Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - SO nice you can't even ride it

ok i know i keep doing this, but i HAVE to share this with y'all.. just a warning to not build a bike that's SO nice that you never ride the damn thing. i've seen a handful of too-nice bikes on ebay where the seller is in the same predicament. my friend sold his custom condor years ago.

the funny thing abt this particular one is that my ex just built up his custom bob jackson (you can see pics in the fixie photos thread) with many of the same parts. play on play-ah..

http://i17.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/cc/0f/8a_1.JPG
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7298&item=7113106823&rd=1

This bike is just about one of a kind. I built it a couple of years ago and I have only rode it a few times. The reason being I live in a city and I will not leave it unattended for any period of time, even if locked up. The fact is it is just too nice for me. When I used to ride a bike for work I was under the impression that I desired to ride something that was truly beautiful. The best bike in the whole city. Once this bike neared completion I realized that I could never use it in the capacity that I once thought possible. I am moving shortly to an even bigger city and need to lose some extra weight so now this beautiful machine could be yours. The following is a list of the components.
- Reynolds 531c (competition steel) hand welded in 2001 at the Bob Jackson facility in Leeds, England. - Flamboyant Green and Metallic Gold fade paint job with white lug lining and white lettering.
- Chromed fork, seat-stays and chainstays.
- 55cm top tube and seat tube.
- Gold Phil Wood hubs laced to Champagne CXP30s (discontinued).
- Continental Gran Prix tires (25).
- Camapgnolo Record Bottom Bracket.
- Campagnolo Recod cranks (165mm) (49t).
- Campagnolo Triomphe pedals with tan leather Alfredo Binda straps.
- Euro-Asia imports cog (18t). Chris King headset (Gold).
- Nitto Stem and bars (gold) (used).
- Brooks Swift saddle (honey).
- Pearl Izumi chain (gold & black).
- Campagnolo titanium seatpost.

Please feel fre to contact me with any questions at (anduc@earthlink.net). To all prospective bidders I wish the best of luck. Will ship anywhere with an address. Buyer will pay all shipping and boxing costs. I reserve the right to cancel the auction at any time and for any reason. thank you for looking.

i saw that one earlier today also.

it's like a museum piece or something that you carry to a bike show.

Oh, Man! I'm glad someone else pushed the envelope of functional beauty to its (il)logical conclusion so I don't have to. That's the bike Plato rode out of the cave on.
But the philosophical conundrum of what to do when perfection is attained gets deferred to the buyer: Will he/she attempt to ride that which has been deemed too good to ride? Or preserve it in a glass vitrine and deny its usefulness? We must know what happens to this bike!

but.. but....gold is ugly and looks cheap...

Not even real gold. :(

too much gold...uhm, tacky.

"the bike plato rode out of the cave on"

exquisitely said.

Still doesn't beat my Aztec god tt bike. All gold baby!

Aztec god tt bike.
Like this one?

It needs some spinners...

More like a bianchi crono frame custom made for track with a gold leaf finish riding on to gold leafed campy discs and toped of a gold campy record pista groupo. To even make things better the discs will be tuned so the sing instead of sound like a brick being dragged behind the bike. It also goes with out saying that rider will need a gold skin-suit with a gold helmet. Just imagine that coming up behind you in the pursuit finals.

It needs some spinners...

here we go :

http://www.deuce-usa.com/

Hmmm, a picture of a bike with spinners and the website name containing the word "deuce"......as [165] would say, "It's ironical" :)

I just can't bring my self to call you *turd.. esp after reading your website. But, you know, what do I know?

Anyway, the point you bring up here is pretty funny. In my research to build the Thylacine: I've been eyeing all the high end stuff. But, more so now, I'm beggining to think more along the lines of really tougher @#$@ so I can ride it as I please through the streets. I'd hate to build it then be afraid to ride it.. because the ebay above is a travesity in many ways.

Esp. when a bic pin could set it a light into non loving hands.

i couldn't agree more with this post. i did it about 3 years ago and ended up selling my bike for way less than i paid.(the condor TURD speeks of) the problem is no one will ever see what you saw in the ride, or pay for it the way you did. i couldn't lock up my bike without stressing it. It is more about the proccess than the ride. don't do it to yourself

d

I just can't bring my self to call you *turd.. esp after reading your website. But, you know, what do I know?
... I'd hate to build it then be afraid to ride it...

issue 1: go on.. call me turd! it makes me happy...

issue 2: there's nothing inherently wrong with being an enthusiast and wanting the best parts your money can buy. but many go way beyond that threshold.. they start to fetishize everything, until it it becomes an item that exudes only monetary and aesthetic value & no longer retains any kind of practical value.

ppl do that with just about everything : the limited-edition designer sneaker that never leaves the box. the rare boba fett figure whose blister pack never gets popped. etc etc...

but a bike worth over 3grand that just sits there ? bananas.

Bunnyhop and wheelie that sucker! Everyday! Snow, sleet or rain.

...Just imagine that coming up behind you in the pursuit finals.

easier to imagine it disappearing as i DROP its goldness...because i ride a white bike!

issue 1: go on.. call me turd! it makes me happy... .

Well, yeah.


practical value.

That's a pair of words like..

common sense.

Just doesn't work, does it?

