Removing Braze-ons
 

So I have always thought that this was kind of a stupid thing to do and that it would ruin the frame. In the past few rides, though, I have scraped my knee up on my downtube shifter bosses while doing crotch-stem skids. Usually, the shifter bosses don't get in my way, but whenever I do execute a serious skid, I find myself scraping my knee on the shifter bosses. This frame is the right size for me 58cm for someone who is 6'0" with 32" inseam. When i do these crotch-stem skids, I get down really low. It's kind of hard to explain, but I shift my weight forward and down. Maybe everyone does it this way, I don't know, I am just trying to explain it.

Anyways, point is, I think I am going to remove the shifter bosses. I am probably going to keep this bike as a fixed gear for a while, so I figure I might as well. Now, for the important part, how do I do it? I hear a lot people talk about using a dremel. Do I need to know someone who has this tool? Would a bike shop do it or would they just laugh me out of the place? Any tips/advice is welcomed. Thanks

A shop might do it. Grind off the majority and get to work with a file.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=59489
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=205279
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=203538

yeah, i just used a cordless grinder to knock them down a bunch then went at them with my girlfriends jewelry files til it was smooth like the butter. then of course you get to repaint your bike, or proudly display the new rust spots on your frame. super easy.

Oh I should have searched-thanks.

I just realized that I would have to repaint if I did this. I don't know if I want to do that b/c I don't want to repaint the whole frame and it might be hard to just paint that little section. Also, I'm pretty sure I would mess it up badly. I think I'm just gonna be careful with my knees for now and wait for someone who has a lot of experience in this field. This is my only FG bike and I don't want to mess up the frame

Do you have a compelling reason to do "crotch-stem skids?" If not, just stop doing them. Problem solved.

Don't do it :(

Somewhere along the line you might want to change up the bike into something else. Can't cover it with something instead? Maybe some single sided foam tape? Putty/epoxy that can be removed easily later on?

well, i'll consider that downtube shifter bosses could be replaced with bar end shifters, or something easier to get to.

I mounted a bell to my shifter boss (my bike only had one) but then... I don't do crotch to stem skids.

I did remove the pump pegs as they were a pita and are never gonna get used.

Put some little baby doll arms on the dt bosses. That would look rad.
And quit doing sick skids, brah.
Buy a real "track" frame- or at least a frame without braze ons.
One day, you might grow up and realize that gears are where its at and convert it back.
I know this is the ssfg forum, but I think that 90% of us can agree that gears were invented for a reason.
My roadie isn't as "fun" as my fixed bikes, but I sure do ride it a hell of a lot farther and faster.

I don't do those kind of skids very often, but I usually like to bust at least one out every day or 2. I do have a front brake, so I don't depend on skids in order to stop, but they are still part of the fun of riding fixed. I don't think I'm going to take them off. I can probably just train my body to avoid that area even if I'm doing those skids.

I have a road bike. A Fuji Roubaix. I like it. I also like this. Thanks for the useless post!

P.S.--nice pink scrambler ;)

rude! bum...

jesus effing christ, can anyone not read the giant "SOLD" in the link to the scrambler?
You're asking about sawing off braze-ons on a converted frame with deep v's on it, and my post is useless?

Good one, buddy.
All the 10th graders must be so jealous of you.

btw I'm pretty sure my scrambler was black, not pink.
But good call, nonetheless.

Pink components. very pink bike. And also, there is nothing wrong with a conversion that has Deep Vs. It's a quality frame and it would still be a quality frame even if I took off the braze ons, which I have decided not to for now. Your scrambler is from an over-priced website that preys on rich hipsters. Also, tenth graders? I don't really know what that's supposed to mean?

Anyways, point is that I was asking a question to people who might actually know about bikes, not people who run a brake on a powder coated pink rim just to ruin it, and then you brought up a COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT POINT. What you said had ABSOLUTELY NO POINT IN THIS THREAD= it was useless.

Why are you trolling your own thread?

I've got to admit I'm an old fart and I genuinely don't "get" the whole ss/fg scene, but thehappyrobot's black & pink scrambler was cute.

The Madison looks good too.

You still need the downtube shifter bosses to mount the cable stops if you are running barend or STI shifters.

I got the scrambler on a gb for $99 back in november when eighthinch was just starting up. I was recovering from a major shoulder reconstruction surgery I had in september, and needed a beater to get me back on a bike again.
Were you even riding bikes 6 months ago?
Oh, and velocity deep v's aren't powdercoated. They're painted.
But good try.
......Oh wait. You're right. I don't know alo about bikes.

ftw! Go to the hardware store, and find some rubber/plastic caps that will cover it.

cover 'em up with some downtube cable stops...

http://www.getprice.com.au/images/up...oppers-med.jpg

This is Pedaling, on my GF's account...fyi

Yes I was riding my road bike 6 months ago..and 6 months before that...and that....

And no, as far as I know, Deep Vs are powder coated, at least that's what people in this forum say. Either way, you shouldn't run a brake on them...

For those of you who suggested putting rubber caps on the shifter bosses, that's a really good idea and I think I will try it. Like I said, I was originally opposed to the idea of hacking, but when I was scraping up my knee I started to think about it. But hopefully something like that could fix the problem w/o forcing me to damage the frame of the bike..

Good call. I grinded them off on my first conversion, and now I'm wishing I didn't. I was going to freshen it up a bit with gears and make a touring/commuter out of it and now its collecting dust in my garage.

Yeah, this is a Bianchi frame, too, so I know that whenever I do get a real track frame, I am going to want to put some gears on it cause it's pretty nice. It just sucks getting scrapes and bruises on my knee from doing skids. Hopefully I can sort of train my right knee to stick outward a little bit when I'm coming up from those skids to avoid hitting the braze on.

After I skid, I usually let my right leg move back forward before I pull my body up. If I pull my body up and THEN let the right knee pedal forward, I can probably avoid hitting it. We'll see