemes.... at pre credit crunch prices.....

you're copying me old man...

I got a mills frame from ebay in the end... have a look be patient and be prepared to pay for something that little bit special

Mine still needs the reynolds tubing brought out with some white paint, I'm not sure I'm up to the job...

My missus has pinged my project for what it is... "It just seems to bea bike you buy expensive shiny things for"
Guilty as charged, she seems surprised I didn't build my own wheels.... one step at a time

Greg T

Clever Pun wrote:

be patient :

Ah.

yeah you see there's the problem.....

I'm not a patient kind of guy.....

Should I hold out for a Gucci old frame that has all sorts of odd sizings and threads and what not but is icycold or

go to a frame builder and get one made up....... so that all the bits and threads are right and I know that it's not made out of Balsa wood.

Clever Pun

Greg T wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

be patient :

Ah.

yeah you see there's the problem.....

I'm not a patient kind of guy.....

Should I hold out for a Gucci old frame that has all sorts of odd sizings and threads and what not but is icycold or

go to a frame builder and get one made up....... so that all the bits and threads are right and I know that it's not made out of Balsa wood.

that sounds like a cracking idea... what would you base it on? geometry? style?

sufferingpete

In order to help myself and others with similar schemes of marital deception how are you going to hide the £2500 for the fame and forks from the wife?

Littigator

I have no money, a very clever wife that nothing slips past and a very cheap fixie


I hate you all!

il_principe

Greg - Try http://www.tourdeville.co.uk/, http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk and http://www.freshtripe.co.uk/Freshtripe/Blog/Blog.html for frames and bits. As well as http://www.hubjub.co.uk/ and http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/ for bits.

You know you're never going to get this past the wife. I've taken the sensible option of remaining wifeless for now. That way my disposable income can actually be spent by me.

Greg T

sufferingpete wrote:

In order to help myself and others with similar schemes of marital deception how are you going to hide the £2500 for the fame and forks from the wife?

Yes this is going to be the challenge.....

I can slip 250 quid a throw under the radar and claim that some bit had broken or there was a sale on, or not eating lunch for month......

The big ticket single items are going to be tricky as they will almost certainly appear on her expense dashboard and I'll be up before the ethics board "how can you take the food out of your child's mouth" etc etc before you say "all you do is sit at home all day whilst i go to work".......

I could ask for the frame as a Christmas present - swap my cheap components over and build the SBP up over the coming months...

Let's not let it go public that components cost money......

I'll have a look at your Bike porn sites JB, cheers

Greg T

Stoopid question no 1....

120mm is the "standard" spacing on the drop outs for a singlie - non? That will be the provide a centre line spacing to the cog of XXX mm, anyone know what the XXX is?

My understanding is that this then drives the bottome bracket / crank / spider deal as this centre line needs to match.

Stoopid question 2

What's the deal with seat post diameters?

I understand that this can be tricky.....

cjcp

Greg T wrote:

sufferingpete wrote:

In order to help myself and others with similar schemes of marital deception how are you going to hide the £2500 for the fame and forks from the wife?

Yes this is going to be the challenge.....

I can slip 250 quid a throw under the radar and claim that some bit had broken or there was a sale on, or not eating lunch for month......

The big ticket single items are going to be tricky as they will almost certainly appear on her expense dashboard and I'll be up before the ethics board "how can you take the food out of your child's mouth" etc etc before you say "all you do is sit at home all day whilst i go to work".......

I could ask for the frame as a Christmas present - swap my cheap components over and build the SBP up over the coming months...

Let's not let it go public that components cost money......

I'll have a look at your Bike porn sites JB, cheers

1. Eat soup and bread for lunch and spend the money saved up on bike bits.

2. Sell, buy, sell, buy, sell, buy, to create the illusion that you are prepared to make sacrifices for your purchases.

3. Also, ask that any birthday or Christmas presents be project-related.

4. Treat the good lady to a surprise manicure or something or offer to take Bianchi out on a Saturday while she sits in doors or has coffee with her friends. In the meantime, you are in Sigma Sport with a laden pram or Baby Bjorn sourcing various componentry.

