Hi everyone,

Building a fixed gear in high school is what got me into bikes. I was a mechanic for years but stopped riding much anymore. I want to regress to my youthful fixed gear days and build a new bike, probably an EAI Godzilla frameset with classic hardware like Nitto, box section rims, etc.

BUT it seems like all the websites I used to gawk at parts on have very low stock. Is this a covid thing or is there just less demand for fixed gear stuff now? Where should I look for parts for a classic type build?

There are a lot of limitations and disruptions in the supply chain right now because of Covid-19. As the owner of a track & fixed gear specific shop, I can say there is absolutely nothing wrong with demand. In fact, it's probably higher now than ever before.

Low supply, high demand.

Thanks for the info. Longtime fan of your store and you could probably tell from the EAI frame that you may be seeing some business from me soon. I spoke with some friends from my old shop who reported that they are having a tough time sourcing parts as well, for all kinds of bikes not just FG.

Has anyone found some unusual ways to get your hands on components right now? Got a black market going for $50 tubes?

Hey man, I got a real cool SE Draft fixie you can have for just un mil.

Bikes in general are hard to get. Most decent bikes are backed up for months as far back into next year January to March 2021.

According to Retrogression, the EAI frames (Bare Knuckle and Godzilla) have been out of production for several years, so unless one of the remaining sizes that they have in stock fits you, you’re out of luck of ever getting one, COVID-19 or no COVID-19.

All Bike stores have been selling out since the pandemic started. They all keep saying mid August is when they will get their inventory in from overseas.

This.

Bare Knuckles are almost completely gone and at the rate Godzillas have been selling lately, they won't be around much longer either.

As someone who imports a LOT of products into this country, there is no single answer when it comes to ETAs.

Earlier this week I had to go to the Customs & Border Patrol station at the PDX Airport to fetch a large shipment of framesets and other stuff coming from the UK and transport it myself because clearance for delivery was taking too long. Nothing is normal right now.

I found the best price for tubes was Random, they had a 5pk for like $18 delivered. Short stems, perfect for box section rims.

Speaking of box section rims, Bens has silver Open Elites for $25. Not the lightest rim, but still fairly good quality and the right look.

If you are looking to get a fixed gear frame, American builders can get you something. Yes it may cost some money but the are going to be hand built frames from not so far away and potentially really high quality. With parts and such being hard to get now more than ever it is a great time to get some nice American stuff. Granted yes there are still shipping delays but at least they are still able to supply stuff.

Paul
Phil Wood
White Industries
Chris King
Industry Nine
ESI
King Cage
Profile Racing
Velocity
Wolf Tooth Components
All make some nice components right here in 'Merica. There are of course many others out there and a ton of frame builders who also make bars, stems and seat posts as well as other stuff.

We have some bikes and parts that may not be back in stock till next year at this point. It is a crazy time. As Scrody-Z said we are now having to travel to pick up shipments simply because everything is so delayed and crazy. We had one shipment that actually was closer to the shop and was being moved to trucking dock a lot farther away before it came to us and was taking an extra 3-5 days. Luckily we intercepted it and picked it up closer to us.

Stay safe out there, buy American and have an extra slice of patience at breakfast every morning : )

Not always the case. Raw materials often come from overseas, which is why Phil Wood and Thomson are sold out of just about everything right now.

I had a difficult time finding tubes with 60mm Presta valve from LBS. I did find some from backcountry.com and stocked up for the year.

True but I know Paul is still making and shipping. Plus Thomson doesn't make all of their stuff in America.

I managed to completely destroy my 15 yr old Bareknuckle when trying to remove a seized aluminum seatpost. After a week of trying everything I could to loosen it up, I had one too many bourbons and took a Reciprocating Saw to the inside of the seat tube. Needless to say, I now have a slit in the tubing and have damaged the integrity of the seat post clamp entirely. With demand for these now discontinued bikes being the way it is, should I attempt selling it as is to someone (and if so what do you think a proper price would be), or take it to a frame builder to weld or replace the seat tube?

I never recommend selling damaged goods unless you are EXTREMELY CLEAR that it is damaged and not safe to ride. If you enjoy the bike get it fixed if you don't then don't worry about it. It is a fine frame but nothing amazingly special or exceedingly rare.

In the US, Presidential tariffs and stuff....call the White house.

My local shop just told me they put in a bike order that isn't promised to arrive until early 2022.

Longtime lurker, firsttime poster - have gleaned some excellent insights from perusing here, props to all for your guidance and shared knowledge.


Been riding fix-converted 88ish Peugeot since 2006 but PTSD'd out of buying bike-anything since my significantly parted-up 2004 Stumpy was stolen ~10 years ago.


Loved looping Oakland's Lake Merritt on the fixie but cars, man, I absolutely hate riding with urban traffic. Pretty much gave up on riding after the second time I was intentionally struck, so I stuck to my other go-to minimalist activities: bouldering and barefoot running.


Fastforward couple years, now living by the American River in Sacramento and smack dab in the middle of covid. Plenty of my river trails are barefootable but there are consistently rattlesnakes and just enough of a homeless presence that it's hard to know when I might find myself prancing barefoot through encampment debris.


With the climbing gym closed and my running foundation too sketchy to feel good about with the trails available to me, I committed to mate my two cycling loves - fixed & hardpack singletrack. Researched the bejeezus out of finding myself a new bike and decided on the well regarded All-City Big Block.


Mulled over a couple more days, vetting my choice while watching options disappear with the covid gear-buying spree, before heading down to LBS to coordinate having them receive & assemble the Big Block. Lo and behold, in the 12 hours between going to the LBS and last time I'd looked, all the complete Big Blocks were now gone...


Panicky I'd lose my shot at anything remotely affordable, I bit the bullet and bought the Big Block frameset to try to recreate All-City's complete bike w/ decent parts and a plan to add nicer stuff over time.


And of course I should have know that decent, low-mid grade parts are also pretty much all gone - just like the complete Big Blocks D:


So instead, I had the frame stripped and powdercoated (I actually like pink but this year's Big Block has a shade of pink I absolutely loathe) and built what is pretty much everything I've ever wanted - all moving parts are Phil's, cockpit is Zipp's new beadblasted Service Course line, and relented to LBS' preference for Specialized stuff for saddle & tires which I am now pleasantly surprised by.


Still eyeing higher-end tire options but the Roubaix are fine for now while I readjust to bikelife on a new ride, and I could not be happier with how it all came together.


TLDR: you're right, supplies are drained and shipping is extremely snarled but there's good stuff still out there if you're looking for the obnoxiously expensive, finest gear available