[SteveM]

I'm not on the scrounge for bits, yet 

Thinking about a new bike project to enhance my mechanical knowledge and get a new steed in the process. I currently have an old steel mtb and an entry level road bike (trek 1.2 triple). And only space for two bikes.

I've got some plans for a general upgrade of the road bike next year so I don't want to trash it over the winter. I'm thinking of a training and commuting bike for the rain and cold and fancy getting a single speed. I'm looking at using it for on and offroad. Off road is light trail use in the Peak, on road I have one of the few "flat" commutes in Sheffield and commute every day to work, thereby replacing the mtb for most of my winter riding. By way of inspiration I saw a Specialized Langster in Harry Hall's in Manchester and fancied the overall concept. So featurewise I'm thinking:
cyclocross tyres
reversible freewheel hub
dropped handlebars
dual brake handles (on the drops and crossbar)

Would it be possible to add disk brakes or are extra mount points on the frame required? Or am I better off with cantilever / v-lever brakes?

[Duma]

Get on one (see what I did there?) of these. Plenty of clearance for mud and cross tyres etc, and cantis. Discs need specific mounts that you won't find on most of the suitable frames. I commuted on one (oh he's on fire  ) for a couple of years - loved it till it was stolen this winter  :'( . Didn't do much off road but what I did it coped with fine. The midge bars they do are sweet as well if you want some off road capable drops.

[Duma]

Ah. just had a look around the site and it appears they're sold out. Sorry. Still, if you've got a wedge and a bit of patience, how about this:



mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmspeedvagen

[BB]

Zipp wheels on a commuter!! Maybe after a lottery win.

Check out the genesis flyer. I ride one to work every day ans can recommend them. It comes with a 48x16 chainset though, which may cause issues in hilly areas.

[SteveM]

Duma: I can't see a price for that frame. Do I need a specific single speed frame because the rear wheel bracket is narrower? Due to not needing the clearance for a cassette? Or can I use something as a spacer on a regular frame?

Loving the speedvagen. That's almost exactly what the bike would look like in my dreams at the moment - SEXY! One of the thoughts on upgrading my trek is that I'd get new (straight and light) wheels for it in the new year. Which could mean that I can use the (slightly battered) ones off the trek for my new winter bike? But with a new inner hub?

The more I think about this the more I realise that I don't know about bikes 

[Duma]

the il pompino frame is £100, plus £ 40 for the fork, but it's a moot point as they don't have any...
The speedvagen is gorgeous, and probably the ultimate expression of the sort of bike you describe, but as bb says, not really the sort of thing you'd commute on! I still want one though!
You don't need a specific frame to run singlespeed - you can just get spacers for the cassette, and one of these to get round chain tension issues, and if you're planning to use your old road wheelset then you'll want standard OLN. Most track wheels are 120mm spacing though, and if you go this route then the frame will need rear spacing to match.

Chappers has built up a few SS I think, sure he'll be along soon to offer some advice.
Since I've got a tenuous excuse, here's the last fixed bike I put together:

not much of a commuter though, and prob wouldn't get too far off road!

[SteveM]

Thanks Duma. Those pictures of your Finding Nemo bike were part of the inspiration for this project and singlespeed in general.

I think I'm missing a link. What do I need one of to get rond chain tension issues? And what's a standard OLN? My current wheels are 25-622.

Feel free to post more inspirational pics...

 

[Duma]

sorry, link for the doofer:
http://www.on-one-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Tensioners.html

[Duma]

Steve, found this on the planet x sale section - good deal, and only needs some cross tyres - but only if you'd fit a small

[SteveM]

Stop it! I want to learn something by building it! I am resisting the tempting bike. The tempting shexsy bike. God it looks good though! 

I've also read too much Sheldon Brown this evening.

[soapy]

for inspiration and advice go to lfgss, really helpful bunch

[clm]

im turning a beaut old steel frame into a fixie.  beware - because all the components are essentially off track bikes they can be expensive.  ive just ordered my rear wheel and its gonna set me back about £130 quid built - that said i am looking at fancy deep v wheels cos i want to take aesthetics into consideration buiding it.  second hand ones can be picked up off the forum but they tend to be in fairly high demand due to the craze for the things in Laaaaaandan town.  Can you build a wheel yourself?  there is a tiny bike shop called ghb in manchester which do a rear wheel for i think £55 quid.  i might have some parts and wheels available from the strip down of the old parts off the bike.

[chappers]

nice photo of a pompy.

[chappers]

im turning a beaut old steel frame into a fixie.  beware - because all the components are essentially off track bikes they can be expensive.  ive just ordered my rear wheel and its gonna set me back about £130 quid built - that said i am looking at fancy deep v wheels cos i want to take aesthetics into consideration buiding it.  second hand ones can be picked up off the forum but they tend to be in fairly high demand due to the craze for the things in Laaaaaandan town.  Can you build a wheel yourself?  there is a tiny bike shop called ghb in manchester which do a rear wheel for i think £55 quid.  i might have some parts and wheels available from the strip down of the old parts off the bike.

130 sounds a bit steep for a deepV - what hub, it must be pretty good!
its GBH, look em up on face book - they also have good stickers that say "another twat on a bike".

do you ride fixed in mcr clm? you on manchester fixed at lfgss.com?

[chappers]

thought about a surley?
i have a long term goal of owning a karate monkey as a do everything bike. have a gander at the one that sheldon brown built (ignore the silly double bars lark).

they also make another called the steamroller. bomb proof bikes.

if you are in manchester, go to the bicycle doctor co-op which is in rusholme, look for the green bike just after the curry mile when heading out of town.

