So, I just need to vent and feel a bit better here.

I bought a frame on ebay, an old austro-daimler inter 10 with vertical drops. Then I got the IRO velocity aerohead wheel set and a build kit, and then I went down to my LBC for a stem, seat post, seat, etc. I got it all together without too much trouble, getting the chain right was a biatch, but it worked out after awhile. Sore thumbs, but it's fine. I had a hell of a time trying to get the bolts off of the rim so that I could align the cog correctly, but I'm not sure that I've gotten it yet.
How much noise is the chain meant to make? It's clicking and making a grinding sound when I spin it, it's not as noticable when I'm riding but it's still there. No matter how I seem to align it, it still seems to make some noise.. so I take it they don't run silent?
I started trying to do skip stops etc, but I don't exactly trust the bike yet... I keep expecting something to fall off... it's kind of a leap of faith to throw yourself forward to unweight the back.
I got 170 cranks, which might have been a mistake... pedal strikes might be a little too close for comfort...
One thing that really sucks is that I got a flat after riding it around the block a few times. The Iro rims didn't come with those rubber things that usually go on the inside between the tube and the spoke holes.. so I figured that maybe it just didn't need them. Apparently the edge was a bit to sharp for the tub so now I have a flat... which sucks...

My whole thing with building it myself was that I would hopefully end up spending less than what it would cost to buy a Mark V... I figured that I would end up with better parts too, because I believe a lot of the things on the IRO are just generic, so I figured I would end up with a better bike. ... so I've spent 585.71 now and have a bike with a flat and chain-alignment problems.

I'm just a little bummed... someone cheer me up. I do like the bike, it's not as sexy as a Mark V but it's not a bad bike. I do like the way it feels, so I'm not disappointed about that either... I'm definitely hooked on the fixed gear aspect.

I was a little suprised that I couldn't do track-stands (note I've been on the bike for all of half an hour) but I kind of expected to be able to do those pretty naturally. I've been unicycling for the last 3 years, and I can idle (which is the same thing) for hours on end.. but it's different on the bike... there's much more of a delay and it's a lot different than I expected.

Meh... this is a rant rave post.

well first you'll have to tape the rims- Rim tape protects your tube from the spokes...

yeeeah.. well now I feel stupid. I figured it needed something but I thought that since it didn't come with it maybe it didn't need it..

Oh well.. I'll make sure to do that.

yeah, i'm all behind liners for the rims and the tires both.

Old ten speed - 25 dollars
New tires - 24 dollars
New inner tubes - 5 dollars
new double wall rear wheel - 37 dollars
bar tape -------------------11 dollars
new chain ------------------10 dollars
cogs (t16 and t13) ----------20 dollars
seat and seatpost -----------30 dollars
Getting to build a rideable fixed gear little by little with a fraction of my gas money = priceless.

I guess the main thing is that I feel like I've built a bike which is less reliable and more expensive than a Mark V would have been.

what do you mean by:
are you trying to respace your rear hub to get proper chainline?
if so, don't. you'll have to redish your wheel as well if you do this. and it'll throw off the flip side of your flip/flop hub too.
sounds like you might need a different BB. measure your chainline front and rear.

and yeah, rim tape is your friend.

There's no problem with moving washers over to one side is there? even if the wheel is a little off center at least the chain line is straight.

For that kind of money you've spent, I would have gone with a Pista.

I guess the best way to look at it is not in economic terms... but education terms. You've learned a lot from building up your own bike, and will continue to learn much. As you learn more about bike mechanics, you'll be able to build a more 'reliable' feeling machine, something you wouldn't have gotten from buying a pre-built bike.

That said, after three years of cobbling together my own fixed gear conversions, I'm just about to order a Mark V frame from IRO and assemble it myself. Similar outcome, but the joy is in the path you take to get there.

Could someone please answer my question about the chain crunching/grinding/clicking sounds? I'm just wondering how much there should be...


