The Fixie Thread

[Rik]

Gloss black with metallic grey highlighting of lugs. Stealthy with style

 

[DaGonz]

Bead blast it, polish the lugs, deep red, almost marrone (sp?) on the tubes...


...at least I'd love a nice steel jobbie done like that

Cheers
Gonz

 

[Carlin]

I'm thinking primary colours. Get some coloured Deep Vee's and match them to the lugs. Then a nice contrast on the tubes and the forks and you will be styling.

Also match your saddle and bar tape (as if you wouldn't )

 

[idesa]

Black frame with white headtube (leave the lugs black), seatstay and chainstay (again leave lugs black). Looks trick but not over stated, and gives just the right amount of flare to the lugs.


Oh yeah, of course you'd have bright orange Vee's laced to black Phil's!!!

 

[LordNikon]

Like this DaGonz?

 

[hubbie]

got a colour combo for my fixie. lilac (similar to fly pantera BMX) pearl overlay, then navy blue pinstriping around lugs. high polished bars with no griptape, high polished seatpost. Silver velocity track wheelset with silver stainless spokes, etc etc

QQ: what's the difference between fixie cranks and normal ones?

 

[LTR]

Q: what's the difference between fixie cranks and normal ones?

The spacing is different, in order to get a perfect chain-line with non-track cranks, you will have space chainrings and BB's. (Unless you are really lucky.)
The length of the crank is also typically different, however anything under 170mm is no worries.

 

[hubbie]

if i'm running a cassette rear wheel for the non-fixie (just SS) will i be able to just space the cog correctly? cheers boys

 

[Labcanary]

finally built one

Well I finally got around to building up a fixed gear bike for myself, I converted an older model Norco something-or-other MTB. It started out as a freewheeling SS until I could get my hands on all the bits needed. Thanks to Mark at BAC, Dan at Shifter Bikes and Jay at Bicycle Recycle I managed to keep it sub $60 initially...
I covered it in duct-tape for that "why bother stealing me?" appeal and it has a bottle opener bolted to the top of the seat stays. All the necessary accessories

 

[idesa]

if i'm running a cassette rear wheel for the non-fixie (just SS) will i be able to just space the cog correctly? cheers boys

You might get lucky and find that the spacing using said wheel and current cranks lines up nice i.e. between 1-2mm. Have a muck around with the placement of the chainring, and also if you're using a ball 'n cone BB then you can flip the spindle as well which gives you a few more options.

Happy building

 

[hubbie]

You might get lucky and find that the spacing using said wheel and current cranks lines up nice i.e. between 1-2mm. Have a muck around with the placement of the chainring, and also if you're using a ball 'n cone BB then you can flip the spindle as well which gives you a few more options.

Happy building

cheers matey. should be stripping down the frames, and priming on tuesday i hope.

one other question. is it really safe with just a front brake? is it not likely to send you over the bars everytime, if you're coming down from high speed, cos if i'm not going to run a back brake, i'd like to take off the cable guides with a grinder, but i want it safe to use around Sydney city etc.


Oh, and on my SS, if i pull the cable housing out of the internal routing will i be able to easily get it back in, or should i leave it as is?

cheers

 

[LordNikon]

If you really jump on the front brake you might go OTB. But it's no different to an MTB really. If you brake on the front too hard the back wheel will lift, at which point the rear brake isn't doing anything anyway.

The goal should be to be able to ride without using the brake, I use mine maybe once a week. Still freaks me out riding with no brake though.

 

['Ross]

Here's something for all you fixie lovers

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007/mar/En1tph.htm

Looks fantastic, anyone know how he got that finish? Is all of the detail actually painted on or did he cover the frame with something? I couldn't find any info.

 

[Dicky]

Here's something for all you fixie lovers

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007/mar/En1tph.htm

Looks fantastic, anyone know how he got that finish? Is all of the detail actually painted on or did he cover the frame with something? I couldn't find any info.

Découpage (french, meaning to soak pictures in glue and stick them to stuff, then lacquer / clearcoat over the top) is my guess.

Dunno about the pink though.


*edit: that would look rad with scanned/reprinted Aussie $1 or $2 notes instead...


I've always wanted to do this to a bike... but shite it looks like a lot of work.

 

[idesa]

By the looks of it he's painted it cream then pasted the découpage over the top, then covered with copious layers of lacquer.

 

[idesa]

Hey where are all you bitches at???
Anyone got any new projects goin down or what?
Show your wears boys/(girls?)

 

[Dicky]

1. before
2. yay I have wheels

3. soon

current status: brazeons, rack mounts & mech hanger removed
sanded / de-rusted / primed
awaiting 1st coat of metallic charcoal

frame: semi-heavy old thing with 'aero' tubes (haha)
cranks/BB: 1980s Shimano 600
headset: Tange
wheels: Joytech / Araya singlewall
bars: Profile
seat: Giant
post: Sakae (SR)

plans: front brake, ultra gators, 42:16, SPDs, polish EVERYTHING!


more info and related faffle here: http://fixed.org.au/forums/index.php/topic,1974.0.html

 

[idesa]

Lookin good Dicky, keep 'em comin mate!

 

[Pete J]

I finally am getting the toeclips i was asking about, the local importer hooked me up and i am waiting with glee!
On a less happy note, i missed out on scoring a really nice lugged frame that i had spotted at a secondhand dealers yard. It was sitting in a pile of other 'junk' frames and all i had to do was go ask for it. However i waited too long and now it has gone to the tip or scrapyard! Crap!! I'm spewing at the moment.

 

[liamo]

Anyone got any new projects goin down or what?

Well... I recently bought an oldie to turn into a fixie.

I got a mid/late 80's Centurion. Tange Prestige, full Shimano 600 kit, Nitto bars/stem, etc. The frame and every component is made in Japan (apart from the pedals, seat and front tyre but I'm working on those), you don't see this kind of bike too often.

It's all original and in bloody good nick for its age, the rims have still got the anodising on the braking surface (now that was a good idea ), original brake and gear cable housings, even the original tyres (one of which I threw out, rubber doesn't seem to last 20 years ). It's a damn fine ride, all I did was tweak the spoke tension, put on a new tyre and it's running perfectly, didn't even need to adjust the gears.

Problem is I can't bring myself to do it! The gears are staying. Now, it's not that I don't want to ride a fixie, that's WHY I bought the bike, just that everytime I go to remove the gears it feels like I'm destroying a classic piece of kit.

So, am I just being lame or have any of the fixie fanatics out there had a hard time making the conversion for this kind of reason?

Liam