Today my new IRO Jamie Roy arrived. Been an avid cyclist most of my life (I'm old) but never have ridden a fixed gear(not including bmx). My old singlespeed, my trusty ride got ripped off a couple months ago and so I decided to research before buying a new one. That led me here and to IRO, at first I was thinking a SS IRO but then starting reading all the posts here on a regular basis while I decided what bike I wanted(and saved some cash). Ya'all made me decide to go fixed, mostly because it sounded like learning to ride all over again and that sounded real good to me. So I go ahead and get it.
I assembled the bike, a pleasurable task then took it for a first spin. Right foot in, get up...wtf! Can't get the left foot in, feels completley out of wack, I am all over the place. I get about 20 yards and decide I better go over to the jogging trail and get away from traffic right quick. I ride about 5 minutes and realize I need to make a few adjustments. Get everything where it needs to be, wrap the bars. I head out real slow, first hour I feel I need to go very slow or I feel out of control. I really need to concentrate on my riding something I am not used to as of late, but it is fun, alot of fun. The second and third hour I feel more and more comfortable. I still am very careful and reticent(sp) when I come up to intersections and such but am opening up on the stretches and dang this bike is FAST!!! I already feel like my 46 X 16 is way low (we have NO hills-Ft Lauderdale) it was just so easy to pedal and I could not be more out of shape. After my 3 hour ride I am excited, I just want ride more! Tommorow my whole day is open for riding and I am looking so forward to it, it is like learning to ride again and I am really enjoying it. The bike itself is fantastic. My first Brooks saddle and man that is nice, didn't even notice it on my first ride, that is a good sign. Beautiful frame white with all black components, Tony really made it pretty, and it tightened up ready to go out of box, great job! The post and stem will be replaced asap with thompson, the tires and tubes barely made it through the day, but the velocitys where built with perfection, my 200 pound a$$ won't budge the spokes. Everything that counts was done right with this affordable bike, I'm in Love with my new ride. I feel like a kid again, thanks for the direction.

Glad you like your bike, but where's the pics? And don't forget, don't coast. And if you don't mind my asking, how old are you?

Hehe. Drinking hard cider and watching t-storms roll in, to lazy for pics, gimmee a day or 2. About the coasting at first I really had to keep that in mind! One point tried to scratch my ankle and made to coast but caught myself quick. I'm spacy as it is so I really need to concentrate. 40 last month

Ummmm...40 isn't old.

I just started talking with Tony and am 99.9% sure I'm getting a Jamie Roy too. The .1% of uncertainty is my wife's...not mine.

I'm right there with you man. I've been road cycling for years also and I got an IRO Mark V 2 weeks ago. I had an almost identical 1st ride as you but now I can really crank on it. Fixed is the ****. It will make your road cycling improve in so many ways and it's so much fun. True, the arrival and build (some assembly required) of the IRO was an awsome experience. Tony's doin' it right.

congrats on the new ride...enjoy

can you really learn how to ride a bike again?
awesome though. enjoy tomorrow. that's the best thing: getting a new bike and taking a day off to enjoy it and learn all about it.

oh, and your brooks didn't give you any pain today, but come back tomorrow and say that after a day of riding. it'll start to break in and you'll hate it, but give it a couple more days / weeks (depending on how much you ride) and you'll love it.

When I was 28, 40 was old. Now that it's 10 years later, 40's not old.

yo pal, 28 is ancient.

I think some of us 0LdE TyMeRz tend to overthink stuff.........
Im 47 and I said the same thing.....Its like learning to ride again.
Hard to break old bad habits. Great when you do tho........

Wise words.

my baby

oh that looks real nice. it's nice to see a jamie roy cause it's white. very nice.

bet that thing is fast! white bikes always are (but only when you keep them clean).

Nice! But what's up w/ them shoes? They go w/ the bike, but uhhh...

Nice, I'm ordering an IRO soon and was wanting to see some of the black components, thanks!

IRO's and Shelltoe's... NICE!

Are you using a front break with a non-machined *colored* front rim! Wouldn't that just rip all that black off? I have always been under the impression that if you used breaks you had to use Deep-V's with the silver sides.

Please tell me they're anodized or something, that'd be so wicked.

But remember, you're going to live forever or die trying. At least the real Yossarian plans to.

Chilly: that is a very attractive ride. As for the brakes thing, I think if it's anodized it is unlikely to make the layer come off, especially in the small amounts you'd use it on a fixed gear. I had a front brake on my build with an anodized layer and there was no noticable difference after using it for two rides then taking it off.

nah...they always are...PERIOD

Not as fast as red ones, but close.

Nice whip. Congrats!

she's a beaut! Congrats on enjoying the new mayo

nice bike. I'm 44 myself and have always been a no gear person. SS or fixed for me. Have fun!

That's the plan!

The shelltoes are dope. Nice touch.

Nice bike, chillywater!

Good to see that there are a number fo 40-somethings here, despite what the whippersnappers say! I'll be 48 next month. I'm just getting back into cycling, and can't spin like I used to 15 years ago, so I got into FG/SS a couple of months ago to fix that. 42x17 on the Bianchi San Jose commuter seems to be good for getting to work without being drenched when I arrive, but that girl, half my age, who I followed this morning just about killed me. Damn kids on their multi-geared bikes! At least she maxed at maybe 80 rpms in her 52x13(?) so I didn't get dropped in the mile that we rode together. It was a great cadence workout and I felt like a cyclist again for the first time in years.... "Fit by Fifty" is my new motto and with 13 months to go I'm well on my way.

I have a pair of wheels with Rigida Score rims on my old Vitus 979 (that I put 1000s of miles on in the 80s) and while the sides are a little scratched from brake wear, the coloring is mostly intact.