I will be going to the UK (London and Wales) at the end of the month. Can anyone offer any suggestions on some fixie freindly shops to visit? Also, anyone have any suggestions on some possible parts or gear to look at that we can't get in the states?

in london, Condor, Edwardes and Goeffry Butler, where in Wales are you going to?

visiting family in the Cardiff area. I have been to Evans in London which was nice store. The last time i went it seemed that everyone was into trials and dirt jumping. Does Condor make their own frames?

Evans is like the McDonalds of bike stores, avoid at all costs. Condor have made their own frames for years - very nice bikes to boot.

I can also recommend condor. they have a good selection of parts.

i wish i could tell u some thing about bikes damn! i lived there for 3 years! ( wales, cardiff) and often visited londo many times during holidays. :/ its a great country

Is Condor expensive? Do they sell frames? complete bikes?

www.condorcycles.com

http://www.condorcycles.com/showBike.php?id=17

http://www.condorcycles.com/bike_pics/pistasteel.jpg

http://www.condorcycles.com/showBike.php?id=36

http://www.condorcycles.com/showBike.php?id=35

http://www.condorcycles.com/bike_pics/430potenza.jpg

If you are going to Cardiff, get along to Newport velodrome and try one of their taster sessions! ;)

http://www.newport.gov.uk/_dc/index....id=devxp001384

http://www.bcf.uk.com/features/2003/..._newport.shtml

Visit Imoncrank, fellow NYer over there.

S/F,
CEYA!

Brixton Cycles in London, has some good fixed gear stuff too. Track scene is much smaller than in the US so fewer shops carry stuff. Brixton and Condor have the 'better' selections but I wouldn't expect to be blown away compared to NYC/SF shops.

You can unearth great second hand stuff, but its through classified ads, ebay etc, so hard to do in a definite time period.

You should also swing by the Duke of York on the Clerkenwell road. Its the central london messenger pub and theres normal some fine machines chained to it.

Thats my experience after two months, so am still getting to know whats up.

You may want to check out if theres any action at the Herne Hill Velodrome (Outdoors, London), Cardiff's Maindy Park or if you've got time head to Newport, the Welsh national indoor track is there, its a beauty.

Shame you're not going to be here on the 10th as we're racing (well if we get it together to actually organise an alley cat).

Pip's on top of it!

Due to the £/$ exchange rate, don't expect to find any deals but there are loads of good framebuilders here that have probably never been heard of in the states. Their frames sell fairly cheap secondhand.
Condor stuff is pretty good, but their instock selection is pretty run-of-the-mill unless you want some Condor branded stronglight cranks or branded formula hubs.

How long you gonna be around London?

Damn right NYC! When you gonna be here man, I'm headed back to the states for the holidays but if I'm around I'll definitely be down for a ride. The 1% crew here takes care of any fixer. Here's the deal with coming over here for track stuff as a new yorker. Selection is way way limited compared to ny in terms of frames and most components. That said, you can get goldtec hubs here which are boss as hell and the custom frames here are super cool and generally a lot cheaper than the US builders (Custom mercians Reynolds 631 for abt $650 or custom Witcomb bikes for about the same). Bob Jackson stuff is super nice as well, just ask momentum. I'd definitely look up techone, salmonchild, pip and momentum for a pint at the duke on a friday. Nothing like shivering your rocks off in a piss filled alley with a bunch of crunked up cyclists. It's more fun than it sounds.

Doh! How could I forget Welsh-made Goldtec hubs?!?

go here.. :)
http://www.fatlace.com/jordans/bob/bob15.jpg

Yeah, Goldtec hubs are pretty nice for the money, you really do see 'em every where on London Messenger bikes. If its not got a Phil in the back its got one of these

https://www.betd.co.uk/product_list.asp?CategoryID=15

Thanks for the invite but my schedule is really tight. I will be in london for 2 days then going to cardiff for christmas then back to london for two days. I am trying to get approval to get married in the UK and you wouldn't believe what you need to do, meetings, paperwork, etc... The hubs would have been a great idea but i just ordered a wheelset from nashbar, but the frame may be a possibity

sall good man. Good luck with the whole married thing. Still haven't said when you're gonna be in town.

sorry about that. I leave on the states on the 21st and come home on the 30th.

if you DO go to jacksons in bramley, DONT, repeat DONT go to the local bar called the daisy. scariest public house i've ever frequented. lady oap's knocking the $hite out of each other at 3ish in the afternoon.
if you get to manchester, sandbar on grovesner road is the messenger hangout. most of us ride track bikes...

nast, comin to the alleycat this weekend?

yeah leeds is weird, not as bad as manchester though! or try todmorden where i used to live, thats where the league of gentlemen was based on and parts of it filmed there, ha!

alleycat? where? in london? no, i'm doing one up here (he lies), i also have the agony aunt column to right, btw tracey emin didnt come drinking with me when she was booksigning up here last week, infact i was asked to leave the watersones, after asking her to sign some harry potter book i was trying to shoplift. olc i'm really, really, really thinking hard about cleaning your wheel. sorry, digressing. whats the deal with the london alleycat? riding slowly and sucking each others ego's? again...?

Well, sucking something. Come on man how many alleycats are you gonna rock that include medieval history, strippers, grafitti, and booze?

"how many alleycats are you gonna rock that include medieval history, strippers, grafitti, and booze?"

thats so last thursday. did that gig when i could still cuff one less car round the back of the head. he towers above me now.
btw, olc, your wheel has been cleaned. i fixed your flat. and put a new(ish) tyre on it for you. and you got some free air too. so when you gonna crawl from 41 to 11 to pick your $hit up?

sorry... i think i must be missing something here. ioc, are you offering to pay the £50 each way train fare for me?