Just rode up a mountain for the second time in as many weeks. This is the elevation profile: https://www.mapmyride.com/s/routes/vi...1131762#climbs

I turn 45 in December. Pretty much ride only a fixed gear or a singlespeed. I used the Softride geared at 47 inches.

I'm the guy on the right.


Three of us start out.


Near the top.


Wife driving vehicle and pacing me.

Tonight's ride... 25 miles. I stopped into the tavern for a drink and the subject of age came up. The lady at the table was shocked, shocked I say, when I told her I turn 49 next month. I think that means she thought I was younger.

its the bike, only dumb kids would ride a fixed gear bike to a bar

SSSSSSssssss...

^ the sound of my ego deflating

i still get carded for lotto (almost 40, not quite tho....)

Another downtown night pic

Well, I may not be an aficionado (yet) cause I'm only about to start build on my first one speed. Ordered the frame and fork and am waiting for delivery now. I'm 50 and used to build bikes when I was a kid. In the early 70s choppers were a big deal. Most kids would cut and bang two forks together to get the chopper look but it looked like crap and had a habit of coming apart. We used to steal metal warning flag poles from Con Ed and gas company dig sites and use those. I had a neighbor whose father welded and he used to tighten them up for us real nice. I sure wish I had taken some pictures back then, those were sweet bikes. My first job was as a mechanic at the bike rental in Prospect Park. Minumum wage was $1.60 an hour and I was 12 years old making $1.65!

El Barato SSCX bike. Still needs cables and tape, but you get the general idea.





Out of pocket expense: less than $20.

Well, I guess I've come full circle. I'm 56, expecting my first grandchild any hour, and bought a track bike yesterday. The last track bike I owned was an old Frejus, which I gave up in about 1968. I've been missing that bike for the last couple of years, and got a great deal on a brand new Fuji Track from 2001. It has a flip flop hub, so I installed a SS freewheel (16 tooth) and flipped the wheel for now, also installed a Soma front brake. Otherwise the bike is pristine, and has been sitting in the basement of my LBS for 10 years. It is geared pretty high for an old man, but I rode it all afternoon without incident, approximately 30 miles. I can't wait to get back on the road this morning. Once I get used to running such a high gear, I'll flip the wheel over to fixed side and see how it goes. I ride alot, so I don't think it will cause problems, but figured it would be safer to ease myself into the fixed gear. I never rode a track bike that would coast and had a brake on it before, it is quite fun- and considerably safer than my old one, which was a full-blown track bike. I will likely upgrade the seat, cranks and pedals over the winter, but it isn't too bad as it sits. It's the first "new" bike I've ever had.

Man.. I just got dressed to go for a ride, it's 57 degrees outside, and while I was changing my clothes it started drizzling. I'm bummed.

I ask if they are looking for multiples of 21...

Got the ego inflated again on Saturday. Rode the bike to a Habitat for Humanity build. Some of the HFH staff (girls that work for Americorps) were commenting on the bike locked up to the power box. I said, "Oh, that's mine." One of the girls said to the other, "See? I told you! Just look at his calves!"

Can't wait to see the pics when you get it together!

Trek frame?

Indeed. '89 660. A great, great, great bike. I've had it set up as a FG commuter/winter training bike for the last few seasons. I've even done a fixed Merckx-style TT on it. Love this bike.

Are you racing it on Sat?

I'd like to. My son has an 11 am soccer game, so I'll miss the open SS race. But I guess I could do the 35+ B race instead.

Completed a 58 mile ride w/some 10-12% grade hills on a 79.1 GI fg conversion(switchbacks...I ain't gonna lie ) this past Saturday in Nashville, TN. The event was actually hosted by the city of Franklin, Tn. A small, but growing 'burb about 15-20 miles south of Nashville. It was for the Wounded Warrior project. They design and build bikes for post 9/11/01 Veterans who've lost limbs or are suffering from PTSS as a result of combat.

A truly humbling experience riding amongst people w/handcranks on recumbents and prosthetic limbs riding clipless on standard bikes. It's a nationwide yearly event started in 2006 here in the Mid-TN area. The kicker for us over-40 ss/fg riders was that I was the first entrant/completer to ride a fg for any portion of the ride. When I asked the event Marshall why no one had ever entered on a fg before she replied, "I don't think it's ever occurred to anyone to do it before. You're the first."

So, I'm going to offer a challenge next year to all the 'roadie club paceline' riders...and there were a several, believe me to ride the course on ss or fg.

The main thing was that the event generated over $100,000.00 for the Wounded Warrior Project fund for middle Tennessee. Anyone interested in participating in this event the remainder of this year or next just go to https://soldierride.org where there are links and general info.

41mi maiden voyage yesterday. I'm 46, my sixth ss/fg bike in 5 years.

Voyageur SS 1.2.jpg

I just got a Wabi classic. I rode it 100 miles on 9/11 in Bagram, Afghanistan. Good ride....

Hi,
What size tires are you running & which brakes? Does it look like there would be clearance for fenders between those tires & brakes?
Thanks!

Holy ****, this paint job is wild.

They're 30mm tires (Kenda Kwick) and I changed the calipers to centerpulls to give a few extra mm clearance. There's no way getting any fenders in there, though:





One of the dropouts is slightly out of alignment and I am toying with the idea of having a local builder replace them with track ends. And if I'm doing that, I might have cantilever bosses brazed on too.

Stopped at a playground on a leisurely 20 mile ride with my boy.

51 years old here and been riding fixed for 3 of those.It's just so much fun and I think it makes you a better cyclist.Those head winds though!