Rides and Races - Toronto Fixed

http://www.toronto-sanko.com/en/Food/snacks.html

fixedude has some good links about bike-related stuff in japan in the "moving to osaka" thread yesterday if anyone's interested.
cam: the nishiki conversion is done and i'll get you your black-black soon. i'll throw in some other goodies to sweeten the pot. keith did a great job patching up the nishiki (the top tube protector was a nice touch!!)..bb and headset were doa but it's up and running. i rode it into work and it felt great. it's currently running 48x15..keith, i might take you up on the 42x15 offer if the weather gets icy/snowy/slushy. the size difference is quite something though.. the sannino is 56, and the nishiki is a 52? i'll try and get pics up.

so.... if I'm going to build up this Cramerotti frame that I have for my 40th birthday....
few things.....

I want to get it checked to make sure it's perfectly straight before I even think of building on it. Where can I get this done?
AND
Who builds the best flip/flop wheels here in Toronto?
AS well...does anyone know what the 'official' gearing is for Gold Sprinting?

Hope everyone is doing great.

speaking of which.. if anyone ever hears about any upcoming goldsprints, be sure to post it up.

Anybody know Bobby (Faste) .... I'm hoping he has one coming up soon.
I'm not ready to race it mind you but it's always a good time.

Will post the second I know something.

so.... if I'm going to build up this Cramerotti frame that I have for my 40th birthday....
few things.....

I want to get it checked to make sure it's perfectly straight before I even think of building on it. Where can I get this done?
AND
Who builds the best flip/flop wheels here in Toronto?
AS well...does anyone know what the 'official' gearing is for Gold Sprinting?

Hope everyone is doing great.
For checking alignment and/or straightening it I would recommend Mike or Tom at Bicycle Specialties. They have a proper frame alignment table and will only charge you a few bucks to sort it for you. You have to give them the frame sans headset and b.b. tho.
As for wheels there are a few choices. The aformentioned Bicycle Specialties....Nestor is really good but he isn't working at a shop at the moment. Malcolm at Biseagal builds solid wheels.....and of course, yours truly.
I don't know what Bobby uses for his Goldprint set-up but Johnny and Navid use an 85 inch gear if I remember correctly....altho the old memory ain't what it used to be.

. keith did a great job patching up the nishiki (the top tube protector was a nice touch i'll try and get pics up.

It's actually a bar protector to keep the frame from denting your sweet bars but I can see yer confusion. :)

It's actually a bar protector to keep the frame from denting your sweet bars but I can see yer confusion. :)

hey animal, ain't dat the same thing??!! (that's what i meant though..heh)

edit: oh wait... you're being sarcastic. uhhh.... ok back to work, or maybe another coffee. fack, i should just go for a ride.

I'm thinkin they're all using the same gearing....least I hope so, or is that too much logical progression to hope for? LOL

did you guys see that Leah's road-rage showdown made the cover of the Star today?

Gearing Inches.... (Crank Teeth x wheel inches) / (Wheel teeth)?
I heard about The Star cover.... haven't seen it though. Folks at work yackin about it.... so I showed them what we've been talking about. Ah the power of the net.

Gearing Inches.... (Crank Teeth x wheel inches) / (Wheel teeth)?

42X14. I am a wimp, I know ;)

what's a standard BMX freewheel? 14-15?

what's a standard BMX freewheel? 14-15?
There are 2 hub thread diameters for bmx. The smaller of the 2 (don't remember the numbers...damn brain) is exclusive to BMX hubs and freewheels go down to 12t. The standard thread...1.37X24 is what you will find on flip-flop hubs. The smallest I have seen is 16 but I think you can get a ****mano in 15t. Thats the smallest you will get on a standard hub thread.

hey animal, ain't dat the same thing??!! (that's what i meant though..heh)

edit: oh wait... you're being sarcastic. uhhh.... ok back to work, or maybe another coffee. fack, i should just go for a ride.

The last guy to call me "animal" is pickin up his teeth with broken fingers.

For anyone thinking about the Coupe de Glace in Montreal this weekend. I just talked to Tom in Montreal and they have postponed the race till the following weekend...the 11th. Ice conditions are not favourable. Stinkin global warming.

hmmmm so it's not looking like I'm going to be able to make a matching flip flop for GS/SS with a BMX freewheel

rainlegs (http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/rainlegs-keep-writing-riders-dryer-151559.php)! :P

Tell me you weren't looking for nylon chaps and those came up.

did you guys see that Leah's road-rage showdown made the cover of the Star today?

