Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - i got my first FG!

after weeks of reading and obsessively researching, i went with an 09 Bianchi Pista. i looked at a lot of bikes, but this is the one i've always wanted.

i haven't made any changes, other than adding a front OH-***** brake, chrome toe clips, and white leather straps.
LBS recommendation was to stick with the 48/16 until i get the feel of it, then go to 48/17.
the wheel stickers need to go.
all decals, INCLUDING THE "NO BRAKE" sticker, are under the clear coat.
http://gallery.me.com/guidogabriele/100013/bianchi1/web.jpg?ver=12589258040001

this is my first time on a fixed; i rode for HOURS today.
i'm going around practicing modulating my speed by putting backpressure on the pedals, but right can't get the feel for how anyone could possibly skid or skip. in time, i guess.
the drops are lower than i've ever been; it's freaky.
and i'm seeing how i have to learn to balance better out of the saddle.

all in all, awesome first day. thanks for all the help, d00ds.
props to the NYCVelo store, too.

Hot bike. Try skidding by leaning over as much as you can over the front wheel (perhaps, depending on size of the bike, by nuts on stem) and pushing your strong foot back. Don't use the toe clips when skidding untill you master it, as its way harder to get out of if you mess up.

congrats on the pista. no real reason not to change the cog now. a 17t cog is easier to use than a 16t cog. i don't know the skid patches on 48/16 but i could only imagine it is better on 17.

and uh, to skid, all you have to do is unweight the rear wheel. put your nuts to the stem and resist. you'll skid. if you don't, lean farther forward and resist harder.

Sweet, that stem bugs me though.

EDIT: Yeah, skidding on a 17t is like... I don't know. Very easy.

congrats on the pista. no real reason not to change the cog now. a 17t cog is easier to use than a 16t cog. i don't know the skid patches on 48/16 but i could only imagine it is better on 17.

and uh, to skid, all you have to do is unweight the rear wheel. put your nuts to the stem and resist. you'll skid. if you don't, lean farther forward and resist harder.


The ratio for 48/16 = 3/1, the denominator is the skid patches - > 1 skid patch.
The ratio for 48/17 = 48/17, as it cannot be simplified furthur - > 17 skid patches.

Same with a 19 tooth, but the 17 will be the closest in riding feel but much easier for skidding.

learn to skid on a garage floor type serface. Garages have em, a lot of gas stations have em, quite a few schools have em. They are slick so sliding is easier to get the hang of.

Baseball fields are easy as well.

Hot bike. Try skidding by leaning over as much as you can over the front wheel (perhaps, depending on size of the bike, by nuts on stem) and pushing your strong foot back. Don't use the toe clips when skidding untill you master it, as its way harder to get out of if you mess up.

I would use the toeclips regardless. They are necessary in order to be able to pull up on the front foot while pushing down with the rear.

nice bike! I love everything about it but the saddle, the chrome fabric just looks cheap :(

swap saddle, flip stem.

olive garden

yeah, go ahead and switch to a 17t cog. The guy at your LBS doesn't know what he's talking about. 17t is a bit easier to pedal and will be easier for skidding, too. Looks like a nice bike.

It's got a little creak/rattle happening, but I can't tell where from...everything seems tight and the parts that need to be greased are. what should I check?

and yea...clean and chrome, would olive garden

Check chain tension.

It's got a little creak/rattle happening, but I can't tell where from...everything seems tight and the parts that need to be greased are. what should I check?

and yea...clean and chrome, would olive garden

Are you sure you can't tell where the sound is coming from? Does it creak when you're pedalling? When you're putting stress on the handlebars? When you spin the rear wheel? Listen carefully and come back when you have at least a general idea of where you're hearing the sound. Bike noise can come from a million different things, would definitely help to narrow it down.

swap saddle, flip stem.

olive garden

what about olive garden?

yeah, for creaks test as much as possible to narrow it down.

Ride no hands to rule out the stem and handle bar, ride standing up to rule out the seat post.

They are the first 2 things that usually cause creaks.

^ Good advice. Also, your BB spindle may need a bit of grease. I've got the same crankset and when I first took my Kilo out of the box, it was creaking like a mofo until I pulled the crank arms, greased the spindle and properly torqued down those bolts when I reinstalled the arms.

sounds good. i'll check all those things and see if i can narrow it down.
i'm concentrating so hard on not physically dying that it's hard to isolate sounds :)

super nice bike! :)

I would change your cog, particularly if you want to skid. Just to reiterate what someone pointed out above, you only get 1 skid patch with a 48x16. That means you are going to wear out tires quick unless you are occasionally pulling it off repositioning it so that your skid patch will change to another part of the wheel.