[clm]

not on fixed yet - will be when get the back wheel
ill check that forum out and ill post some photos when its finished.
Its a velocity deep v build on a mich hub.  that price includes the rear cog and locking nut etc. i want to do the frame justice and make it look fly.

[galpinos]

if you are in manchester, go to the bicycle doctor co-op which is in rusholme, look for the green bike just after the curry mile when heading out of town.

Is the bicycle doctor the bike shop of choice for south manchester then? Having newly joined the world of bike owners, I need to know where the good independants are so I can splash some cash.

[SteveM]

Thanks for all the help and inspiration so far. There's some fantastic reference material at lfgss! I don't think that I've got to the stage of knowing what I want or have dreamt of so far. The surly website and OnOne sites look lovely but I'm trying to get my head round the basic concepts whilst simultaneously shopping for the specifics.

Does this frame from fleabay look like a good deal? (I'm asking in general terms rather than thinking of bidding this pm). I'd almost fallen h over h for a Giant Bowery '72 but I think that's because I had a mental image of the nemo bike at the time

[chappers]

if you are in manchester, go to the bicycle doctor co-op which is in rusholme, look for the green bike just after the curry mile when heading out of town.

Is the bicycle doctor the bike shop of choice for south manchester then? Having newly joined the world of bike owners, I need to know where the good independants are so I can splash some cash.

i would go to the bicycle doctor if i wanted a surley or a commuting bike. for sure. and they are really nice guys who know what they are talking about. they would often for example talk you out of something you dont need. know what i mean?

if you want a bike shop with a very good workshop i would always recommend Wills Wheels in stockport. Will is a wizard mechanic. it is cheap too. he also has a very nice range of BMC and cervelo racing bikes, i fact he only stocks nice bikes...

in town there is always harry halls - used to be staffed by the legend Craig Nasty. but it is a little on the pricy side!

behind the sand bar there is also the bicycle boutique which is very friendly and i suspect would turn out a good service, but not too much for sale there...

[SteveM]

Have started hunting in earnest for the stylish, cheap, good looking frame that somehow everyone else has missed. My current bike has a 54cm/21" frame, measured from the centre of the BB to the top of seat tube. Recently had a proper bike fitting with Alex at La Biciclette he reckons that it's the perfect size for me.

Should I only be looking at 54cm frames or can I go bigger/smaller?

[fatkid2000]

Seems to be fairly obvious to go with what Alex reckons - he has been on all the top notch bike fitting courses.

[SteveM]

You are of course right. Just getting frustrated with finding frames that look good in every way, but are 1.5" taller or shorter. I shall keep looking...

 

[clm]

Have started hunting in earnest for the stylish, cheap, good looking frame that somehow everyone else has missed. My current bike has a 54cm/21" frame, measured from the centre of the BB to the top of seat tube. Recently had a proper bike fitting with Alex at La Biciclette he reckons that it's the perfect size for me.

Should I only be looking at 54cm frames or can I go bigger/smaller?

This also depends on the geometry of the frame - old bikes tend to have a much smaller stand-over clearance than modern compact frame but put you in much the same riding position.  the length seat tube to headset is also significant.  both can however be tweaked with seatpost and stem.

[SteveM]

Thanks again for the help and inspiration. After waiting an age for a replacement axle to convert the track wheel into 130mm rear dropouts, I've finally finished building the bike 



Click thru for a few more photos of my living room radiator...

[chappers]

good work!
pretty determined looking bike you got there.

[soapy]

Rob roy frame from teh bay?

Looks good, very good

[SteveM]

Thanks for the comments. Yes it's a rob roy frame which I got on fleabay. well pleased with the result, now I just have to get strong enough to do it justice.

 

Something that occured to me this week (for a project for next winter), is it possible to fit suspension forks to a frame like this?

[northerngreg]

Something that occured to me this week (for a project for next winter), is it possible to fit suspension forks to a frame like this?

Does it take 1 1/8" steerer? If so then technically, yes. A pair of 29er forks would fit such as Rockshox Rebas, but the longer axle to crown dimension would jack up the front of the bike and make it a bit slacker. With those you'd also need to change to a disc brake, but your drop bar levers will quite happily operate a cable disc.

[Yossarian]

Ah. just had a look around the site and it appears they're sold out. Sorry. Still, if you've got a wedge and a bit of patience, how about this:



mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmspeedvagen

that looks really nice...

i rather like this too:

[SteveM]

A pair of 29er forks would fit such as Rockshox Rebas

Interesting. Do they do them in orange? :wink:

[chappers]

i saw your bike got panned on lfgss... right bunch of snobby twats on there who obv have far too much money and spare time.

you cant put a suss fork on surely, it will mess with the geometry way too much????

[SteveM]

Did it? Off to have a search...

[SteveM]

Found it - definitely mixed reviews. I think I've had more comments on the dado rail than the bike

 :'(    

[tomtom]

Nice bike Steve - doesnt it have any gears though? 

Dado rail = 

Maybe we should introduce the bike forum (where Steves machine featured) to the Land Rover forum? In the name of stirring things up making new friends?

[SteveM]

It has a gear Tom. How many more do you need?

;-)

[hairich]

hi pal.just watched thevid you did of yor las fishing in the sheaf near the virgin jim.ace.tips for catching trout there inc bait etc

[Plattsy]

hi pal.just watched thevid you did of yor las fishing in the sheaf near the virgin jim.ace.tips for catching trout there inc bait etc