I did. Interesting choice of words for their headline however.

For checking frame alignments I used the Park *** tool. It stands for frame alignment gauge.
Its simple and easy.
Then you'd prob want to check if the headtube and seat tube is parallel.
I use a carpenter's tool, I think its called an angle locator.
Then you should check your dropouts.
Park makes a cool tool that lets you check if the dropouts are parallel to each other.
And if not, you just bend it back till its aligned :)
most importantly, if you bought the frame used, run you fingers under the tubes and near the headtube to check for any ripples or dents.

And as for wheel builders, ask cavernmech to do it :)
+ when I was wheelbuilding shopping, he had the best price too.
he's a super duper guy!

On another note, I FINALLY finished all my exams.
& I started my new job today. and @ my new job I learned how to lace wheels. :p


dropout alignment tool
http://www.parktool.com/images/products/productimages/det_FFG-1_2005727_32064.jpg
*** tool
http://www.parktool.com/images/products/productimages/spr_***-2_2005727_82759.jpg


so.... if I'm going to build up this Cramerotti frame that I have for my 40th birthday....
few things.....

I want to get it checked to make sure it's perfectly straight before I even think of building on it. Where can I get this done?
AND
Who builds the best flip/flop wheels here in Toronto?
AS well...does anyone know what the 'official' gearing is for Gold Sprinting?

Hope everyone is doing great.

*** tool

Gearing Inches.... (Crank Teeth x wheel inches) / (Wheel teeth)?
I heard about The Star cover.... haven't seen it though. Folks at work yackin about it.... so I showed them what we've been talking about. Ah the power of the net.


Gear inches is the diameter of the equivalent wheel, if you had a 1:1 gear ratio-like say a really big unicycle. So it's wheel diameter*(front sproket teeth/rear sproket teeth)

try Biseagal in the east end (carlaw / gerrard). they're doing some frame work and painting a frame for me now. last time i went by to check in on it i was talking to malcom and he told me that he's actually done lots of dropout conversions. from what i remember he said he even builds full custom track/fixed frames for about $800.00

i'm not sure what he'll charge for the brazing, but his pricing for other framework is very reasonable.

http://tbn.ca/retailer/rtdb/detail/243.htm

i don't think their website is up at the moment; try calling them, they're very helpful.

i agree with recommending biseagal. malcolm built up my first fixed-conversion when i needed one for work, and he and his wife/partner, milen, are both great people!

he also makes a sweet hinge-bike! really, ask him.

here is some cached frame information from biseagal: http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:fYMpB7B7NPIJ:www.biseagal.ca/frame.htm+biseagal+frame+preparation&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=1

Unit 102H 388 Carlaw Avenue. Toronto, ON M4M 2T4
Unit 102H is at north-rear of building.
416-466-2212

i agree with recommending biseagal. malcolm built up my first fixed-conversion when i needed one for work, and he and his wife/partner, milen, are both great people!



here is some cached frame information from biseagal: http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:fYMpB7B7NPIJ:www.biseagal.ca/frame.htm+biseagal+frame+preparation&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=1

Unit 102H 388 Carlaw Avenue. Toronto, ON M4M 2T4
Unit 102H is at north-rear of building.
416-466-2212


Those prices are very reasonable. I'll keep them in mind.

it appears their website is live again... www.biseagal.ca

damnit. My back tire just blew sitting next to me in the office.. wtf? I was sitting here working and all of a sudden I hear a PSSSSSSSSSST noise, and I check and my back tire is totally flat. What's up with that?

Darkmother: Remember at Urbane how I didn't want to comment on how many flats I've gotten for fear of jinxing myself? yep. That's two in the past week.

So, I need to buy a pump. Hopefully something small enough that I can just toss it in my bag without it jabbing me in the back all the time. But something that I can put enough pressure into my tire with, obviously. Any recommendations? I have a floor pump at home, but my old mini pump disintegrated a couple months ago.