Also might want to make sure your cog and lockring are properly installed and tightened before you go out doing any skidding. Those tend to be loose from the factory. I had a friend strip his hub on his first fixed gear ride when he did not check these things, no bueno. I learned from his mistake, you can too.

A new saddle will bring you comfort and joy. Brooks makes my bum happy!

Clipless pedals are the best. If you don't want to go clipless, definitely get a better set of straps, those are cheap and stretch and break easily. I recommend the ALE laminated single straps or some more blingy Toshi doubles. Many people swear by Kashimax singles too.

Considering that you say you feel really low in the drops, and the position of your brake lever, I'm going to assume that you are going to spend a lot of time on the tops of your handlebars. I see now that the tops are unwrapped. I would wrap them for comfort and better grip. Sure it's not as blingy, but it looks like you know something about bikes which is cool. Brooks leather bar wrap makes me happy! Another option would be to get a real brake lever and a dummy lever, then you get a sweet extra hand position, and your brake will be in a position where it's easier to use. (I should point out that in addition to my 95%-of-the-time bullhorns, I also have a pair of track drops that have only track grips, and unwrapped tops. It's super practical for commuting ;) )

Don't believe the people that are going to be all, "oh, another chrome pista." Your bike is fine. Don't hate it and think that you need some super expensive non-pista to get street cred. So long as YOU like your bike (and I love my pista) and it's comfortable and fun to ride, that's all that matters.

Welcome to the club!

Nice pista! I still remember mine when I first started riding FG... :rolleyes:

Don't worry about the no brakes sticker; it also plagues the higher caliber pista concept too :roflmao2:

Anyway it makes your bike look manly toward the ladies... :D

^ Good advice. Also, your BB spindle may need a bit of grease. I've got the same crankset and when I first took my Kilo out of the box, it was creaking like a mofo until I pulled the crank arms, greased the spindle and properly torqued down those bolts when I reinstalled the arms.

if your suggesting he put grease on a square taper that is HORRIBLE advice. grease will allow the crank arm to slide too far onto the square taper and possibly ruin both surfaces. grease also prevents a true interference fit between the crank and spindle. the crank bolts only purpose is to "set" the crank on the bottom bracket, not to hold the crank on. properly installed, bolts on a square taper system can be removed and your cranks will stay on forever (thats why you need a puller to get them off)

quick google search:

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=103

http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s-5-33-15203-1,00.html


if its got a splined bb, grease is suggested and you can return to your regularly scheduled thread...

if its got a splined bb, grease is suggested and you can return to your regularly scheduled thread...

I was talking about his particular crankset. Truvativ Touros have a splined BB spindle, which is why I suggested grease.

Great buy, that bike kicks ass if you don’t mind me saying.
If you don’t like the drops flip and chop them into killer bullhorns.
I flip flopped from drops to bullhorns (city riding) for a long time and decided the bullhorns were the best choice for me.

Can I ride it?



Totally rad bike bro

Congrats on the new bike.

Keep riding and you'll be amazed at how quickly your legs will will become thick like tree trunks. Don't worry too much about skidding- many FG riders never do it, there is nothing wrong with using the brake on a FG.

I was talking about his particular crankset. Truvativ Touros have a splined BB spindle, which is why I suggested grease.

10-4, glad we are both on the same page.

i'm going to give the drops a little bit of time. it might be that i never end up using them because i feel too unstable.

i've heard a lot of recommendations about changing parts on the bike already - saddle, post, stem, etc. i don't see what so bad about the stem, though i might want to get one a bit shorter. i don't know yet.
i don't plan on adding any flat black parts; i want all the metal to remain polished/chrome. if there's going to be any color on the bike it'll be white or blue wheels/tape/seat.

+1 on chrome/blue!

Aint low till you flop that stem

if your suggesting he put grease on a square taper that is HORRIBLE advice. grease will allow the crank arm to slide too far onto the square taper and possibly ruin both surfaces. grease also prevents a true interference fit between the crank and spindle. the crank bolts only purpose is to "set" the crank on the bottom bracket, not to hold the crank on. properly installed, bolts on a square taper system can be removed and your cranks will stay on forever (thats why you need a puller to get them off)

quick google search:

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=103

http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s-5-33-15203-1,00.html


if its got a splined bb, grease is suggested and you can return to your regularly scheduled thread...

Jobst Brandt, some local mechanics and myself disagree.


With or without lubricant, in use, cranks will make metal-to-metal contact with the spindle, causing fretting erosion of the steel spindle for all but the lightest riders. Lubricating the spindle for assembly assures a predictable press fit for a given torque. Without lubrication the press is unknown and galling (aluminum transfer to the steel spindle) may occur during assembly. After substantial use, spindle facets may show rouge and erosion from aluminum oxide from the crank, showing that lubricant was displaced.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/installing-cranks.html

I have always greased square taper spindles. This allows the crank to slide onto the spindle properly (not "too far") rather than be limitted by friction which is an entirely inconsistent method of fitting. Your cranks don't just pop off or come loose with grease either, you still need a crank puller to remove them.

