Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Introducing myself, new Chicago fixie rider

Hey, I've been lurking in this forum for a couple weeks now, keeping updated on everything, thought I would finally say hey.

I just built my first fixie last Friday night - I got an old Schwinn steel frame from workingbikes (crap wheels, lots of scratches, but had a one piece crank which I love, good center-pull brakes, and radonneur bars which I flipped and chopped). Stripped everything but the front brake off of it, got a 27" wheel with the Suzue Basic (y'all know what I'm talking about), etc. etc..., stole the clips and straps and the front wheel from my old Fuji cro-mo road bike.

All in all, I'm loving it, I'm totally addicted. I have ridden it everyday, and don't even want to go back to my other bike anytime soon. At first, it was hard riding it - it felt like new muscles were being used (lower back and stomach) and was sore all the time. Now, its becoming natural. I took it on my first ride of any sort of length and in heavy traffic today - parked on the inner drive by Irving Park Rd (I'm a southsider), took the lakeshore path north until the end, then Sheridan north to Touhy (7200 N.) to take some pictures, then back again - I finally know what everyone is talking about - there isn't much as gratifying as blowing by the buff guys on the path with no shirts and loaded up road bikes on a bike with one speed and one brake - haven't encountered the lycra-types yet.

Rode it in rain with some flooding tonight too - better than a geared bike! Who cares if the brakes don't work? I hardly use them anyway now!

So yeah, I'm addicted.

Wow congratulations.... I am sooo stoked. Have you taken it to the arcade yet?

Wow congratulations.... I am sooo stoked. Have you taken it to the arcade yet?

The arcade? Yeah, for some Galaga and Tetris.

...just what did that mean anyway?

The arcade? Yeah, for some Galaga and Tetris.

...just what did that mean anyway?

Sounds pretty great. I'm in Chicago building my first one too, and I'm quite new to it all. One question - what is the best way to actually cut handlebars down? I want to flip and shorten mine too. What about flipping the brake lever posts?

Sounds pretty great. I'm in Chicago building my first one too, and I'm quite new to it all. One question - what is the best way to actually cut handlebars down? I want to flip and shorten mine too. What about flipping the brake lever posts?

The way my brake levers come off is with a screw, accessible by squeezing the brake (you have to have slack in the cables). I am using my right brake lever upside-down, facing forwards, on the left side, to operate the front brake. The best way to cut the bars is with a plain old hacksaw - I used one with somewhat fine teeth, took me 30 seconds to a minute for each side, then I filed the ends flat, then took a small file and rounded the inside and outside edges slightly. I did a good job cutting the bars and stuff - I just wish I hadn't done such a crappy job wrapping them in cloth - I've got a few wrinkles. I'll try to attach a pic of it as a work in progress. Good luck with the build!

The way my brake levers come off is with a screw, accessible by squeezing the brake (you have to have slack in the cables). I am using my right brake lever upside-down, facing forwards, on the left side, to operate the front brake. The best way to cut the bars is with a plain old hacksaw - I used one with somewhat fine teeth, took me 30 seconds to a minute for each side, then I filed the ends flat, then took a small file and rounded the inside and outside edges slightly. I did a good job cutting the bars and stuff - I just wish I hadn't done such a crappy job wrapping them in cloth - I've got a few wrinkles. I'll try to attach a pic of it as a work in progress. Good luck with the build!

That does make sense, doesn't it. Looks very nice...thanks.

I put electrical tape on the bars where I wanted to chop them to give me a better sense of how much curve I was leaving. Also helped me cut them evenly as the hacksaw can slide around (Steel bars here, though).

OK, here's a pic... needs a paint job eventually, just found out it was made in 1979 though.