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01-07-04, 01:03 PM
I really enjoy riding my first fixed gear bike. It is an old English 3 speed (Philips Ranger) that has been converted into a fixed gear bike some time ago. I bought it used and already in fixed condition. It's a great bike to ride, but with its gas pipe tubing it weighs very heavy and the archaic schwinn s-5 sized wheels don't leave many tire options.
Walking along the back of my friend's apartment, I stumble upon an old Trek 510 road frame lying next to a dumpster without any wheels. It was light and the imron paint held up remarkably well to be exposed to the elements. From the serial number on the bottom bracket, I was able to look up that it was a 1984 frame. I built up new wheels and set forth on that bike. The cranks were 170mm and the spider had bolts instead of rivets and so it was easy to covert to fixed. It was a blast to ride, but it was smaller than what would comfortably fit me and my girlfriend needed a bike. And so I gave it to her.
Using my old English bike as my winter beater, I now embark on a new project. Browsing eBay I stumble upon a frame and fork that was going for cheap. Interestingly enough, it was a Look carbon fiber frame and fork. I checked it out and the reason why it was so cheap was because the non replacable derailuer hanger had been broken off. The main attraction to this frame is the near horizontal dropouts in the back. They are a bit steeper than Campy style dropouts but they are long enough to give a good deal of adjustment to the wheels.
I snatched up the frame for a good price and now I am working on creating a new fixed gear setup. My biggest problem so far was the internal cable routing set up in the top tube. I was able to laboriously work out that copper tube with a pair of pliers so I can have a smooth, even top tube. However, I now have two oval openings in the top tube that need to be covered up.
Anyone have any ideas on how to cover them up? I was thinking of covering it up with some carbon fiber fabric and using epoxy to do a crude wet lay up but it seems so expensive for so little benefit.
One other concern I have is length of the bottom bracket spindle. I have never done a complete road coversion before without a preinstalled bottom bracket so I am unsure on what the average length is for a single chainring.
Any help would be appreciated.
Walking along the back of my friend's apartment, I stumble upon an old Trek 510 road frame lying next to a dumpster without any wheels. It was light and the imron paint held up remarkably well to be exposed to the elements. From the serial number on the bottom bracket, I was able to look up that it was a 1984 frame. I built up new wheels and set forth on that bike. The cranks were 170mm and the spider had bolts instead of rivets and so it was easy to covert to fixed. It was a blast to ride, but it was smaller than what would comfortably fit me and my girlfriend needed a bike. And so I gave it to her.
Using my old English bike as my winter beater, I now embark on a new project. Browsing eBay I stumble upon a frame and fork that was going for cheap. Interestingly enough, it was a Look carbon fiber frame and fork. I checked it out and the reason why it was so cheap was because the non replacable derailuer hanger had been broken off. The main attraction to this frame is the near horizontal dropouts in the back. They are a bit steeper than Campy style dropouts but they are long enough to give a good deal of adjustment to the wheels.
I snatched up the frame for a good price and now I am working on creating a new fixed gear setup. My biggest problem so far was the internal cable routing set up in the top tube. I was able to laboriously work out that copper tube with a pair of pliers so I can have a smooth, even top tube. However, I now have two oval openings in the top tube that need to be covered up.
Anyone have any ideas on how to cover them up? I was thinking of covering it up with some carbon fiber fabric and using epoxy to do a crude wet lay up but it seems so expensive for so little benefit.
One other concern I have is length of the bottom bracket spindle. I have never done a complete road coversion before without a preinstalled bottom bracket so I am unsure on what the average length is for a single chainring.
Any help would be appreciated.