I was looking at this bike online yesterday. Enjoy the bike!

Couch

Jobst Brandt, some local mechanics and myself disagree.



http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/installing-cranks.html

I have always greased square taper spindles. This allows the crank to slide onto the spindle properly (not "too far") rather than be limitted by friction which is an entirely inconsistent method of fitting. Your cranks don't just pop off or come loose with grease either, you still need a crank puller to remove them.

friction is by no means inconstant. as long as the empirical properties of the two metals are not changed, it is as accurate as you can get. there is even a formula for it:

coulomb friction:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/0/c/0/0c02725f116ef3cad99527413171d4bb.png

also, even lubricated, friction is STILL the limiting force. the coefficient of friction is just changed by the properties of your lubricant (dramatically different depending on what you use)

any lubricants will dramatically reduce the coefficient of friction and this WILL cause the cranks to slide on further. this WOULD be ok if the two mating surfaces and torque specs took lubrication into the equation but they DO NOT. advise your instructions, not some local mechanics and sheldon brown. both shimano and campagnolo have been at this for some time.

friction is by no means inconstant. as long as the empirical properties of the two metals are not changed, it is as accurate as you can get. there is even a formula for it:

coulomb friction:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/0/c/0/0c02725f116ef3cad99527413171d4bb.png

any lubricants will dramatically reduce the coefficient of friction and this WILL cause the cranks to slide on further. this WOULD be ok if the two mating surfaces and torque specs took lubrication into the equation but they DO NOT. advise your instructions, not some local mechanics and sheldon brown. both shimano and campagnolo have been at this for some time.

I have never seen the instructions for a shimano or campagnolo crankset. To my knowledge, my IRO cranks did not come with instructions.

That said, I've always lubed my spindles with no problems, the mechanics who've recommended doing so have been at their jobs longer than most of us have been riding bikes, and Jobst Brandt is more than credible on the matter. Read the entire link, the logic makes sense

I totally don't know anything, but I don't see how adding anything (lubricant, dirt, water, whatever) would allow a crank to go further onto the spindle. Lube just makes things slippery, not smaller. If you're jamming them in too far, that's the problem, not the lubrication.

(I'm not a mechanic and I don't know what I'm talking about)

I have never seen the instructions for a shimano or campagnolo crankset. To my knowledge, my IRO cranks did not come with instructions.

That said, I've always lubed my spindles with no problems, the mechanics who've recommended doing so have been at their jobs longer than most of us have been riding bikes, and Jobst Brandt is more than credible on the matter. Read the entire link, the logic makes sense

i did read the entire link, and what he said does makes sense. unfortunately most manufactures designed there parts for dry fitment, not lubricated. i do know white industries cranks/bottom brackets recommend grease. maybe the other manufactures should have as well, who knows. thanks for keeping things civil and informative :thumb:


I totally don't know anything, but I don't see how adding anything (lubricant, dirt, water, whatever) would allow a crank to go further onto the spindle. Lube just makes things slippery, not smaller. If you're jamming them in too far, that's the problem, not the lubrication.

(I'm not a mechanic and I don't know what I'm talking about)

its not an issue of bigger/smaller. its the coefficient of friction. sort of like if you do a skid stop on a wet road, you will skid farther because the water reduces the coefficient between the tires and concrete.

maybe a better example is putting grips on flat bars. if you use some soapy water they go on with less resistance. the grips and bars are both the same size but the soap/water lets you do it with a lot less work. grease on a square taper works in the same way. theoretically the crank will slide on easier and if the same force (torque) is applied it will move further (ramps up on taper)

campy's instructions call for 28ft/lbs dry and if i recall shimano's is some where around 30ft/lbs dry

just read some more info,

according to race face greased cranks WILL go on .5mm farther than dry using the same torque value. to fight the corrosion issues discussed in eltwitcho's link, they have taken this into account and machined they're components for a grease fitment.

i guess i can only reinforce the the importance of reading the instructions suppled with your cranks/bb

i'm going to give the drops a little bit of time. it might be that i never end up using them because i feel too unstable.

i've heard a lot of recommendations about changing parts on the bike already - saddle, post, stem, etc. i don't see what so bad about the stem, though i might want to get one a bit shorter. i don't know yet.
i don't plan on adding any flat black parts; i want all the metal to remain polished/chrome. if there's going to be any color on the bike it'll be white or blue wheels/tape/seat.

sorry for filling your thread with information not applicable to your bottom bracket. i hope that you have located the noise.

i do love your bike. i think a new stem and seat will really clean it up

sorry for filling your thread with information not applicable to your bottom bracket. i hope that you have located the noise.
i do love your bike. i think a new stem and seat will really clean it up

thanks, mang.

i don't know the first thing about BB's, but this is how i learn.

side note i got a hair dryer and removed all the stickers from the wheels cleanly. 18 effing stickers. looks much cleaner now.
i spent the rest of the night trying to learn how to trackstand in my apartment. almost put my hand through a mirror (awesome)

um yeah i can't see why they wouldn't want you to give them $25 for a 17t cog

For a moment I read the title thread as "i got my first GF" but I was disappointed when I clicked and seen a chrome pista.