Well, I'm dumping the idea of getting phil woods hubs.. I'll get some of the other set I was looking at and some not so light wieght but ever durable open pro's. If I can only remember the Name of the other set..

Not Phil.. ARGHH..

Well, I'm dumping the idea of getting phil woods hubs.. I'll get some of the other set I was looking at and some not so light wieght but ever durable open pro's. If I can only remember the Name of the other set..

Not Phil.. ARGHH..


pauls?

and this guy certainly wasn't afraid of abusing his phils: http://www.bikecult.com/works/archive/04bicycles/somekindaT.html

pauls?

and this guy certainly wasn't afraid of abusing his phils: http://www.bikecult.com/works/archive/04bicycles/somekindaT.html

yeah phill woods are great just to beat on. they are super strong and fast. just a bit pricey but you get what you pay for

d

yea, ya gotta ride that sucker. i have two bikes, one fancypants one, and one beater/commuter. i ride the fancy one when i know it's not going to rain, and when i think i won't be going anywhere where i'd have to lock up. but bikes were meant to be ridden. it's a personal policy - i refuse to have sneakers i won't wear, or records i won't listen to, or books i won't read, etc. etc. etc. - that's just goofy. nice bike though.

easier to imagine it disappearing as i DROP its goldness...because i ride a white bike!
You can't beat an Aztec God in pursuit not after he has eaten a pie at least.

Isn't the point of getting a Phil to get a nice high quality and DURABLE hub? That's why you gots them cartridge bearings, man!

Isn't the point of getting a Phil to get a nice high quality and DURABLE hub? That's why you gots them cartridge bearings, man!
I've got cartridge bearings in my surly now. Paul's have cartridge bearings. Aside from thier incredible beauty, what does a Phil have over a Paul or a Surly????? (Honestly).

You can't beat an Aztec God in pursuit not after he has eaten a pie at least.

A sacrificial-virgin pie?

If you want to ride a good bike in the ghetto, just wrap it in duct tape. Failing that, have one good bike, and one ghetto friendly one you scrounged from some dumpster. Where's the problem?

Will, I'd go the Pauls high flange hubs, x3, laced to Open Pros. If you want something beefier, the new DT/Swiss TK1.1 rims look pretty neat ( the RR1.1's are really good - I have them on my roadie ). I'd also run 28-30c tires too, for extra cush.

I think deep section rims are a looks issue, and I'm not convinced they make any sense for an urban fixie as they ride harsh and weigh a lot.

You can't beat an Aztec God in pursuit not after he has eaten a pie at least.

my mistake. i hadn't factored in the pie. although my bike is still white.

phils and pauls are pretty much on the same level. surly hubs are somewhat cheaply made, and you can feel it in the bearings. they're silky smooth, but to me, they felt "looser" than the phil bearings, which might be more desireable in some instances. thicker flanges, stronger axles on the phils. looking at a phil hub and a surly hub side by side you can really tell the difference in craftsmanship.

i love my phil wood hubs. i know that i could probably roll them through waist-high muck and other garbage and they would continue to roll smoothly. i was originally going to get surly hubs, but wound up with phils because i couldn't find a shop who could get the surlys in a reasonable time frame. couldn't be happier.

my next hubset will most likely be pauls.

I've pretty much decided on pauls. Rims are open, but I've yet to hurt my current mavic OP's.... But I dig aero rims.

"they start to fetishize everything, until it it becomes an item that exudes only monetary and aesthetic value & no longer retains any kind of practical value. "

how very true. how very common.

"but a bike worth over 3grand that just sits there ? bananas."

worth is subjective. Even a bike valued at 3 grand is not 'worth it' to many (myself included).

i think the 'some kind of track bike' is prettier than the bj.

its been loved. my bike and phils are totally covered in mud right now. looks better than when polished.

My Marinoni TT fixie is sitting in the corner covered in earth worm splatter after the last ride on wet roads. Like a pair of shoes, if you don't wear/ride em what's the point. Art for art's sake is nice, but art that has not lost the original fuctionality is better.

I haven't heard the long term reports on paul hubs but I certainly have on the phils.

I can feel the sentiments on 'too nice'.
I bought a Davinci Monaco a couple of years ago. 27 speed hybrid from Quebec. Every time I pulled up I got the 'nice bike' thing.
I became paranoid about parking outside the boozer.
I took my old Kuwahara out and put a Sturmey archer AW hub on the rear as a town bike. Next thing , I am getting 'nice conversion' comments.
I went to the police auction to bid on an old frame and now I am puting together a late 80's Moser frame as a single with a mix of campy and '600 pieces.
Will I be able to park this outside the Safeway?

I'm looking for pictures of the bike that started this thread. Anyone?

I'm looking for pictures of the bike that started this thread. Anyone?

http://www.noell-fahrradbau.de/images_2005/mt2_gross.jpg

ha, close...

ha, close...

has deep V rims, son.

"the bike plato rode out of the cave on"

exquisitely said.

Quoted for posterity.

Yeah, this one is from the way-back... it was gold, green, and gawdy... I'm desperate for a picture of it!

http://www.noell-fahrradbau.de/images_2005/mt2_gross.jpg

Put some drop bars and a decent saddle on that thing and it would be pretty sweet.