Friday the 13th was a great day.

My newly built, first fixed gear bike was completed yesterday and had my first crash. Having built up an Araya road frame with good components researched through some of the rants and raves here on BF, I took it out and started slow. To those of you who are interested in moving from freewheeled bikes to fixed, make no mistake it's like night and day. Climbing a rolling hill which I ride up every day, I got excited about the sheer speed and direct feel of the beast and like a cowboy riding a bull, the ***** bucked me right off when I tried to rest and coast for a second, not remembering I had to keep moving. And just like a bull rider, the bull is in fine shape while the rider gets knocked around some. Not a scratch on the bike, but I've got welts and cuts all over the place.

Afterwards I headed back to the LBS and ordered more parts for it.

Make no mistake, this is a sick addiction.

Here is the bike, Araya road frame, original parts with Miche crank, Deep V w/ Phil fixed/fixed hubs, Surly gears. So far a blast to ride...like learning how to ride with training wheels all over again.

Later in the day, I headed to the local coffee shop. A grey-beard with a road bike struck up a conversation with me, claiming he used to ride fixed many years ago ("I was a pioneer") and he confessed he couldn't swtich between fixed and freewheel bikes. Too much thinking involved, he said. "It's too much work to concentrate like that." He was a pretty cool old dude with a gorgeous chrome single speed road frame. His wife thought we were both nuts.

Cheers, Alan

you're making it out to be harder than it is.
congrats on your first ride though...you'll soon grow to love it so much.

You better take that reflector off.

That gives the bike even more bling....


Those are some nice components to build your first fixed up with. Too bad you like it Those parts would get snatched up pretty quick on ebay

-ray

i dont think itll be long before you find yourself scrounging around the internet constantly in search of that perfect used track frame :-D

nice lugs

my relentless search has surely had a negative impact on schoolwork
I can't even afford the new pedals but I still spend hours looking for frames

great story ( honestly)

That's a mighty fine wheelset. Must have cost a lot more than the frame, eh?

Indeed, the frame was cheaper than the components (thrift store bike on a kick stand next to Huffys, a Schwinn Varsity and a Panasonic road bike). The next changes are Nitto 018 bullhorns, soma pursuit levers and any kind of brake that will line up properly. And the Cateyes will stay.

Please tell me you took the Panasonic too...

Once I saw the lugs on this frame, I told myself just one