Have been posted before:

FGG #2402
All steel and alu, customized a lot, wouldn't swap for real track bike (hilly 30-40 miles round trip commute).

beautiful vobopl! i dig the curved seat-tube and chromed lugs. what kind of frame is that? nice walls too btw.

ok, but i must re-iterrate that i really don't want this to be the topic of this thread.
the biggest difference between these two statements is the "i think". i know this seems small, but this means that i stated this as my opinion and not as absolute fact. an opinion is open to the challenge of other opinions, and can change based on new insights/information/experiences. stating this as absolute fact would be very arrogant.
"but there is something" is also very important... it means that this is a feeling i get, not something absolute.
the person you are quoting here took his personal perception of what i said, ignoring the ambiguities of my statement and delivered it back at me as a statement of absolute truth.
if he would have said... "i think you are wrong, and here is why..." this would have been a much more fruitful exchange.
i do admit the fault in causing all of this ruckus... i should have been more responsible in my initial statement, so that it was clearer to everyone exactly what i was saying.

Heh, no, I just got a really good deal on my track frames



'82 3Rensho Super Record Export, a variety of parts. New wheels since this pic was taken...

That's sensible.
I guess in the future, to avoid such confusion and annoyance, just try to clarify before attacking and demeaning people. Misunderstandings happen quite often on here and it's in everyone's best interest not to take things too personally (directed toward everyone, not just you).
And to keep with the theme of this thread, I will post a picture later (when I get home from work) of my now-defunct conversion.

I have posted her before, but this is my first fixie conversion. It is a late 60's Wearwell from out of Wolverhampton. Steel frame, original handlebars chopped/flopped, original saddle. Everything else is new or cannibalized. Spicolli VW bus inspired rattle can paint job. She is the beater for commuting and gettin' around town.

agreed. communication via text and smilies only can be very difficult... i think we could all stand to attempt to communicate more clearly and be less reactionary to vague posts.
i appreciate your effort in resolving this matter... we could do with more of that.

looking forward to seeing the ride... even if it is defunct.

wow... so many nice conversions! this is great to see. i notice a lot of bullhorns... it seems like they are somewhat more common to conversions. why do you think that is? i have horns too... specifically because i tend to ride with my hands on the flat part when seated, and with my hands, up on the horn parts when standing... and when i HAD drops i never used the dropped part, the angle is just soo extreme for me.

I like the horns better for a more head up position to ride in traffic without being up too high. Normally ride on the flats for cruizing, and on the horn ends for climbing or to become a little more aero and of course skidding!

My Bianchi XL EV2 has drops and I use them on her, but rarely in traffic. Besides, she is made for speed.

"I'm curious...anybody out there been riding a conversion for over 5 years?"

Yes. In the seventies and eighties (and prolly before), a common form of winter training was to remove to freewheel, derailleurs and shifters from your bike and slap on a 3/32 track cog plus bb lockring. Shorten the chain. When the weather improved, toss the chain and re-install the mechs. You would never remove the brakes from such a setup. This way you could work on cadence, and not worry about winter grime caking your mechs.

A couple of manufacturers even sold derailleur bikes with flip flop hubs as part of the standard setup for a bike, so you could use a track lockring in the winter if this made you feel safer. Usually found on entry level bikes; I won't tell you which ones though; I don't want you guys snapping up my sources of cheap vintage flip flop hubs .

yeah, i ride standing and out on the horns in traffic. i gives really nice control and keeps me in easy skidding position if needs be. i don't even know how people can skid without having their hands in that "thumbs-in" position. i've been seeing a lot of track bikes recently with no brakes and flat bars cut to about 10-12 inches in width... just enough for grips... i have no idea how you could skid in that position... there's no leverage. i guess it depends a lot on geometry, tire slickness, and gear-ratio tho.

my 85 pinarello montello
selling my pista so my only fg right now.
sorry if you've seen these pics too many times..

surferbruce... i haven't seen this before. that is ******* beautiful man. i love the white accents and of course chrome lugs are always a bonus.

surferbruce, what gearing is that btw? it looks like an above average gearing. i'm riding 53/17 right now, and i love the speed... although stopping can be a problem, good thing my brake is there when i need it.

surferbruce - that bike is really nice.. i seen it a bunch on the boards but it is a treat everytime.

Here is my summer conversion. A Volkscycle road bike. Very light and stiff with a lack of braze-ons and whatnot. I'm sporting a pretty easy gear right now (I was without a bike for nearly a year) but will change it up next spring.

Thanks, the lugs are in fact steel, not chrome with clear powdercoat on top of them, frame is unknown make (has some signs of Polish framebuilder Pawlak) TT road frame with inverted dropouts.

>nice walls too btw.
Do you mean my garage doors? I almost got myself killed making them 8 years ago - luckily wearable scars only

actually the pinarello is geared at 44x16, which feels about perfect right now for all around usage.
thanks for the compliments!

I have six fixed conversions, and a Van Dessel fixed/ss.

I would love to spend $10,000+ for a custom 8lb track bike, but I don't have the cash and don't have a track to ride it on. Conversions are better adapted to a riders actual riding needs. Many of my older frames can handle wide tires making them equally suitable for cross country riding or short urban excursions.

Here's a pic/specs on the Bassofixie. The frameset is a Basso Coral that I re-painted using Dupli-Color low-gloss black. The build specs are a little different now from what's in the photo (no brake, different gearing, new front wheel). Shimano UN-72 cartridge BB, old Sugino road cranks repainted black, FSA 45t chainring, rear wheel is Sun CR-18/White Ind ENO, front wheel is Shimano 105/Mavic somethingorather, Bontrager seatpost, Perforomance Forté Pro SLX saddle, Deda stem, Nashbar bullhorns with 3 inches chopped off both ends, cromo Eggbeaters, Connex super heavy duty chain, 45t Surly cog, Bontrager bar tape, Hutchison tire in front and a Specialized in back.

Edit: second picture is current build.

fugazi... are you a ninja? lol that is some black on black on black shiz you got going on there. don't get me wrong... i like it, but how do you find it at night?
btw... you need a black chain too just to make it even crazier

I totaly agree, im a semi-small rider and im poor as all hell! it's hard enough for me and my sister (5"2') to find road frames and it's even harder to find track frames. it's harder for smaller riders to have track frames with out having 650 wheels or some other smaller size. often times shorter people have to use "girls frames" just so they can join the flock. toe overlap totaly sucks (esp. on fixies) and track frames almost always have overlap. track ends don't have much (if any) advantage over horizontal drop outs. track ends are just nicer looking. i prefer a more comfortable frame geometry, id like a track frame someday my self, but for the time being my bike rides great as a conversion!

FG conversions... does a super-cheap folder count?

Toe overlap is not really that big of a deal. You never notice it unless you are going really really slow... and who goes slow on a track bike? I only notice toe overlap when coming out of a track stand. You never do a 90 degree turn in the streets where the toe overlap would be an issue.

there are an abundance of track frames in smaller sizes. it is actually harder to get them for taller people that are 6" plus. Look at Japanese frames. Track racing is huge in Japan and all the frames are for small riders. Check ebay or craigs list if you don't believe me and you will see that most of the frames are 53 to 55cm.

Track frames look great when they are smaller sizes - it is one of the only advantages of being shorter.