Clever Pun

for No 2 (hee hee hee)

if in doubt get the smaller post and use a shim (there are 2 sizes from my experience 27.2 and a bigger one)

I think

salsarider79

On my bike, 120mm spacing provided a perfect chain line when paired up to a 109.5mm Dura Ace Track BB + Cranks, and an FSA Gossamer chainset. Can figure out xxx, but then I've just tried stuff...

Clever Pun

sufferingpete wrote:

In order to help myself and others with similar schemes of marital deception how are you going to hide the £2500 for the fame and forks from the wife?

I pay into a joint account for bills and the like each month the rest is mine to deal with as I please

I find giving good presents at the right times gives you sh!tloads of leeway. When I say good I mean one that make all her friends jealous

lost_in_thought

I'm seeing into the devious mind of a married man here...

I'm going to tell all my female friends about your scheming... OK, both of them...

Clever Pun

lost_in_thought wrote:

I'm seeing into the devious mind of a married man here...

I'm going to tell all my female friends about your scheming... OK, both of them...

How would knowing about it help?

I'm not allowed to keep my shiny crank? Well I guess you didn't want a night in bray after dinner at the fat duck after all... shame would have been nice

lost_in_thought

Not you so much CP... more Greg...!

Greg T

lost_in_thought wrote:

I'm going to tell all my female friends about your scheming... OK, both of them...

You are in the circle of trust now LiTs anything you say in here stays in here, letting this kind of stuff out into the public domain will make women even more paranoid, controlling and emotional than they already are...

Queue Burds blubbing.

120mm rear spacing it is.

Sheldon has an entire DB on seat post sizes - it would appear that every bike on Earth has a different diameter - probably best to source the frame and then get everything else to fit....

I don't understand Bottom Brackets Gnurk fnarr gnurk at all.....

I get that they allow the cranks to turn and slot in and out but after that I'm all over the place. If I go down the new frame route will the BB sizing be a standard size that i can get a unit to fit in with minimal drama and shouting?

Littigator

Clever Pun wrote:

for No 2 (hee hee hee)

if in doubt get the smaller post and use a shim (there are 2 sizes from my experience 27.2 and a bigger one)

I think

yeah it's 27.2 and 31.(7)(?) but a shim will see you good if you get the wrong one.

lost_in_thought

Greg T wrote:

I don't understand Bottom Brackets Gnurk fnarr gnurk at all.....

I get that they allow the cranks to turn and slot in and out but after that I'm all over the place. If I go down the new frame route will the BB sizing be a standard size that i can get a unit to fit in with minimal drama and shouting?

chortle chortle...

And OK, your secret's safe with me.

Greg T

If I'm going to get a frame made (or buy one new) from a farme builder what London options do I have or have I got to fabricate an elaborate "I've always fancied a weekend in Leeds..." story to get to Bob Jackson?

rjeffroy

London framebuilder options:

Witcomb
Roberts

Greg T

rjeffroy wrote:

London framebuilder options:

Witcomb
Roberts

Thanks Chap,

Witcomb is just over the river from here in the wharf so I'm going to go over one lunch time and have a look. Looks very Old School and cool.

I did consider Condor but every other bike downstairs is a Condor....

linsen

I have an idea. Buy the bits you need for the bike for your wife and then look surprised when she says she doesn't want them. Then use them for your bike. My husband does that with CDs - works every time

il_principe

Greg T wrote:

rjeffroy wrote:

London framebuilder options:

Witcomb
Roberts

Thanks Chap,

Witcomb is just over the river from here in the wharf so I'm going to go over one lunch time and have a look. Looks very Old School and cool.

I did consider Condor but every other bike downstairs is a Condor....

Bankers eh? :roll: