Commuter Fixie Build Part 1
FishermanJoe
Posts: 31
Hi Guys
Built myself my first Fixie earlier this year on a 1984 English Road bike frame and fell completely in love with "Fixed" to the point i sold my commuter a Tricross and decided to build a commuter fixie as i didn't want to use my other Fixie for every day.
Starting point ? Bought myself what i believe to be a 1986 Peugeot Premire complete original condition from my local bike recycling place sold as seen not safety checked or confirmed in working order hence £20
It was a cheapy carbolite frame nothing fancy but a solid platform to build a commuting Fixie on, there was allot of light surface rust but there didn't seem to be any dents or cracks etc It was filthy and not too petty but £20 well spent i think.
I took it home gave it a check over pumped up the tyres and adjusted the brakes and derailleurs, the perished tyres took 100 psi to my great amazement ! the brakes functioned well enough and even the derailleurs worked ! I decided to cycle her to work and after my shift strip her down and get my wife to pick me up. Arriving at work i steamed cleaned the bike and proceeded to spray it with WD40 every time i passed it untill my shift had finished. The rear tyre deflated shortly after i arrived at work but it got me there
First problem i noticed was the chain set was the cheaper riveted type so i couldn't change out to a single chain ring however my local bike recycle place sorted me out with another Peugeot one this time with detachable chain rings for pennies
so problem solved.
The seat and seat post would have to go too !
The bottom bracket whilst sounding as dry as a bone there was no play at all so i figured it must be in pretty good condition ? ...................Wrong ! As i stripped it the first cage bearing came out intact if not a bit rusty and dry however the second simply spilled out having completely disintegrated ! :shock: lesson learned always strip it even if it looks/sounds ok !
The spindle whilst looking pretty rough cleaned up very well no sign of wear as were the bottom bracket cups they cleaned up after a good soaking in WD40 and a dam good wire wooling
Likewise the headset cups were in very good condition once given a good clean and inspection the caged bearings looked in better condition than the BB bearing had been.
On the whole i was happy with my choice for the commuter Fixie and left work that day with a box of parts under my arm and the frame over my shoulder when my wife picked me up 8)
Now i had to give some thought as to how i was going to prep and refinish the frame ?? and the rebuild ?? What parts to keep what parts to renew ?? I decided to keep the original handle bars and the original stem as there was simply nothing wrong with them. I decide to replace the brake levers with a modern set. That old seat post had to go partly as it was too short and secondly as it looks horrible ! The wheels i would replace with a set of flip/flop hubs. The seat i shall replace with a charge racing type.
I decided to replace the bearings with loose bearings rather than cage type BB 11 each side vs only 9 in the cage type.
Plan to use the original brakes at the moment....................
Pretty little stem............................................
Lovely shiny replace seat post next to original 8)
Now to frame and finish ?? I decide due the the large amount of light surface rust all over bead blasting was the only course of action no point putting a good finish on top of rust !! Prep is every thing !
Before that i set about the frame with hacksaw,file and sand paper removing the derailleur hanger the gear lever brackets and even the mud guard lugs which looked horrible ! Hope the road racer ones fit !
Run out of url room lol
Joe
Built myself my first Fixie earlier this year on a 1984 English Road bike frame and fell completely in love with "Fixed" to the point i sold my commuter a Tricross and decided to build a commuter fixie as i didn't want to use my other Fixie for every day.
Starting point ? Bought myself what i believe to be a 1986 Peugeot Premire complete original condition from my local bike recycling place sold as seen not safety checked or confirmed in working order hence £20
It was a cheapy carbolite frame nothing fancy but a solid platform to build a commuting Fixie on, there was allot of light surface rust but there didn't seem to be any dents or cracks etc It was filthy and not too petty but £20 well spent i think.
I took it home gave it a check over pumped up the tyres and adjusted the brakes and derailleurs, the perished tyres took 100 psi to my great amazement ! the brakes functioned well enough and even the derailleurs worked ! I decided to cycle her to work and after my shift strip her down and get my wife to pick me up. Arriving at work i steamed cleaned the bike and proceeded to spray it with WD40 every time i passed it untill my shift had finished. The rear tyre deflated shortly after i arrived at work but it got me there
First problem i noticed was the chain set was the cheaper riveted type so i couldn't change out to a single chain ring however my local bike recycle place sorted me out with another Peugeot one this time with detachable chain rings for pennies
so problem solved.
The seat and seat post would have to go too !
The bottom bracket whilst sounding as dry as a bone there was no play at all so i figured it must be in pretty good condition ? ...................Wrong ! As i stripped it the first cage bearing came out intact if not a bit rusty and dry however the second simply spilled out having completely disintegrated ! :shock: lesson learned always strip it even if it looks/sounds ok !
The spindle whilst looking pretty rough cleaned up very well no sign of wear as were the bottom bracket cups they cleaned up after a good soaking in WD40 and a dam good wire wooling
Likewise the headset cups were in very good condition once given a good clean and inspection the caged bearings looked in better condition than the BB bearing had been.
On the whole i was happy with my choice for the commuter Fixie and left work that day with a box of parts under my arm and the frame over my shoulder when my wife picked me up 8)
Now i had to give some thought as to how i was going to prep and refinish the frame ?? and the rebuild ?? What parts to keep what parts to renew ?? I decided to keep the original handle bars and the original stem as there was simply nothing wrong with them. I decide to replace the brake levers with a modern set. That old seat post had to go partly as it was too short and secondly as it looks horrible ! The wheels i would replace with a set of flip/flop hubs. The seat i shall replace with a charge racing type.
I decided to replace the bearings with loose bearings rather than cage type BB 11 each side vs only 9 in the cage type.
Plan to use the original brakes at the moment....................
Pretty little stem............................................
Lovely shiny replace seat post next to original 8)
Now to frame and finish ?? I decide due the the large amount of light surface rust all over bead blasting was the only course of action no point putting a good finish on top of rust !! Prep is every thing !
Before that i set about the frame with hacksaw,file and sand paper removing the derailleur hanger the gear lever brackets and even the mud guard lugs which looked horrible ! Hope the road racer ones fit !
Run out of url room lol
Joe
0
Comments
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HI Guys
The unsightly mud guard lugs had to go ! :roll:
When i picked her up from the bead blasting guy i didn't recognise her ! no scratches, no dents no cracks ! 8) It looked almost brand new !
Wow !
Wow ! and notice the now missing derailleur hanger 8)
Seeing the newly blasted frame i decided there and then it had to be powdered coated what with it being a commuter Fixie bike used 365 days a year a hard life in store and colour wise it had to scream "bespoke" "custom build" yes i was getting deeper and deeper into this build but having a huge amount of fun
I settled on Pantone 3395 green and i think it has achieved the desired objective !
What i difference ! wouldn't even recognise her from her old Peugeot livery !!
Again no unsightly derailleur hanger ...........................
Freshly cleaned headset bearing cups pressed back into place ......................................
Things coming together......................................
My build is currently stalled ! apon fitting the new brake levers i discovered that i must lay the cable along the bars "before" i can wrap the bars :oops: and then i find that every local shop does not have white brake cable sleeve in stock ! so im currently waiting on the white cable to arrive !! :evil:
Joe0 -
Real interesting post and a fine looking bike you got/you created there!!
Looking forward to seeing the finished bike.
ps. how much does it roughly cost to blast and paint a bicycle frame btw? I'm doing a single speed conversion to my Charge cx over the winter and while the paint is fine maybe at some point I'd like to change it.0 -
Hi Guys
Thankfully the postman delivered my white bake cables yesterday and i was able to complete the build i have to say im delighted with her except for mucking up the off side bar tape wrap slightly :oops: but lesson learned better next time, i loved the whole idea of recycling an old bike to be useful again and hopefully give many more years service. Todays etho's of constant "up grade" what ever it may be whilst pretending to be environmentally friendly i find distasteful !
Also the project was great fun and as the powder coat guy said you will intimately know every nut bolt, bearing and washer and i do 8)
Before.......................................................................
After.....................................................
I'm glad i waited for the white cable too ......................
