Hi guys,
I'm new here, and although I used to do a lot of mountain biking as a kid, I'm new to fixed gear bikes. For some reason they really appeal to me, probably because before I converted to skateboarding, I used to be a big rollerblader (primarily street but also a little bowl) and I still jump on a surf or snowboard when I get the opportunity. Also, I'm a bit of minimalist, and I find them incredibly damn attractive to look at.
Anyway, the plan is to use it for a bit of exercise and some slow speed tricks to get back that buzz that I miss so much, the odd ride with friends around town (Sydney, Australia) or when I've got some errands to run. At this point I don't plan on doing any races or long rides, and as I work from home I wont be commuting on it.
So... I'm a bit strapped for cash right now (waiting on some projects to blossum) and as I'm such a neophyte when it comes to bikes, I figured I'd get the parts myself and have the local bike shop build it for me, save some money and learn something in the process.
I've been all over ebay, craiglist, gumtree, local forums etc and have found a few potentials, this one seems to be the right size, reasonably cheap, in reasonable condition and seems to have short horizontal dropouts. Apparently, it's seat tube is 51cm, is called a "spokesman", is made of "tange" tubing. Attached is a sticker which says "high grade frame MEIKO" and "Champion no.2" - although all of that means nothing to me.
Am I missing something blindingly obvious, or is this frame good to go for a fixie conversion?
Also, call me vain, but going back to aesthetics, is it possible to grind off the hangar? It really kills some clean lines.
P.S - when I say right size, I worked it out based on this formula that I found on the net:
Take your inside leg measurement to the floor
Subtract 5cm for mountain bikes, or 2.5cm for road bikes
Subtract 23cm, the average distance from the bottom bracket to the ground
My inside leg measurement is ~80cm