Hi all! I'm new to the forums and just started getting into fixed gear bikes this year. Now I know what you're thinking...newbie on the forums, got a cheap Visp frame to build his hipster fixie... Well before you flame, give my post a chance.

I got a really cheap, generic, fixed gear bike a few months ago because I needed a bike to ride around China while I'm living here (from the United States, working here right now). After a little while and some researching, I realized that all the parts sucked and things started breaking. I found a lot of frames to replace mine, but I really did like the look of the Leader frames because they were less expensive and I was on a budget. Before you start flaming there, I know that a lot of people are against Leaders and that's fine, and your own opinion, but I think they're a great starter frame for the price. However, those frames are way more expensive over here than they are in the U.S., so I had to go with something else.

The Visp frames caught my eye, but all the posts I've seen on any forums have all been from 3-4 years ago! So there wasn't really much help there because yes, their frames back then were definitely much crappier than they are now. It looked as though these TRX999 frames were the newest ones now, but there hadn't been any news on them from the biking community. So I bit the bullet and just went with it because I loved the look of the frame and it seemed as though it would fit me (sizing chart below). The smallest size for this newest one is 55cm so I went with that one, but as you can see, the dimensions are a little different than Leaders. With a 90cm stem, it fits me quite comfortably actually.

I also thought this would be a good chance for new interested owners to see the newest frame from Visp. Includes the smooth welds and new type of seat clamp.



Here is my bike build below, made with a lot of non-brand name, but decent quality/sturdy (in my experience so far) parts. The bike weighs a total of 20.9lbs or 9.5kg. I'm planning to get nicer wheels and tires when I get the money, but I'm using leftover deep v's from my old bike for now. The bike still feels pretty light for a street goer and the frame is very stiff as an aluminum frame should be (frame is 4lbs and carbon fork is less than 1lb while the stock fork is about 2lbs). I don't have straps right now, but I am considering them. I've gotten pretty good at moderating my speed without them and I really like being able to jump on and off of them easily, especially with the crazy city I'm in right now.

Let me know what you guys think and try not to flame without constructive criticism please. It is my first real attempt at building a bike after all.



It was very nicely wrapped but still had some paint imperfections and dirt on it... =/



Unwrapped!





Built up with some parts from the old bike as well as a bunch of new parts!









The 48t crank has very little clearance from the frame.



Damn brakes from the last bike left marks on the wheel. I have been warming up to the look though lol.




Here are more links for pictures:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5342/8...33f3f831_c.jpg

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/8...c552ddc6_c.jpg

Okay, let me know what you guys think!

Bike actually turned out quite nice. Probably gets a lot of attention.

There are things about this photo that bother me. Why were you previously running your brakes against the inside face of the wheel and not on the braking surface?

Also, that spoke in front of the fork looks a bit mangled.

My lad's got a Visp roadie from 3 years back and man, have they improved.

Your bike looks pretty sweet mate, well done.

Your "one piece at a time" is comming along fine. Check your brake pad alignment, watch a you tube if you need to.

The picture above looks as if you might be using the tire as part of the braking surface.

Thanks! Yeah, the brakes were set up like that when I got my old bike so that's how I kept it. Brakes were really crappy and just rubbed and I couldn't even scrub off the rubber. I just kept them there until I got a new brake set. I checked the brakes and they are indeed not hitting the tires although it does look a little weird in the picture.

As for the spoke, I snagged it on something while locking it up one time. =/

why the shipping nut protectors on the axle nuts?

ha! i didn't notice until you said. so many people on campus have those on their wheels thinking they do something besides demolish street cred.

Lol I never really thought much of them when I had them. But I started to like them on when I was leaning my bike on stuff or locking up because they would protect the nuts, as they should. It sounds silly, but they served a function for me and they were hardly noticeable with my colors so I just kept them!

So you didn't care about the possibility of your brake pads doing structural damage to your rim but you're concerned with protecting your axle nuts when "leaning your bike on stuff"?

It'd look even nicer with some black wheels

How many hundreds of pounds does it weigh?

Didn't realize that was a possibility until recently and proceeded to fix it. I'll know from now on obviously. Good news is that these rims were so very cheap that I could replace them without much regret and a lesson learned.

Yup! That's the plan for the future! Not happening for a few months though probably because I'm coming back to the U.S. in the summer and then coming back here so I'll wait it out.

Lol 20.9lbs or 9.5kg right now.

when I first looked at the completed build pic I though the black stripe on the front rim was intentional. I like the way it looks. Id suggest putting a black stripe around your rear rim with a permanent marker. loose the axle caps.

when I first looked at the completed build pic I though the black stripe on the front rim was intentional. I like the way it looks. Id suggest putting a black stripe around your rear rim with a permanent marker.

for a brand new frame thats kind of a crappy paint job on the drive side chainstay huh? (pic 3)

loose the axle caps.

Looks nice. The color combo actually works well. But I agree some lighter normal color wheels would be better (check out wabi's).

Its like going down on a chick & then wearing a condom for fear of STD's.

Thanks! And hahaha thanks for the insightful simile...duly noted. The caps will be taken off.

Nice build !
Get some foot retention, and maybe lighter wheels !
The dent on the chain stays are there so that you can fit larger chainrings, you should be fine for now !

Visp did pretty good smoothing those welds out. The decals looks terribad though.

The frame is sitll quite heavy, but 20lbs isn't too bad. That's about how much my steel 722ts weighed.

Yeah, the straps and cages are hopefully going to be a purchase in the near future! I'm just thinking black aluminum cages with black leather or something.

The welds definitely look nice overall. I'd say this frame is close to the quality of the Leaders now. The only thing is the paint isn't the best. Looks like one light layer of paint and a light layer of clear so it doesn't stand it well to scratches. The decals are okay with me right now, though the big silver one is kind of ugly. I would consider repainting it when I get home.

oh my god that brake misalignment damage

i'm sure the wheels are eight times heavier than they need to be for a 130 lbs climber to safely ride them but still.

You might have to change your pedals to a road or track pedal to fit the cages/straps. Get good straps that will last you long!