Topeak road morph... Small, compact and will go to 160 psi if you have the pipes for it.

i've been using a planet bike roadie from mec.. not too happy with it but it gets the job done and it was cheap. i need a floor pump though. i think the topeak has had some good recommendations.

on the topic of cheap and mec... i was riding home along richmond at spadina last night. some old dude in a car pulls up to me at the intersection and tells me that with my dark clothes and weak LED blinky, he could barely see me. i asked him if he could see the reflective strip on my bag and he say no. he wasn't being confrontational at all and i kind of appreciated the fact that he took the time to give me his 2 cents. maybe he thought i was getting pissed (which i wasn't at all) because he suddenly whipped out a card that said "EMS" on it and said "hey, i care!" ..i guess he works/volunteers for EMS? anyhoo.. time to get a real rear light. those $3 mec ones are really weak and i keep forgetting to turn it off. the tab on my pos front light (planet bike/mec/cheap) snapped off during a cold snap..harhar.. is it just me, or is it hard to find cateye stuff in the city?

I have the topeak road morph, not that small though. Goki, you might want to check out Cateye TL-LD1000.

http://hkbicycle.com.hk/image/Cateye/2005/CAT-EYE%20TL-LD1000%20LED%20REAR%20LIGHT.jpg

I remember I saw them selling at urbane for like $36 or something like that. Pretty $$. Might want to ebay it. My friend has it, and that thing is BRIGHT.

damnit. My back tire just blew sitting next to me in the office.. wtf? I was sitting here working and all of a sudden I hear a PSSSSSSSSSST noise, and I check and my back tire is totally flat. What's up with that?



Check your rim tape for tears.....the tire might be getting punctured from the inside by the spokes. Was the tube a repair job? That is weird. I got a great floor pump from MEC for 25$. For me, I get all my parts/accessorries from MEC as they have really cheap stuff. Rim tape is 2$ for a pair.

[QUOTE=somnambulant]damnit. My back tire just blew sitting next to me in the office.. wtf? I was sitting here working and all of a sudden I hear a PSSSSSSSSSST noise, and I check and my back tire is totally flat. What's up with that?

Darkmother: Remember at Urbane how I didn't want to comment on how many flats I've gotten for fear of jinxing myself? yep. That's two in the past week.
QUOTE]

That happens sometimes. Usually when your bike is pissed at you. I had a spoke break while my bike was in my kitchen last winter. Sprong! Very strange.

yeah, like I said, I think I definitely jinxed myself. I inspected the rim tape when I repaired my last flat on Saturday (which also seemed to happen while it was just sitting), and everything looked kosher. Oh, and yes, this tube DID have a patch on it. I think I need to pick up a couple new tubes tonight.. I'm thinking about grabbing one of the Crank Brothers pumps. They apparently go to 115 or 130 psi depending on the model. Not sure if my noodly arms will accomplish that, but it'll definitely get me home to my floor pump (which is also a cheapie from MEC).

I think I need some new LEDs also. They're both pretty dim and tend to turn on by accident when I have them thrown in my bag.

I haven't been very impressed with many LED lights, and $35 for a rear blinky is pretty ridiculous, I made my own helmet lamps that are super bright from junk I got at Active Surplus for like $10.00 total investment. Run's off 4 AA's zip-tied to the back of the helmet.(this is pre-battery pack... much brighter now)
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=937
What I'm waiting for is something a friend in research at Mount Sinai is working on; something called a Super LED, it requires like a 12v power source and some sort of a heat sink to keep the bulb(?) part cool. They are trying to develop it for field medical operations where they need bright light but don't have a lot of power to run halogen work lamps. They are apparently as bright as the high beams on a car.......... I'd love to have those on my helmet, blind cabbies who pull into the bike lane without looking, ride past they're window and stun them with 85watts of white light.

can you make them strobe so we're the only ones that seem to move on the road?

next time you're at active surplus pick up a couple enema bags for me, would you?

(aka. the reason why my gf will never ever go in there with me again :P)

I haven't been very impressed with many LED lights, and $35 for a rear blinky is pretty ridiculous, I made my own helmet lamps that are super bright from junk I got at Active Surplus for like $10.00 total investment. Run's off 4 AA's zip-tied to the back of the helmet.(this is pre-battery pack... much brighter now)

What kind of bulb and refectors are those? Pretty neat set up. Helmet mounting is a great idea. As for the LEDs, yeah, there is some cool stuff on the way. The super bright ones will be very interesting, and way cheaper than HID. I crave an obnoxiously bright light that I can high beam cagers with.

next time you're at active surplus pick up a couple enema bags for me, would you?

