1. and 2. I think, thank god somone made a thread about this.

i don't think it's too far fetched to think that tension would pull the rear wheel forward and the dropout would not be able to stop it. i know that in reality this may not be a regular occurrence, but it looks like it could happen.

im new to bikes, i dont understand what all the fuss is, is a conversion considered fake, and a brake considered sissy, i know in the car world fake parts are looked down upon but people dont flamed for them. i guess bikes are diffrent

i have a front brake on a giant bowery so everybody here and and all over the world hates me,
1. you must be cooler than me.
2. you must be cooler than me.

conversions.. dont care about

front brake riding / on the street, do it..

No, converisons are not fakes.

What you see going here is almost exclusive to the biking community. Most of society pushes bikes around. (cars for example, or in the mountain biking world, the hikers and horse people dominate over the bikers)

So, since cyclist are on the bottom of the food chain, and they can't control their environment, they do the only thing they can do, turn on each other. Cross country mtb'ers diss Downhillers for shuttling, Downhillers hate on XC weenies for wearing lycra and riding up hills, all MTB'ers put down roadies, roadies hate on sister's pants fixie riders, "real" fixie riders hate on people who use brakes or convert and old bike to a single speed or fixed gear.

What I do not get the most though, it the thought that the people who do conversions are "cheap" broke no money people who convert because they cant afford a "real" track bike. By browsing the site, I would think people put more money into their conversion than the cookie cutter "track" bikes being raved over.

And while I am at it, to the elitest fixie crowd, your stuff is cheap. fixed gear, track bikes are cheap. It is silly to think you are high class because you have a track frame. Look at a Pista, or a Kilo, Keirin etc.. Your bikes that make you think you are better than those with conversions are not worth half as much as the forks on my downhill bike.

One last thought. While I love a nice track bike, I love even more the nicely done conversion. First and foremost, it represents a resurrection of a unused bike. (mine sat idle from 1990 to 2007). I like the thinking, and planning it takes to put together some old and some new parts and the uniqueness of each build.


I am desmo,
I converted
I have brakes. (actually, I have front and rear since I ride SS one in a while)

... Desmo13.

i understand,

I put so much more into my conversion than I did my Kilo (which may or may not be an actual track bike, depending on who you ask). Even after new wheels. It's way more expensive to piece a bike together than it is to buy it whole.

same here. I had almost 600 bucks into my conversion, and I already owned the frame, cranks, brakes and pedals.

wheels, hubs (one eccentric), chains, brake levers, seat, seat post, chain, stem, rebuilding BB and headset, tires, new brake pads, bars, tape, cables.. it adds up

I also think this:

1. not NJS certified
2. not NJS certified

i just think its cool people like to bike. i don't care if you're doing tricks on a track bike or whatever makes people mad on this board. people are having fun and thats a good thing. i dont know why that upsets people.

I race cyclocross... we think you're all worthless scum who can't ride for *****.

Wow, this thread dug up a lot of dirt.

I like this:

Attn: desmo13 & others who can't follow simple instructions,

The bottom line is: Nobody asked for you social security number, I posed 2 simple questions.

1. cool, because ive only seen one conversion being ridden in town
2. whatever, i probably should have one too.

As a total aside that has nothing to do with this thread... I pulled out my old Kashimax Aero saddle from when I raced BMX in the 80s because it matched my new wheels. As I was cleaning it up to mount it on my bike, guess what I saw underneath?

Yup. An NJS seal.

I find it very funny that the *only* NJS certified part on my bike is a hard-ass nylon BMX saddle from the 1980s.

Your typo reminds me of the lady who works at the Togos across the street from my office; when I pay by credit card she puts the slip down on the counter and asks, "I get your sign, please?"

I always want to write "pisces" on the slip and hand it back to her...

ok, i didn't really mind you until you posted this...don't play damage control just because the tides of the thread have turned on you. you KNOW you asked a loaded question, and that there's more to discuss than answering the two questions. we'll do as we damn well please, unless you happen to own Bike Forums and can't stand to have interesting discussion at the cost of your own opinion being subverted.

and don't go telling me THIS is a "Thank you for your honesty in answering my simple questions" response:
grow up.

1. hey a bike
2. hey a brake

Everyone loves beets, Michael!

I have a question, what type of bear is best?

Panda. depends on if it's brakeless or not though...

"MOOOOOOOOOM you're embarassing me!"

And as a cyclocross rider, you have that right, and are probably right.

<--- hates getting passed by cyclocross riders in XC MTB races.


So I guess the top of the Cycling food chain a SS Cross rider? (with a FG Downhiller being the bottom (no one could be that dumb, or that skilled to FG a true DH bike and ride on a good run)

Actually, I ran into a group of riders hard to hate on. We doing DH runs at our local trail, and came up on some riders.. yes they were slow.. yes, the small drops (1-2 feet) gave them problems. But hey, they were having fun... on unicycles. Unicycle freeriders > all