Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - My Windsor is back together

Finally got the new bars in, and was able to reassemble my Windsor. Profile bullorns, DiaCompe TT levers, and Tektro brakes.

Since the cranks on this bike got really scratched up, (my fault) I was pretty stoked when the FedEx guy showed up this morning, in a Budget Rent A Truck, with a package from Wheel & Sprocket (Eighth Inch) that included my new cranks (http://www.eighthinch.com/cranks.html) and their axle nut, bottle opener tool (http://www.eighthinch.com/tools.html).

Here's my bike, waiting on pedals now. I'll whack some old ones on there if it doesn't snow today.

I got in a decent ride today, and noticed that the levers rattle quite a bit. Is this normal?

Nice bottle opener.

Nice bottle opener.

I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or not. I know I don't need to remove the wheel to patch a tube, but it will certainly make things easier.

I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or not. I know I don't need to remove the wheel to patch a tube, but it will certainly make things easier.

No, it's not. If you don't use the bottle holder anyway, I don't see why not.

I'm still wondering of the DiaCompe levers were a bad idea.

My cane creek lever rattles a bit when I hit hella bumps, I've since gotten used to it.

My cane creek lever rattles a bit when I hit hella bumps, I've since gotten used to it.

Our roads here kinda suck, but I guess I'll get used to it. I also read that the Windsor BB sometimes creaks. But to Bikesdirect credit, my BB and cranks were nice and snug, with plenty of grease on the threads. Since I installed the Eighth Inch cranks, they should be worry-free.

I'd rather have a water-bottle cage on there, and I'd certainly lose the wing-nuts. I'm certain I'd find a way to gash myself on them.

I'd rather have a water-bottle cage on there, and I'd certainly lose the wing-nuts. I'm certain I'd find a way to gash myself on them.

If I keep the wing nuts, I can probably attach a water bottle cage on top of the tool. Guess that can get added to today's projects.

How did you get the decals off your bike? Did you have to go through the clear coat first?

How did you get the decals off your bike? Did you have to go through the clear coat first?

No, it was way easier than that. Something is jacked up with my camera - it overexposes the image, but in the display, it's a bit dark. So I didn't realize how blown out the image was until I went to crop it in Photoshop. The decals are still there.

Oh okay, that's my fault. Sorry.

Edit: Nevermind. =D

a bottle cage is a must IMO, tools like that are so gimicky, any real drinker knows how to open a bottle with ANY tool, but the bars look good.

a bottle cage is a must IMO, tools like that are so gimicky, any real drinker knows how to open a bottle with ANY tool, but the bars look good.

I suppose that when I can ride for more than an hour at a time, I'll need some sort of water bottle. While it's 40 degrees out, it doesn't seem to be as much of an issue. And thanks for the compliment on the bars. First set of bullhorns for me, and I think they look OK. They feel good, but I'll need to spend some time adjusting the angle.

My Cane Creek 200TT levers don't rattle, so you might want to figure out why yours do. Otherwise, nice bike!

ps. I have on of those tools, too. Came with my bike, but I don't use it except at home.

Your Cane Creek levers were probably a bit more than my DiaCompe levers were.

Winter wheelset and tires are next.

Do those diacomps have the fancy spring loaded return.
If not thats probably why they rattle. Nothing to be concerned about.

Do those diacomps have the fancy spring loaded return.
If not thats probably why they rattle. Nothing to be concerned about.

No, they're kinda cheap. I guess I got what I paid for.

My Cane Creek 200TT levers don't rattle, so you might want to figure out why yours do. Otherwise, nice bike!

ps. I have on of those tools, too. Came with my bike, but I don't use it except at home.

How much did you pay for those levers?

Unless you had your bike torn apart then you didnt need to post a thread saying you put it back together. You just upgraded a few lame parts. However, your bike looks good.

Unless you had your bike torn apart then you didnt need to post a thread saying you put it back together. You just upgraded a few lame parts. However, your bike looks good.

Actually, I was home with a child that just had an appendectomy. Since I was unable to ride, I took the bike completely apart and reassembled it. Wheels, headset and pedals (still rough) all got re-greased. And I added new cranks, new brakes, new bars and levers.

To be fair, I didn't mess with the seat much.

Looks like new rims and tires are next.

How much did you pay for those levers?

They came with my bike, but they seem to sell for around $25 most places online.

Snow today, and all next week. Should have ordered tires before the new rims. Oh well.

Another bar/stem swap. I wanted to go with a 31.8 stem, since I already had a few, plus some cross levers. So I got the Origin 8 Pro Pulsion base bar. It's definitely nicer than the Profile. While I can't really say I notice a difference in stiffness, the bar itself is shorter, and seems to fit me better. Does anyone else running this bar find that the short reach results in a better fit?