Bicyclettes

[Loop]

No BMX riders here?

I ride bmx, just not really well... though part of the reason for that is the fact I live in the back of beyond, in rural Wales. Thus a lack of street spot, skateparks or trails (never ridden trails though).

There's got to be some more bmxers on here though, surely?

(This is in dire need of a bike picture, I know. I shall try to rectify this as soon as possible).

[zelah]

So... I think I covered it... I think...

Pre-Cut Nitto Drops - Bike thighs get stuck between.

T-19s - Smaller, thighs wont get in/stuck.

Cut Nitto Drops - Perfect. Wish they were cut RIGHT, just for the whole aesthetic. But, whatever...

Function > Form.

just grab a hacksaw/pipecutter and even them out.

thats funny though

i have oury's up against the stem and Champ grips on the drops, bare shoulders. only ran into problems once. it was a hot summer day, hands were sweaty, skidding down this hill fucking around with some friends, looked to the side BAM

i imagine my hand slipped off, but i have no idea, all i know is my feet didnt come out of the clips which led to hilarity

[stuntastic]

My foot got stuck in my clips today, which caused me to tip over... Slowly so it was pitiful... Stupid dunk.

Im weird. I can only skid with my hands on the shoulders of the bars. I went practice riding with my riser bars... Couldnt skid for shit. If they werent raised so much, I might be able to.

Oh well... Cut off uglies for now...

[canice]

that's okay, i once fumbled getting out the clips after a trackstand got messy at a red light at yonge and dundas, the busiest intersection in all of toronto. i heard crowds of bored wigger teenagers across the street collectively going "OHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" as i tipped over. one guy asked me if i was okay.

another time i fell over while still in motion during a critical mass. i started to think too much about remembering to pedal, and it threw me off. i had been riding a fixed for about 3 days at that point.

i still get stuck in my straps all the time. maybe i need some laminated ones that will hold their shape rather than stick to my shoes. and i have a psychological fear of trackstanding clipped in even though i can do it for minutes on end on the flat sides.

[Tarmac]

87 Haro FSX all original unrestored, except for brake pads

[stuntastic]

How was Critical Mass?

A few people told me to ride it one day, just for the whole experience...

I know for sure Id get annoyed at how slow people ride.

The times I fall are some retarded ass times...

- Getting IN to my cages. But I was trying to do it going uphill, which didnt make sense at all.

-Getting out of my cage today, after a skid. I went left, bike went right.

blah blah blah...

Hopefully theres no rain here for the next couple of weeks. Gotta get as much riding time as I can, before vacation time...

Then its all beer, beach, and beer.

[holotekor]

wow, look how far fragment has gone

http://www.hypebeast.com/2007/01/fragment-design-fixed-bike-frame/#more-20965

[zelah]

images arent loading for me

Critical Mass seems to be a joke no matter where you are. it just kinda depends on how big of a joke.

In portland its a police-escorted slowride. gotta stay in a single lane. stopping for every light, tickets always ready to be written

[canice]

critical mass here still fun, fixed riders are a minority so we know each other. the cops don't really give a shit, and people cheer us on the street. riding at 10kmph drives me nuts (and it sucks trying to stay warm come winter rides), but then someone here came up with the brilliant idea of a "critical vacuum" - fixed/ss only ride that goes super fast around the whole city. and bring your own inebriants.

that haro is the shit. i want to buy a bmx, give it a crazy custom paint job. just to cruise around.

[zelah]

wow, look how far fragment has gone

http://www.hypebeast.com/2007/01/fragment-design-fixed-bike-frame/#more-20965

i see now. eh

[canice]

wow, look how far fragment has gone

http://www.hypebeast.com/2007/01/fragment-design-fixed-bike-frame/#more-20965

HF didn't make those bikes, they're just custom paintjobs on. looks like a cinelli and bridgestone CF pista/tt frame. really nice, i was thinking of doing something similar but i guess not anymore.

[Brienneoftarth]

How are you guys converting your bikes to fixed gear? I have a pretty decent specialized I bought last year with my tax return. Its nice but I do find gears very annoying and unnnecessary for where i ride. Any suggestions or pointing me in the right direction for how I go about converting it?

