it has been ages since my last post, mainly due to laziness and lack of progress with the build. but in the last 2 weeks things have really stepped up.
I've had my frame powdercoated, and assembled all of the parts so that I now have something that looks like a bike.
all in all i'm really happy with how it is looking, pictures are to follow shortly.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Sunday, December 30, 2007
a seamstress I aint
I decided that this afternoon would be as good a time as any to sit down and sew on my elk hide toe clip covers.
It was quite tricky, bending the needle right away didn't really help, but once I got going I got the knack of it.
the leather is really soft, but will certainly be hard wearing so should stand up to the test of time pretty well. the thread they supply is also really tough (and waxy), so all in all some pretty good kit.
I'm really chuffed with how these have turned out and I think I've done a pretty good job. It is the kind of thing that will make my bike even more unique, which is really nice and the little leather patches look great with the straps (just as I hoped).
It was quite tricky, bending the needle right away didn't really help, but once I got going I got the knack of it.
the leather is really soft, but will certainly be hard wearing so should stand up to the test of time pretty well. the thread they supply is also really tough (and waxy), so all in all some pretty good kit.
I'm really chuffed with how these have turned out and I think I've done a pretty good job. It is the kind of thing that will make my bike even more unique, which is really nice and the little leather patches look great with the straps (just as I hoped).
Saturday, December 29, 2007
the loot
Abby and I had a really good Christmas this year. we hung out with my family, ate loads and opened lots of presents. I think it's fair to say that a good time was had by all, including Kano, my parents dog. he loves having people around and got to eat loads of leftovers. here is a pic of us relaxing by the fire. Kano is a cool dog, smelly, but cool.
right, now for the bike stuff. I was lucky enough to get quite a bit of bike stuff for Christmas, so here is what I got:
MKS Sylvan track pedals, NOS Christophe steel toe clips and black leather Christophe straps.
I also got some really cool little black leather (elk hide) covers that you sew onto the end of the toe clips. I've not got round to this yet, but will do in the next week or so. the toe clips will look really good with these on them.
A dirty harry brake lever.
Shimano 105 front brake
brake cable and cable housing
White Oury grips. these are really very, very cool.
I've put the brake lever and the grips onto my bars (the grips were really quite difficult to get on, i've got the friction burns on my hand to prove it!)
I should have a few more bits and bobs coming from my sister and Jim (her boyfriend) in the next few days. Jim's dad owns a bike shop that I would highly recommend you pay a visit to if you can, check out his website http://www.in-gearonline.co.uk/
anyway, they went to see him the other day and had a look through his box of spare parts and I believe there are some goodies on the way for me, although they wouldn't tell me what they are so that it is a surprise. I imagine Zoe will even wrap them up, she's a bit like that.
they will also be delivering (although sadly not as a present) some Navigator Pista track wheels, which I ordered up from Jim's dad, or Pete as he is otherwise known. I'll post a picture once they arrive, but if you stick the name into google then you'll find them easily. they are really tasty, black rims, black hubs and black spokes. once I have these my bike will actually start looking a bit like a bike, rather than a pile of parts. The wheels are threaded on both sides of the hub and come with 2 sprockets, one 15 tooth and one 16 tooth, and lock rings for both, so that will save me a few quid.
when I brought my frame it came with a headset attached to it via a cable tie. from what I can see all of the parts of the headset are present and correct. I have fitted it and it seems to work, but I'm not totally convinced. it doesn't seem as smooth as it should be and does make a bit of a noise. I'll see if it still does this when the wheels are attached and if so I think I'll get a new one.
So, I've got a bit to be getting on with and depending on what Zoe and Jim bring when they come round for New Year I might well have a lot to be putting together. Fingers crossed.
Happy New Year.
right, now for the bike stuff. I was lucky enough to get quite a bit of bike stuff for Christmas, so here is what I got:
MKS Sylvan track pedals, NOS Christophe steel toe clips and black leather Christophe straps.
I also got some really cool little black leather (elk hide) covers that you sew onto the end of the toe clips. I've not got round to this yet, but will do in the next week or so. the toe clips will look really good with these on them.
A dirty harry brake lever.
Shimano 105 front brake
brake cable and cable housing
White Oury grips. these are really very, very cool.
I've put the brake lever and the grips onto my bars (the grips were really quite difficult to get on, i've got the friction burns on my hand to prove it!)
