Born again bike
 

In going through my bikes and deciding what to keep and what to sell, I was in a quandary as to what to do with the first bike that I ever converted to fixed gear from a road bike. I was not truly happy with the way it came out as a drop bar f/g or bullhorn f/g bike, and was on the verge of selling it. The frame is on the large size for my body size and the seat tube angle is rather slack, making for a comfortable but rather slow handling ride. I happened upon an article on the Ibis Scorcher and was intrigued with the possibilities of seeing what could be done with this frame. I had a set of Cruiser bars, which I flipped over and cut down, and a dirt stem which matched the type of setup on the Ibis in the article. I installed them on the bike and a whole new appreciation for 1890's bicycling came to me. I lowered the gear ratio to 67 gear inches which is what was often run on that era's bike's. They didn't have the paved roads then and this type of bike was called a path racer, or scorcher, as it was used on the unpaved road surfaces of the day. Anyway, after a 75 mile ride on hilly and flat terrain yesterday, I have become a convert to this type of bike. The more upright seating position is very comfortable and it makes for a leisurely and rather genteel riding style.
I checked some my books on bicycle history and they confirmed the gear ratio and style of the finished product. One of the often used phrases in the sales literature of the time was that the bike is "Well suited to serious road work". I think that still applies. If you have any of these parts around, try it out and see what you think. Even if you have to buy the bars and stem, the bars they are available for cheap, online. The attached pic gives you an idea as to what's possible. I have decided that I won't sell this bike now. I love it and it makes for a wonderful change of pace.


Fixedgearhead

that's really cool! nice looking bike.

that bike looks great. i went through the exact same debate with my peugeot conversion about two months ago. it was my first fixie, slightly too big, and i never rode it after getting my iro together. so i was going to sell it on ebay, until i happened upon some old school moustache bars. i threw them on inverted and knew i couldn't sell it. i wrapped the bars in some old benotto ribbon. it turned it into a totally new bike. it makes me think of a late 1800's bike as well. i believe i have a picture of it on my mother's digital camera. perhaps i'll post it up if go over there this weekend.

I find the more upright position is where it's at. I could go forever that way. I'm a fan of plain NorthRoad bars in the usual "old lady" position. Though my fixie currently has some 5" riser bars. The only thing is-a comfy saddle is a must, since your butt will carry more weight.

That is sure true on the saddle. I have a sprung Brooks Champion Flyer, that would look great, that I am contemplating installing on the bike, but that Brooks Pro that is on there is broken in and "Oh so comfy". I think the sprung saddle would look more period correct, but if I was to be an absolute purist, I would have to get rid of the bottle bosses. They are sure convenient, though.

fixedgearhead

icy cool color

now i have a plan for my ancient tank of a frame! only thing is, i can't do it fixed for lack of a spare fixed hub. oh well. now i just need some 36 hole, 27" rims and spokes that will work with low flange hubs....and tires...and a new headset...and a seatpost and a seat. everything else is good to go!

hehe...oh yeah, forgot to say that the frame i'm talking about weighs as much, if not more than my complete road bike.

the third attachment (monark1) is the frame i'm talking about. it's been sitting in my place for at least 4 months with no progress...mostly because i don't have the money for parts...

also, these posters rock my socks.

Very nice. I did the same thing with an old Raleigh 3spd after hacking the rear drops out and shortening the rear a bit. A very fun ride.

Dave

Thanks for thread guys. I'm very close to commiting to my first fixie. It will be mainly for commuting, so I wanted an upright position so I could be aware in traffic.

However, it seemed many fixies that I see involve using a bullhorn with a relaxed geometry so I was concerned.

Glad to know I'm not reinventing the wheel.

I told my wife the girl in the poster was my next wife. voluptuous body, long flowing red hair, and she rides a fixed gear bike. She was not amused.

fixedgearhead

For kicks, you guys should go to http://www.nostalgic.net/ and feast your eyes on the old pre-1920 catalog scans. Some neat old pix.

No need to carry it too far. You'll have trouble finding wooden rims and inch pitch transmission. ;)
Not to mention finding some duds like these:
http://www.nostalgic.net/arc/Scanned...e Cat pg38.jpg

IIRC, Sheldon Brown has a old Mead Ranger built up to a fixie. I'd love to ride such a old bike if they weren't all so damn tall.

NEW inch pitch stuff is hard to find, but there's a ton of old inch pitch crap flying around...a lot of chainrings and cogs show up on ebay, and i think bikeworks sells new inch-pitch chains. wooden rims, however... uh... *shrug*