WoundedKnee

My friend got a fixed for Christmas(Velano?).. I saw it yesterday for the first time and he had taken his clips off. Ehhhh

TwoShort

My first fixed gear was much like the one pictured: a derelict 5-speed freewheel I welded solid. I only rode it briefly before I got a real track hub. When I eventually brought the wheel out of retirement to use on a winter snow-and mud commuter, I was worried about the lack of a lockring, so I decided to add some locktite. I broke my chain whip failing get the freewheel off, said to hell with it, and rode the thing through several winters. So hooray for junk parts and corrosion About a month ago, after all that wet, dirty riding, the drive side bearing, inaccessible and unclean-able inside the irremovable freewheel, finally disintigrated.

Marrock

Are bearings important?

WoundedKnee

I really really like this bike, especially the upside down risers. Not kidding either.

Scrodzilla

I dig upside-down risers sometimes (especially when they're taped - they look better). My friend flipped his goofing around one day and ended up keeping them that way because they're actually pretty damn comfortable.

NateRod

I still don't understand the spoke card thing. Does it make a sound, so you feel like you're racing on a badass motorcycle?

Scrodzilla

I caught hell for saying I didn't understand spoke cards. I'm lucky to have survived.

cnnrmccloskey

Wannabe alleycat look I think

NateRod

Almost every bike I see around has spoke cards. That's why I ask. Big trend it seems. Not hating on it, but not a fan either. To each their own.

I'm in no position to criticize anyways. My bike looked like something straight out of a circus when I first got it hah. I've been learning little by little.

helloamerican

Generally, spokecards come from events in your community. i.e. polo matches, alleycats, and general goof arounds. People who view them as status symbols are naive i think. In reality i see them as a way to bring cyclists who are strangers together. If i see someone stopped on their bike and see they went to the same race i did i know we've got something in common to talk about (aside from bikes alone). That's not to say the spokecard is a pre-requisite to interaction though.

As for the homemade randomness spokecards, i can't speak to that.

NateRod

Ahhhhh I see. Yeah I just see so many (if not most) bikes around having their spokes jam packed with cards, I just thought it was a "cool" thing to do. Wasn't aware of a specific purpose.

Your explanation is perfectly reasonable. Makes a lot more sense now. Thanks.

jet sanchEz

We've seen tonnes of gorgeous road bikes converted to fixed/ss that really need gears but I think this is the first one I have ever seen where the dork left the STI shifters on the bike:

Aaron_F

Wrong, bikes only need 1 gear. I'd swap the levers and the pedals, and put on a larger chainring, and that lightweight thing would be perfect.

thirdgenbird

i agree, well, almost. it needs a better looking chainring, not necessarily a bigger one.

elTwitcho

Approach from the oncoming lane if clear, or the center lane if it isn't.

Look left for traffic coming at you. Look right for traffic coming the opposite way.

Focus on cutting through the left traffic as you'll hit that first. If it isn't clear, go hard right either to move with traffic in parallel, or diagonally to gain some space to cut through the traffic.

Repeat for traffic coming the other way.



Not that I suggest this, especially not if you think you can read how to do it online and go try it, but you don't necessarily have to stop for traffic running "perpendicular" in all cases, especially not in city traffic. Again, this is not a suggestion, just pointing it out

elTwitcho

+1

Worth also noting that not everyone who races keeps their spoke cards in their wheels either. For a friend of mine, when I threw an alleycat and she raced for the first time she kept her card in because she was proud of the fact that she stepped up and raced. The Toronto community is a lot smaller than most other cities seem to be, so for her she was stoked that she was one of the few that actually stepped up and participated.

I keep mine in so everyone has a ready reference of how many races I've sucked in without having to actually ask me

WoundedKnee

If I hear "To each his own" or "their own" on here again I'm gonna puke.

NateRod

To each their own. Whatever floats your boat. Live and let die. Don't worry be happy.

Get your barf on

WoundedKnee

*dry heaving*

WoundedKnee

This might be an exception...

thirdgenbird

wow...

WoundedKnee

..

NateRod

take off the grips, slap on some tape, and that upside down riser isn't much worse than a moustache bar IMO... and I'm not saying I like moustache bars.

rogwilco

That's not jackass, that's mental institution.

Scrodzilla

Yup. That's an exception! If they were taped though, they wouldn't look so stupid.