And yes, I guess I have learned a lot in the process of building/buying this bike. But I also only have about 50 bucks to my name now... oy... I think I'd be a bit happier if I could just ride the stupid thing.

yeah, building up a bike is really more for the experience than the price. Make sure when you tape the rims to use a clothe tape like velox, not rubber. Rubber won't hold against the tube well with double wall rims. I would also suggest not moving spacers from one side of the hub to the other, like baxtefer said. I'd put the spacers back like they were, and see if you can take it to a bike shop and get a different bottom bracket, because if you move spacers it will throw off the chainline twice as bad if you ever flip the hub.

put the spacers back where they were, measure your chainline front and back, do some math and figure out what size BB you need.

chain crunching/grinding/popping noise can be many things
- shiatty chain
- shiatty chainline
- worn chain on new cog (or vice versa, but this probably isn't the case)
- no lube
and my #1 favorite
- too much chain tension. sounds like it might be binding. aim for 1/4 to 1/2" play in the chain and the midpoint btwn the chainring and cog.

dude, don't worry about it. one thing that you have over any fully made iro or bianchi is that its your bike. enjoy it as much as you can. you're gonna have your fair share of headaches as you ride it, but its a bike, and its yours.

Go get some rim tape, a patch kit and a pump, and don't be discouraged about the track stands. give yourself a few more days and you'll start getting them down.

enjoy and go ride, your bike will thank you for it.

I measured the spacing and the backwheel was 110... I'm pretty sure the BB is the same, but the crank sticks out further than the back cog. What would a different sized BB have to do with getting the chain line straighter? wouldn't it be the crank that would need to somehow be closer?

that is a lot to spend for a conversion but look at it this way, you'll be able to switch the parts over to any other frame you might end up with if you take care of them.

que? measure your chainline this way... you ahould end up with a number around 42mm
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainline.html

if your chaining is further out than your cog, then either saw the chainring to the inner position of your spider (if you can and haven't already) or get a new, shower BB (if your chainring will still clear the chainstay)

A shorter bottom bracket will bring your crank closer to the frame, and that's what you need to do to get your chainline straight. Don't mess with the hub spacers.

The problem with your build has nothing to do with how much you spent on it, and everything to do with how much you didn't know about building it.
the mistakes you made are all a prat of the learning process. You learned some things such as the necessity for rim tape the hard way. You could go through life without ever needing to know about proper chainline, and rim strips if you buy all your bikes complete. You chose the harder path, but it has the potential to be the more rewarding path as well, because once you've learned what you need to know to build a reliable bike, you'll have more than just a reliable bike. You'll have the skills and knowledge to make any bike a reliable bike, and the satisfaction that comes from doing something for yourself.

I highly recommend this page https://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html to give a good overview on what you need to know about building a conversion. Then for things you don't understand, do some more research, and/or ask questions here.

It sounds like you bought a chain and put it on yourself. If so, after you put it on, did you lube it? If not, you still might need to lube it; one time I took a bike to an unknown LBS to put a chain on and they didn't lube it for me. That crunching sound can be caused by poor lubrication.


What type of cranks are you using? Are they track-specific, or are they road cranks (for example, the ones that were originally on the bike)? If the latter, you can also adjust your chainline by changing the position of your chainwheel on the crank. In other words, if your cranks were originally for two or three chainrings, you can change the position of the single-speed ring (to either be the inner or outer ring). You can also get spacers for your chainwheel to adjust the chain line in small increments.


I'd like to second that. If you're caught up on the money issue, think of it this way: the only thing that differentiates your bike from an IRO is a $250 frameset. You can always upgrade your frame and swap components. With the market the way it is these days, you could probably sell your austro-daimler for almost the same price that you originally paid.

alright, I determined that the crank is about 5.5mm further out than it ought to be.
I can't put the spindle on the opposite side like you suggested because it already is.

There was so much lube on the chain already when I took it out of its box that I didn't even think of adding more.. but I'm pretty sure that will fix the problem.


The crank is track specific (or at least fixie specific). It's about 6mm further out from the frame then it ought to be, so I'm going to have to something about that...

6mm? geez. that's a thrown chain waiting to happen. also explains your noise issue/
what size is your BB spindle right now?

provided it's symmetrical, you're going to need a 12mm narrower one.

you bought the build kit from IRO? something sounds wrong then. it should come w/ a 110mm BB.

wait a second.
you said your rear spacing is 110mm?

did you remove spacers from your hub? all from 1 side?

The BB is 110 and the rear-spacing is 120. I tried to move some of the spacers over to the left side to get the chain line straight, but I took your advice and switched it back since then. I didn't remove any of the spacers, I just took from one side to put on the other.

And yes, I bought the IRO V. 1 build kit.

so the 5.5 mm chainline difference is with the wheel spacers in their original configuration?
something sounds fishy.

is your frame aligned properly?