Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Fresh Meat

I'm rolling a fixie as of this morning. I just picked up my new Bianchi Pista (http://www.bianchiusa.com/pista.html) , and did ~50 miles on it today. Twenty minutes after I got it, I was doing monster climbs and the 30+ mph descents that came with them. She tried to buck me off once or twice, but we're cool now. I need a new seat, but I'm broke now, so it'll have to stay 'chrome' for the time being. I put light grey Crank Bros. Candy pedals on her so I can switch back to the Peugeot (which has blue Candy's) if I need to. I made the LBS put on a Shimano 105 front brake (moto-style) and a dummy lever on the left. The dummy actually looks pretty good.

As soon as I got home, I pulled off all of the extraneous stickers and blacked out the tires and the bianchiusa.com logo with a magic marker. I then named her 'Ping' (Chinese for graceful/beautiful) and sacrificed a live innertube. We're going to start our own one person cult, and live happily ever after... Until we have to drink the grape Kool-Aid, ala Jim Jones (http://www.cultbuster.faithweb.com/jimjones.htm) and/or this post by Superchivo. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=42070)

You put Candys on it! No wonder you can't afford a seat.

were you able to pull off the decals too?? good to hear the pista climbs as well as it handles the flat streets of chicago. yeah that seat's terrible I picked up a fizik

I think Candy's are the best commuter pedals around. They have just the right amount of platform.
I couldn't pull off all of the decals. Some of them are under the clearcoat. :(
I want the WTB seat here (http://www.wtb.com/speed_v.html). It's comfortable, AND chrome.

That is a sweet looking bike, gratz. I'm just gonna keep saving my money up and wait for a good deal. Thinking the next city police auction, try to rescue someone's stolen 10 speed and at least give it a good new home as a converted fixed.

I have considered picking up a good set of wheels and a lock ring with 120 spacing and just waiting for the right bike to put em on. Would that mean I'm obsessive if I buy wheels for a bike I don't even own? I want to build the whole thing myself, strip the frame down, paint it, put it all back together.

Will 700c track wheels with 120 spacing fit ok on most older 10 speeds that had 27's originally?

That is a sweet looking bike, gratz. I'm just gonna keep saving my money up and wait for a good deal. Thinking the next city police auction, try to rescue someone's stolen 10 speed and at least give it a good new home as a converted fixed.

I have considered picking up a good set of wheels and a lock ring with 120 spacing and just waiting for the right bike to put em on. Would that mean I'm obsessive if I buy wheels for a bike I don't even own? I want to build the whole thing myself, strip the frame down, paint it, put it all back together.

Will 700c track wheels with 120 spacing fit ok on most older 10 speeds that had 27's originally?
Probably not. Most are 126. You can buy spacers and a longer axle from Harris and respace to whatever you want.116,130,135 or whatever. If you find the wheels youwant don.t worry about the spacing it can be address at a later time.

fixedgearhead

But 700cs will definately fit a 27" frame :)

Until we have to drink the grape Kool-Aid, ala this post by Superchivo.[/URL]

I don't know about Kool-Aid, but my understanding is that there will be beer and Krispy Kremes available early tomorrow morning at casa de chivo. Only catch is ya gotta bring your hockey skates.

30+ mph descents


How fast you must have been pedlin' going down that hill..................

so the pista is really that good? How much does it weigh approx?

WK, my feet were going mach 3 coming down some of those hills. I'm a total masher too, not down with mad spinning. I guess I had to learn at some point. The 48-16 is a curse going up the hill, but a blessing coming down. When I'm riding up big hills, I keep thinking, "I need to put a 39 up front." But on the way down, it's more like, "Holy Hell, do they make sprockets in the 100s?"

na975, I absolutely love it. I put that new saddle on it, and it's much more comfortable. As for the weight, I haven't the slightest idea. I'd guess ~16-17 pounds. I'm coming from a 40+ pound Peugeot with full commuter regalia, so I feel like an animal on the lightweight, quick-steering Pista.

Next up for me, finding my zen like center. In other words, track stands.

this thread is a total bianchi pista loves fest. rock.

I'm gonna guess mine's 18lbs. (it is steel). I lightened with a fizik seat, weighed down with armadilloes, and added a rear fender/plus cable. and it's still one million lbs. lighter than my univega conversion

jeff

thanks , enjoy!