I spent an hour in a park today trying to trackstand. had a really hard time doing any rocking back and forth.
eventually my legs got tired, so I went for a ride.. which was a blast. heard the creak/rattle but I can't tell whether it's the bb or further back.

eff it man, the bike is brand new... I'll stop by the store and have them check it out.
maybe I'll have them put a 17t on the other side of the hub and have a high/low gear

3 things that helped me learn to trackstand: 1) Find out which foot your "chocolate" foot is (I don't know why it's called that). That's the foot you would have forward on a skateboard. Or the opposite foot that you would kick with. That is the foot that you will have in the forward position. Don't forget to turn the wheel towards the front foot. 2) Get as good as you can at riding slow. Like, really slow. Like as slow as you can go. Also, riding in very small circles at very slow speed will help. 3) Roll into a stop (while you're doing the very slow riding) with all your weight on your BACK foot. Once you do that, you should have to start to transfer your weight to your front foot to keep from going backwards/falling over. It's all about the transfer of momentum/weight from front to back foot. That should help you with the rocking back and forth. Once you can do that, then you just make the rocking motion smaller and smaller until you can consider it a stand, instead of a wobble back and forth. Then work on doing them seated. Then no handed. Then you get the chicks.

Yeah man totally take it in, therein lies the beauty of buying @ LBS versus online, they should be cool with identifying/remedying any issues in a brand new bike they sold you, cuz if not they know you can just harass them. There shouldn't be a creak or a rattle. Let us know what it was.

Trackstand tips: use your dominant foot forward (later you can become ambidextrous), turn the wheel towards it, and try turning it quite a bit, like 75deg.

Great bike!

16x52!!!!!!!!!!!!
do it.
get a leather saddle and two brakes.
skid on follow fixer!

3 things that helped me learn to trackstand: 1) Find out which foot your "chocolate" foot is (I don't know why it's called that). That's the foot you would have forward on a skateboard. Or the opposite foot that you would kick with. That is the foot that you will have in the forward position.

I am right handed, would kick with my right foot, but I'm right-foot-forward on a snowboard or skateboard. Will my bike explode if I try to trackstand?

i'm going to give the drops a little bit of time. it might be that i never end up using them because i feel too unstable.

i've heard a lot of recommendations about changing parts on the bike already - saddle, post, stem, etc. i don't see what so bad about the stem, though i might want to get one a bit shorter. i don't know yet.
i don't plan on adding any flat black parts; i want all the metal to remain polished/chrome. if there's going to be any color on the bike it'll be white or blue wheels/tape/seat.

Keep the bike as is until stuff wears out or you positively, absolutely can't stand it. The urge to upgrade is especially strong when the bike is new but if you resist it you'll save yourself a lot of money.

You've got a good bit of setback on the saddle and a long stem; if you feel like you are leaning too far over, a shorter stem will help. When your hands are on the flat tops of the bars, you should be able to remove them without falling over. Or close to it. You are riding on the street, not pursuit on a track; sitting a bit more upright is cool.

When your pedals are in the 3 and 9 o'clock positions is your knee over the pedal spindle or behind it? If behind, you can move the saddle forward a quarter-inch to half-inch at a time. You'll then need to raise the seatpost slightly to correct the height. There should be a slight bend in the knee when the pedal is at the bottom.

Using the front brake will help you to skid by unweighting the rear.

I second the blue bartape when you get tired of dirty white bartape.

Place a bit of tape on the seatpost to mark its position then remove it. Clean the post and also the inside of the tube as much as you can. Then, lightly grease the post up to the tape mark and carefully reinsert it. Remove the saddle, keeping track of its position on the post. Wipe the rails clean, reinstall. Make sure the bolts are tight but don't kill yourself.

Remove the bottom bracket. You'll have to remove the crank first. The threads on the bottom bracket should be greased. If so, reinstall the bottom bracket and crank.

The act of removing and reinstalling components will often clear up those mystery creaks and is good practice.

I would take your wheels to the LBS and have them check the spokes for even tension and also make sure the spokes were stress relieved at the factory. Creaking spokes/nipples can drive one crazy. Cheap machine made wheelsets often need retruing at the bike shop anyways.