[zelah]

How are you guys converting your bikes to fixed gear? I have a pretty decent specialized I bought last year with my tax return. Its nice but I do find gears very annoying and unnnecessary for where i ride. Any suggestions or pointing me in the right direction for how I go about converting it?

well, what are your dropouts looking like? if they're vertical then you can either cross your fingers and hope you can run into a magic gearing, or you can get a white industries eccentric hub (you can adjust its angle in place of being able to adjust the position in the dropouts)

if you have those kinda diagonal foward facing drop outs like old road bikes do all you have to do is buy a fixed gear hub/wheel and shorten your chain.

just realized you said "last year". if it was new than they're probably vertical drop outs.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/white-hubs.html if you demand fixed

[canice]

keep it geared. the only thing better than one awesome bike is to have two. if you convert it, you'll regret doing so when you're mashing up a hill on a 50 mile ride.

troll craigslist for an old road bike or frameset with potential. look for good tubing, good lugs or welds, decent core components (headset, bb, stem, cranks), and horizontal dropouts. then, find the best builder in your city and drop as much money within your limits into buying a good fixed wheelset. they are an investment, and with good construction and maintenance, will last you a lifetime. if you're good, you can keep the whole project under $400 - allot at least 2/3 budget to wheels, imo.

check sheldonbrown.com for help on converting.

[Brienneoftarth]

so what if I found a frame on ebay or craigslist? Is there some where in NYC I could go to purchase a fixed gear wheel set?

[zelah]

there's one i know to definately stay away from, maybe NYC Bikes, i dont remember

you can go online and save a little bit.

http://irocycle.com/iro/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_15&products_id=38

http://irocycle.com/iro/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_15&products_id=58

a lot of people stand behind IRO 100%

[stuntastic]

TrackStar NYC.

Mad helpful online when I was ordering.

Theyre "NASH" video was pretty funny too.

[zelah]

TrackStar NYC.

Mad helpful online when I was ordering.

Theyre "NASH" video was pretty funny too.

still waiting for the MASH video, the fact that Gabe Morford is involved...oh man

[Brienneoftarth]

alright, I think I might have a real nice frame to start making one of these, Are there places you can bringa frame and have the bike built? is that the deal with trackstar>?

[zelah]

yeah, most shops can do that for you, not sure on the price though

[Brienneoftarth]

sorry to bother again, but after reading a bit, it seems like fixed gears are similar to what we all rode as kids. Where you have a kickback break? and if you try and take your feet off the pedal while riding the pedals go as fast as the wheels and its hard to get back?

[zelah]

no not really. think farther back, big wheel style. there is no coasting, pedals and wheels are directly linked. so if you dont have a brake (if you are new to fixed gear, please run a brake) the only way to slow down is by either slowing your legs down, resisting against the pedals, or locking your legs and making the rear wheel skid

[Brienneoftarth]

Yeah thats what im thinking of. I had bikes like that when I was younger I think. Definitely think I'll need a front brake for the beginning. Thanks for the help guys!

[stuntastic]

still waiting for the MASH video, the fact that Gabe Morford is involved...oh man

Same here. Anyone know when its coming out?

Didnt they premier it in Japan back in September/November?

[Klaas]

I don't get that fixed gear hype.........

Maybe its because we in The Netherlands only use those bikes for sprint...

And riding such bikes with jeans etc is also really weird to see....

Total costs for this bike are 500.000 euro (incl. development etc).

[Charlie Delta]

^A small group of brave bike messengers rides fixies in Amsterdam. And I don't think it looks weird with jeans, as long as they're not too big.

[diewhitegirls]

I've been looking at this guys sales for a while, but I've been afraid to pull the trigger, since I know NOTHING about bikes. Any advice or warnings would be appreciated:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TRACK-ROAD-RACING-BIKE-FIXED-GEAR-or-SINGLE-SPEED_W0QQitemZ150084693045QQihZ005QQcategoryZ98084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[holotekor]

^A small group of brave bike messengers rides fixies in Amsterdam. And I don't think it looks weird with jeans, as long as they're not too big.

ouch. cobblestones + road bike = achey penis

[Ryan]

I've been looking at this guys sales for a while, but I've been afraid to pull the trigger, since I know NOTHING about bikes. Any advice or warnings would be appreciated:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TRACK-ROAD-RACING-BIKE-FIXED-GEAR-or-SINGLE-SPEED_W0QQitemZ150084693045QQihZ005QQcategoryZ98084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

you should check out bikeforums as this bike comes up every now and then in the FG/SS section. general concensus seems to be you get what you paid for but it isnt all THAT bad. i was considering this one also just as a daily beater..wouldnt be so stressed out about locking it up here in nyc

[zelah]

I've been looking at this guys sales for a while, but I've been afraid to pull the trigger, since I know NOTHING about bikes. Any advice or warnings would be appreciated:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TRACK-ROAD-RACING-BIKE-FIXED-GEAR-or-SINGLE-SPEED_W0QQitemZ150084693045QQihZ005QQcategoryZ98084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Its not that good, you will be getting about $235 worth of bike. But since you knoe "NOTHING" about bikes, it is not a bad place to start. If you want to start off with something that will last you, look into IRO and Bianchi (their Pista runs about 500-550). Specalized and a few other companies are doing "entry level" fixed gear bikes too now.