(aka. the reason why my gf will never ever go in there with me again :P)


That's grounds for breakup....I love that store! And really, who doesn't need a few more enima bags.....

you and your cagers.. :P

I don't know know I kinda yearn for being able to go *click*...and fill his car with the light of three suns and redden the side of his head, make him sweat and bubble the paint off the roof.... as well lol... so it's not just darkmother

you and your cagers.. :P


It's almost funny how much I have come to hate cars, and the way cities are built around them. I mean, I like cars mechanically, I like to work on them, but I hate what they do to the way we live.

I also have anger management issues at times.

It's ok man .... I LOVE cars, I love driving them, racing em, all of it. You are correct in the way we are supposed to worship the car, it's sick.

definitely.. I too love driving, working on em, racing em, etc. But damn why can't we be more like cities like Copenhagen/Amsterdam/etc?

I heard something the other day on Metro Morning talking about what's projected to happen as China's economy continues to improve.. ie. if the Chinese had as many cars per capita as we do (not sure what the "we" they were referring to is.. but it's 3 cars for every 4 people, they have roughly 1.3B, so around 975,000,000 cars), what sort of calamaties that would cause.. how much landmass would have to be devoted to car-related infrastructure (parking/roads/etc). Pretty crazy!

definitely.. I too love driving, working on em, racing em, etc. But damn why can't we be more like cities like Copenhagen/Amsterdam/etc?

I heard something the other day on Metro Morning talking about what's projected to happen as China's economy continues to improve.. ie. if the Chinese had as many cars per capita as we do (not sure what the "we" they were referring to is.. but it's 3 cars for every 4 people, they have roughly 1.3B, so around 975,000,000 cars), what sort of calamaties that would cause.. how much landmass would have to be devoted to car-related infrastructure (parking/roads/etc). Pretty crazy!

speaking about china, the "china rises" documentary series that's been running on cbc the past few weeks has been really good. one gov't official they interviewed stated that when given the choice of a "mercedes or the environment", the chinese would always go for the mercedes. in the west, it's been-there-done-that, now we're reapin' what we've sown. but damn, they've still got a lot of bikes over there.

well.... I wrote a piece on street racing last year for the editor of Wheels ... never got published .... but Toronto has more Car dealerships per capita than any other city in North America. As for the China rising... the reason for all the bikes is simply they could never afford a car until recently, the chinese are certainly just as easy victims of excessive consumption. Looking at their recent upper class and what's being done there for them is shocking. The old guard would spin in their graves.

I don't think you'll have to worry too much about the car problem. A bike there is almost a months salary.

i ride old school single speed but i'm always working old bikes to fixed but never achive it. any advice for el cheepo?

Wow, this weather blows.

So tonight I'm bringing home ... hubs / rims / spokes / nipples / truing stand / tension meter / etc. Gonna have me a nice weekend of wheelbuilding fun at the homestead.

sss,

IRO / Formula is a decent option for a an inexpensive but good hub. You could pick one of those up and build yourself a nice rear wheel. Failing that, I believe Keith over at Cavern Cycles is the resident fixed gear expert and could build you up something nice. Have you run into any specific problems w/ your previous attempts that have you stumped? Maybe if you're more specific we can help you make some progress.

- eyefloater

PS. I say we all head to Moonbean again this weekend. I've had an exhausting week (speaking of which, I've gotta get to work). It'd be good to sit around on my ass for a couple hours and listen to you jokers talk **** for awhile. ;)

I'm good for Saturday or Sunday moonbeam.

yeah, I'm good for some moonbeam action as well I think.. assuming I'm feeling alright. stuipd flu.

damnit. My back tire just blew sitting next to me in the office.. wtf? I was sitting here working and all of a sudden I hear a PSSSSSSSSSST noise, and I check and my back tire is totally flat. What's up with that?

Darkmother: Remember at Urbane how I didn't want to comment on how many flats I've gotten for fear of jinxing myself? yep. That's two in the past week.

So, I need to buy a pump. Hopefully something small enough that I can just toss it in my bag without it jabbing me in the back all the time. But something that I can put enough pressure into my tire with, obviously. Any recommendations? I have a floor pump at home, but my old mini pump disintegrated a couple months ago.


Topeak makes some good ones; i have a "road morph" which is like a mini floor pump with a hose, foot support and all, but it's small enough for a bag and goes to 120 psi no problemo. i also have a "pocket rocket" (insert joke here) that is much smaller (like jersey pocket small) and will go do 120 psi but only with some muscle. it's a bit bigger than a magic marker. about $25 at curbside cycle. the road morph was a MEC special, $30 or so.