I should have a few more bits and bobs coming from my sister and Jim (her boyfriend) in the next few days. Jim's dad owns a bike shop that I would highly recommend you pay a visit to if you can, check out his website http://www.in-gearonline.co.uk/
anyway, they went to see him the other day and had a look through his box of spare parts and I believe there are some goodies on the way for me, although they wouldn't tell me what they are so that it is a surprise. I imagine Zoe will even wrap them up, she's a bit like that.
they will also be delivering (although sadly not as a present) some Navigator Pista track wheels, which I ordered up from Jim's dad, or Pete as he is otherwise known. I'll post a picture once they arrive, but if you stick the name into google then you'll find them easily. they are really tasty, black rims, black hubs and black spokes. once I have these my bike will actually start looking a bit like a bike, rather than a pile of parts. The wheels are threaded on both sides of the hub and come with 2 sprockets, one 15 tooth and one 16 tooth, and lock rings for both, so that will save me a few quid.
when I brought my frame it came with a headset attached to it via a cable tie. from what I can see all of the parts of the headset are present and correct. I have fitted it and it seems to work, but I'm not totally convinced. it doesn't seem as smooth as it should be and does make a bit of a noise. I'll see if it still does this when the wheels are attached and if so I think I'll get a new one.
So, I've got a bit to be getting on with and depending on what Zoe and Jim bring when they come round for New Year I might well have a lot to be putting together. Fingers crossed.
Happy New Year.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
chop-chop
I got round to getting my handle bars chopped down a few weeks ago, I had 3.5" taken off each end.
they're a really good size now and quite a bit lighter. As you can see from the pic below they are slightly angled back which is nice, I think it looks a bit better than completely straight flat bars and once I've got some grips and a front brake on they will look great.
I'm hoping that father Christmas is kind this year and brings me lots of bike bits. be sure that another post will follow with pictures of any presents.
Merry Christmas!
they're a really good size now and quite a bit lighter. As you can see from the pic below they are slightly angled back which is nice, I think it looks a bit better than completely straight flat bars and once I've got some grips and a front brake on they will look great.
I'm hoping that father Christmas is kind this year and brings me lots of bike bits. be sure that another post will follow with pictures of any presents.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Salvage is the name of the game
I'm building my fixie on a tight budget, and so need to save wherever possible. With this in mind on Saturday just gone the Mrs and I paid a visit to my parents where I raided the garage.
I was initially just there to pinch some of my dads tools (spanners etc), but en route to the tools I walked past my old mountain bike, the wonderfully named 'Dawes Wild Cat'. As I walked past I noticed that there were a few parts I can make use of for my build. So I salvaged the following:
Quill stem (black, as I wanted)
Handel bars (to have 3.5" chopped off each end later this week)
Seat post
Saddle
I reckon by taking this stuff I've saved myself about 65 quid, which is a bit of a winner. I do intend to eventually upgrade the parts to get my bike looking exactly how I want it, but for now these will do nicely and get me on the road quite a bit earlier as I'll be able to put my limited funds to use elsewhere.
I was initially just there to pinch some of my dads tools (spanners etc), but en route to the tools I walked past my old mountain bike, the wonderfully named 'Dawes Wild Cat'. As I walked past I noticed that there were a few parts I can make use of for my build. So I salvaged the following:
Quill stem (black, as I wanted)
Handel bars (to have 3.5" chopped off each end later this week)
Seat post
Saddle
I reckon by taking this stuff I've saved myself about 65 quid, which is a bit of a winner. I do intend to eventually upgrade the parts to get my bike looking exactly how I want it, but for now these will do nicely and get me on the road quite a bit earlier as I'll be able to put my limited funds to use elsewhere.
Friday, December 7, 2007
the fixie project begins
So, after thinking about it for quite a while I have decided to build myself a fixie. I'm doing this, both because I really fancy owning (and riding) one - I've always been really drawn to fixed gear road bikes, but also because it will be a really good way for me to learn more about bike maintanence.
I've been doing some research and looking up what parts are required and what kind of things I'm after and now have quite a clear image of what I want the finished bike to look like. Originally I was planning on going for a brand new track style frame, with rear facing horizontal drop outs, that was until Abby and I stopped into Brick Lane Bikes last Saturday. They have a really good selection of frames there and the staff are really knowledgeable and helpful.
