jdgesus 

who's the masthead?

macnab

That's me. That's my security feature. If anyone steals it and denies it's mine, I can point there and say, "Look, my face is right on the stem!"

(It's also covering the shim)

tristen

yep, awesome. i used to be loath the prospect of tinkering with my geared bike because there's too many variables and the worry factor goes up exponentially now i'm even truing my wheels, changing cogs, and i'm currently humming and ha-ing over repairing some blown rear bearings (but that's another story/thread)

awesome components too sir.

i see a fair few fg bikes converted from geared bikes. the rear-dropouts there, is it worth considering having track dropouts fitted, or not really necessary? i'm lucky enough to have track dropouts so when my chain stretches it's just a quick operation.

tristen

don't be shy - the picture you posted looks like it has the potential to be bike-porn, but it's more like bike-burlesque. SHOW US YER BIKE!

macnab

I did the full spread in the pic thread, I didn't want to spam this thread too badly.

jdgesus 

you should sell stickers as theft deterrents.

Brian

Scrod's face is more of a deterrent.

JohnDThompson 

If your frame already has forward-facing horizontal dropouts you will not gain anything by changing them to track ends. In fact, if you ever put fenders on the bike, rear-facing track ends will make it a PITA to get the rear wheel out.

eddubal

Thanks for the inspiration and information guys. I'm 42 and just bought my first SS in over 30 yrs. I went with the Masi CXSS. I'm hoping to get into shape to race CX this year. I've been thinking about it, lurking and gleaning info from you guys, and made the plunge Friday. I was surprised that I was able to make it move as easily as I did, and made it up some fairly nasty hills in the area. It's very fun to ride, and for me very different. I haven't ridden a drop bar bike in decades.

Here it is. Unfortunately, the photos don't do it justice...

macnab

Grats and welcome, nice Masi!

Brian

Masi is putting out some sexy bikes lately.

tristen

(hypno-voice) gooo fixxxxxeeed, GOOOOO FIIXXXXXEEED.

rudypyatt

TT, I hope you mend quickly! I had a(nother; long story) hernia surgery in November. Doc says I'm on course to pedal again come summer, and I'm finding it harder and harder to obey orders as the weather gets warmer.

I started riding again a year ago - after a thirty year layoff from this old Free Spirit 10 speed to the single speed Trek Cruiser :

I was able to roll 30 miles-plus on the thing, and, per CatEye Velo 5, managed to get it up to 22 on a flat stretch. I figured the bike was a good 45th birthday present to myself, and it was.

But I'm very interested in this:

https://www.schwinnbikes.com/bikes/urban/racer-10006

Or one of the usual suspects (Leader, Pista, Windsor The Hour, etc.).

Get well soon!

eddubal

Came close last night. Maybe this weekend!

tristen

heheh, yeah it took me a while to build up the courage, and aside from the first week or two (or three or four) I haven't looked back

it's freaky to begin with, but you'll settle down and wonder why you rode any other way. mind you: i'm not quite sure how you'd go offroad, but i presume that rear hub is flip-flop?

eddubal

Ok, I tried it. I ended up going down, and until my hands heal, it'll be ss. Yeah, my hub is a flip-flop. Luckily I was out with my daughter so I wasn't going that fast. I wish there had been a mechanical reason, but it's probably my own noobitude. From what i remember thinking as it was happening, I probably wouldn't have gotten in that position on a freewheel. I think my actual thought was "OH SH** I can't do that fixed!" I can't remember what exactly it was, but I went over the bars, started to land on the hands and then remembered to tuck. I got some road rash on my palms and one shoulder, but faired pretty well. The bar tape is scraped on one side as are the brake levers, but it's now broken in!

It's very odd to be going fixed at first, but you're right. It is pretty cool. The pedal stroke feels really good and smooth. I was pretty amazed at how easy it was to control speed with my legs. Once I heal, I'm going to go back to it again. That's going to be fun. I'm not sure about racing fixed, but I'm not totally against it!

Dcv

eddubal - sorry to hear about your crash, very jealous of your masi. went off roading with my son today, just realized how much i miss it. here's mine:

eddubal

Nice lookin' bike. What tires are you running?

Dcv

Stock Kenda kwick 700x30's, been looking for new tires though.

tristen

oh man that blows. i'm sorry about that - I feel responsible, me and my damn hypno-powers (my mother always said they were a curse).

having said that: i don't know how i got through my first ride without taking a stack. my brain kept wanting to freewheel, but the bike wasn't letting me. even turning in a wide circle made me feel like i'd never been on a bike before. the feeling was a bit like learning to snowboard after i'd grown up on a skateboard (dunno if that makes sense to anyone).

when you're next ready to give it a crack, maybe find a big empty carpark or something. that way you can just keep pedaling nice and easy, on a flat, with no sudden decisions to make. having to make sudden decisions sucks and i think that's one of the reasons why i like fixed gear so much - my riding style has changed so that i rarely need to make those sudden decisions. before i went fixed i was a crazy man on my bicycle, now i think it's fair to say i'm cautious and aware and much more easy-going.

Now you must excuse me, i'm off to pray to the God of Cycling that those aren't going to become famous last words.

eddubal

Yeah, I have the same effect with beer...


The funny thing is that it was in a large parking lot! I'd been doing fine on the MUP nearby but was distracted for a moment. Isn't that how it usually goes down?

I'm fine. It's definitely not the worst thing that's ever happened to me and I'm already planning on running fixed again soon.

Thanks for the support.

Affixed

Hello all, newbie to this forum here. Well, I'll be 60 in two months, so I'm calling it 60 for now. Been a road/mtn rider for a long time. I posted my comments in the other 40+ forum, but this post caught my attention. I tried riding fixed gear two days ago after I finished my latest build. Still trying to wrap my mind around the logic of this style of riding. Not crashed yet, but it looms large!

Here's the bike I built. FBM Sword clearcoated raw frame. It's almost finished, with the matching fork to be installed this week and custom built wheels next week. Just trying to remain young....

2manybikes

If a track racer is a "trackie" then my Fuij Track bike is going to be a "fixie", if I feel like it. The terminology is not important. I'm 60.

Caring about the age, style, or culture, or baning a word describing a bike is absurd. Stop it.

tristen

no worries!

hey also: i got through my first month or so with bmx pedals without straps so I could make a hasty "exit" if need be. they were the equivalent of my training wheels.

once i got the confidence i fitted some pedals with toeclips. took a while to get used to "getting in". the bloody pedals just wouldn't stop going 'round

track stands are my current project. woaaah. i'm all anxious about running out of room or falling over before the lights change. i have to remember my ninja breathing techniques and stay calm like a mountain lake in the autumn (cue ninja music.)

tristen

Why it's....it's....BEAUTIFUL. (sobs)

heheh ^^^ tears of joy my friend, tears of joy. welcome!