The modern brake levers and running of the cable really transform the look modern but "Classic" 8)
I'm running a 15T cog on the back and 42T chain ring giving me a very similar ratio and gear inches to my other Fixie enjoyed it so much i might have to build another but i shall keep my eyes open for a real fancy pretty frame.
Oh the bead blasting cost me £15 and the powder coating £40..........investment well spent i feel.
Happy New year
Joe0 -
I'm not a Fixie or even a road bike kind of guy, but that is a really nice job, simple, classical and elegant.
I have a women's Peugeot frame in the shed that looks like it's the same era, same colour scheme, stickers, and everything.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0 -
That looks really, really nice. Great job. I run 48/17 so also about 74", which after some experimentation I reckon is just about the perfect compromise.
Would maybe look even cooler with just the front brake - I like the Dirty Harry lever - never miss having a rear brake either for commuting or on the flatter club runs.
Happy riding in any event.0 -
Hi Guys
I have now fitted a set of Road racer mudguards which i wasn't sure would fit over my 700 x 28 swalbe marathon plus tyres but they do "just" Also my battery pack and front light sadly these do not add to the refined look but after all this was built as a commuter.
Would you believe just when you think alls done something catches you off guard ! Saturday afternoon i decided to fit the pedals and take her for a spin finish adjusting seat etc Snag !! right hand pedal would not fit !! :shock: id forgot the right hand crank was not from the original bike like the left side was but was from the box at the bike recycle place .............blooming French 14mm-1.25 I like simple foot straps on my pedals which are 9/16 -20 :oops: This put pay to all my plans and test road before work commute Monday..................
This is where i say a big thank you to Raymond at the Bike and Ski clinic in Brighton's after work to day drove up and despite Raymond being extremely busy building up a very expensive set of wheels he let me borrow his 9/16 - 20 RH tap a vice some oil and a few nervous minutes later i had tapped out the old French crank from 14mm to 9/16 8) the pedal fits like a glove !
First commute tomorrow took her out late afternoon just around the streets she feels amazing ! smooth, slick and solid she rides as good as she looks. I cant believe how different the rides feels when compared to how she felt before. I am delighted with the whole project even if the pedal caper had me worried for a while
Re Brakes on my fun Fixie i have only a front brake and of the type you describe on this build i decided to go with two simply because if goes well with the drop bars, secondly an extra brake can be handy if some thing jumps out in front real quick and thirdly Peugeot made two ruddy great wholes in the frame at an angle that i think would have looked silly if left empty Im beginning to think i got a bit carried away with this build 
Joe0 -
Why did you take off the guard mounts and then add cruds?0
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All there in the first post!FishermanJoe wrote:Before that I set about the frame with hacksaw,file and sand paper removing the dérailleur hanger the gear lever brackets and even the mud guard lugs which looked horrible!Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0 -
Nice colour. Just about to build a bike for a friend and she's selected the same colour0
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All there in the first post!FishermanJoe wrote:Before that I set about the frame with hacksaw,file and sand paper removing the dérailleur hanger the gear lever brackets and even the mud guard lugs which looked horrible!
But not the why? Seems perverse to remove the mudguard eyes on a frame that's to be a commuter, then have to fit Cruds. The frame had the mounting points and clearance for proper mudguards, which is what I'd want on a commuter.0 -
Why is highlighted for you.
All there in the first post!FishermanJoe wrote:Before that I set about the frame with hacksaw,file and sand paper removing the dérailleur hanger the gear lever brackets and even the mud guard lugs which looked horrible!
But not the why? Seems perverse to remove the mudguard eyes on a frame that's to be a commuter, then have to fit Cruds. The frame had the mounting points and clearance for proper mudguards, which is what I'd want on a commuter.
Personally I'd have left them on (minimise them first) but the OP decided what he wanted.
Bit of an Easter posting by the way!Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0 -
I'd describe an open fracture of tib and fib as looking horrible.
A small tapped hole near a dropout? - not so much0 -
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder........his bike, his choice at the end of the day, bit too late to try and change his mind on a 10 month old thread when he'd already done it at that point anyway!Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