Anyway to cut a long story short I got myself a Lissignoli road frame from the early 80s. It's a pretty decent weight steel frame with front facing nearly horizontal dropouts, so ripe for a conversion. It was, once upon a time, a geared bike, but has all the characteristics of a great fixie build project. Until I saw the old Italian frames I was dead set on getting something new (thinking a Dolan, IRO etc), but there is something really appealing about these old Italian frames, I can't put my finger on it but it pressed the right buttons. they had a similar (slightly fancier) Lissignoli built up, which was great as it gave me a good idea of what my finished project will feel like. I gave that a test drive and it felt good, very good. it was my first proper go on a fixie and cemented in my mind that I really have to ride one. I also rode a similarly spec'd Dolan frame, but didn't get the same feeling from it (possibly due to it being aluminum?), and it was nearly triple the price.
Once I had tried the Lissignoli the newer frames just lost their appeal and all I could think about was creating something new and unique from something old. maybe it's the potential for real uniqueness that is appealing to me so much, what ever it is that has turned me on to these bikes I have most certainly been bitten by the bug. So, with some surprisingly forth coming encouragement from Abby (she really likes this frame too) I decided to bite the bullet and parted with £120 for the frame and forks, which is a pretty good price, give what I've seen elsewhere. I am building this bike on a very tight budget (which equates to as little as possible every so often), so am not going to go for top of the range performance parts, rather bits that I like the look of and that will enhance the overall project.
I've never really built anything before, never done any more bike maintanence then just a bit of tinkering so this is going to be a steep learning curve for me. Hence the blog. I'm going to use this blog to record the progress of my build, so that I can properly document each stage (to nostalgically look back on in years to come) and hopefully so others who decide to take up a build project for the first time like I am can learn from my mistakes, as I'm sure there will be quite a few.
So for now I'll post some pictures (once I work out how to) of the frame and forks, more will follow as I get more bits and start the build (probably after Christmas as I'm a bit broke at the moment).
I've been doing some research and looking up what parts are required and what kind of things I'm after and now have quite a clear image of what I want the finished bike to look like. Originally I was planning on going for a brand new track style frame, with rear facing horizontal drop outs, that was until Abby and I stopped into Brick Lane Bikes last Saturday. They have a really good selection of frames there and the staff are really knowledgeable and helpful.
Anyway to cut a long story short I got myself a Lissignoli road frame from the early 80s. It's a pretty decent weight steel frame with front facing nearly horizontal dropouts, so ripe for a conversion. It was, once upon a time, a geared bike, but has all the characteristics of a great fixie build project. Until I saw the old Italian frames I was dead set on getting something new (thinking a Dolan, IRO etc), but there is something really appealing about these old Italian frames, I can't put my finger on it but it pressed the right buttons. they had a similar (slightly fancier) Lissignoli built up, which was great as it gave me a good idea of what my finished project will feel like. I gave that a test drive and it felt good, very good. it was my first proper go on a fixie and cemented in my mind that I really have to ride one. I also rode a similarly spec'd Dolan frame, but didn't get the same feeling from it (possibly due to it being aluminum?), and it was nearly triple the price.
Once I had tried the Lissignoli the newer frames just lost their appeal and all I could think about was creating something new and unique from something old. maybe it's the potential for real uniqueness that is appealing to me so much, what ever it is that has turned me on to these bikes I have most certainly been bitten by the bug. So, with some surprisingly forth coming encouragement from Abby (she really likes this frame too) I decided to bite the bullet and parted with £120 for the frame and forks, which is a pretty good price, give what I've seen elsewhere. I am building this bike on a very tight budget (which equates to as little as possible every so often), so am not going to go for top of the range performance parts, rather bits that I like the look of and that will enhance the overall project.
I've never really built anything before, never done any more bike maintanence then just a bit of tinkering so this is going to be a steep learning curve for me. Hence the blog. I'm going to use this blog to record the progress of my build, so that I can properly document each stage (to nostalgically look back on in years to come) and hopefully so others who decide to take up a build project for the first time like I am can learn from my mistakes, as I'm sure there will be quite a few.
So for now I'll post some pictures (once I work out how to) of the frame and forks, more will follow as I get more bits and start the build (probably after Christmas as I'm a bit broke at the moment).
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