Bike To Work Day

April is Valley Bike Month, and my company has been gearing up (no pun intended) for a shindig to celebrate. We have no fewer than eight local bike shops committed to the event, the Department of Public Safety will be there in force, and the company is organizing technical challenges, offering prizes for distance ridden in the month, etc., and even passing out goodie bags (whatever that means) to any cyclist who commutes to work on the day of the event. Sounds like a good time, no? I wonder if DNA Cycles will be knocking major coin off their new bikes for the event...

In case you were wondering what my level of participation will be in this upcoming event, I will be manning the 'Bike Safety' booth (whatever that entails - sounds pretty hardcore) for the duration of my lunch break. Swell of me to donate my lunch to the hobby, eh? Any of my free time after the stint at the booth will likely not include winning technical challenges. Heck, I still can't hop-stop my fixie, let alone trackstand for five minutes.

Oh, and I'll definitely be picking up a goodie bag to let you know what I scored.

No Turning Back

At this point I have decided to sell my road bike. The vintage Trek has been a great tool for me but alas, I don't have room for three bikes (plus four more in the garage for my family). So after it sells, I'm committed. Fixed wheel, no more gears on the road. I'm going to miss my Trek 400, in fact it will likely be one of those things I'll wish I had never let go.

If you're so inclined, you can check it out and pay your respects here. I am accepting offers and will answer any questions in the comments section.

Finally, some of you may be wondering 'what is it with all his blue bikes?' I swear, it just happened that way, other than the deliberate choice of color on the fixie.

High Resolution

Some of you may want to see more detail than the prior post's thumbnails would allow. So, for your viewing pleasure, click on a picture below to enjoy a selection of the best images in hi-def.

Beauty Shots

The blue Schwinn leaned gently against the wall. Its paint shone like a new penny, jewelry reeking of polished aluminum and chrome. Only six miles old, I decided it was time for some glamour poses for the style mavens out there.

On first impression, the portrait studio was one of those places you might not expect to produce good work. Still, I went ahead and set the bike up, leaning it on some ABS pipe I had laying around. Take a look for yourself and see how the photos turned out.

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Finally, take a look at my hot spoke card:

I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore

To sum it all up, REO Speedwagon said it best.

So I tightened everything down and took the fixie for a test ride today. We didn't have much time together, so we headed to the top of Usery Pass. As I pedaled past the park entrance my mind began to think about some of the essentials for the maiden voyage:

Multi-Tool
Camera
15mm Wrench
Brakes...well, the jury is still out on that one...

None of which were present.

Fortunately, the only one that I really wished I had packed was the camera. As I stopped at the top of Usery Pass, I looked east to see how beautiful Pass Mountain was with the wildflowers growing, er, wildly. Would've made another great backdrop for a beauty shot of the fixie. Ah, well. I'll just have to huff it up that hill again.

For the sharp-eyed readers out there, you already figured out the surprise from prior posts. For the rest of you, you may recall a certain 52T crankset I said would be installed on this bike, one that not a small amount of elbow grease went into. Well, as it turns out, another certain Sugino crankset was calling my name, complete with a 48T chainring. No biggie, I just got a 16T cog for the fixed side and I'll keep the 17T freewheel for whenever I'm feeling lazy. End of surprise. For those of you who counted the teeth on the fixed cog, take note: I'm impressed that you care.

In The Hood

Tonight was the night. The moon was out, a gentle breeze caressed the treetops, and a small amount of the atmosphere was pumped into my tires. It was a good night. So I threw my leg over the handlebars (in true fixie fashion) for the inaugural ride. More like the pre-inaugural ride in the neighborhood. Like up and down the street a few times.


Initial impressions? Wow, this is different. So smooth. So quiet. It was as if my senses were heightened. My sense of impending doom, perhaps, but that's a sense. All in all, a few quick spins up and down the hill, one ill-fated attempt to ride backwards, and I parked it for the night. Gotta get up early...






PS - Did you catch any of the surprises in this or the previous post? Hints later.

Putting It All Together

The parcel service made good on their promises today, and my packages arrived in good condition. That means but one thing... Assembly time!

First the cog and lockring went on...

Then the bottom bracket...

Then the cranks...

Next was the chain...

The rear wheel was tightened...

The front wheel was attached...

Some crusty old pedals just to spin around on for now...

Finally, I was able to take it out for a test spin!!

Getting Fixed?

The cog arrived today. It was quickly installed hand-tight, and the lock ring as well. The bottom bracket is slated to arrive tomorrow. Over the next few days I hope to assemble the drivetrain and begin to test and tune. You don't want to miss this next stage as there may be a surprise or two!

Y'all come back now, hear?

Test Fitting Continues

Finally! This most recent post will allow you to view, for the first time, the elegant fixie with both wheels attached (albeit not firmly). I actually swung my leg over it for the first time since straddling the frame to remove the stuck seatpost, and it was quite invigorating! I can't wait to feel the pedals beneath my feet and the wind in my face.

Some minor tweaks will soon be in order, such as a longer, deeper stem (perhaps a Nitto Jaguar 120mm) and fine-tuning the seat rails for a better fit. That's about it, other than the fact that I'd love to fasten a BROOKS Saddle to the seatpost. Thanks for tuning in, and until next time, enjoy the pictures!

...Later That Night...

Some minor test fitting began this evening. Just a couple components bolted onto the frame, but it sure is starting to look like a bike! The seatpost went in, rear wheel went on, fork and headset were installed, and the handlebars fitted.

When the 110mm bottom bracket arrives, the cranks can go on, the chain will be shortened to length and the front wheel mounted.

Project Update

Not much has happened directly to the bike since the last post; however, quite a bit of my recent research has focused on chainline. Looks like the rear (free) wheel has a chainline of 45mm, so that will dictate a 110mm bottom bracket (based on my mock-ups in the shop). Here's hoping the fixed cog will offer nearly the same spacing. Methinks it won't be a problem. Furthermore, this application will use a 3/32" chain. Some benefits include a lower cost chain and quieter operation. It's nominally lighter too.

The rear wheel spacing has been set. A 126mm frame spacing required the installation of two alloy spacers, one per side, as track bikes typically have a 120mm spacing between the rear dropouts.

As for the bike itself, it has been spending some time in the sun to allow the clearcoat time to reach its full hardness. Before long, the reassembly process can begin.

Finally, a big 'Thank You' to all who continue to read this blog, and especially a big thanks to those who have loaned tools or donated spare parts! I truly appreciate every selfless act. - Ryan

The Little Things

Here are some of the things that went on while paint was drying:

The wheelset came in, tires and tubes went on.

The fork was painted, I happened to have a nice dark gray satin that is a near-perfect match for the gray on my REBA 29er MTB fork. Hard to prove by the pictures, but when you see it in real life, you'll understand. So the fixie will be a perfect match of its big brother. Some light blue from the fixie project has already been donated to touch up some nicks and scratches on the Ferrous 29er. See? It's paying for itself already...kind of.

Not Fixed Yet

The 17T freewheel is on for now, but it's really only a test fit. I need some cone wrenches (the really thin ones) to add some spacers. Once I get the spacers installed then the chain can go on, and we can see what kind of chainline this rig will have.

The Post You've Been Waiting For...

...is here. Time to reveal the color of my fixie. Ta-dah!

Colors Poll: What do you think?

After sanding through the first coat of primer in a few spots, another coat went on. The next stage is a light scuff of the primer right before beginning topcoat. The DuPont basecoat will go on first...after that, and then if all goes well I'll hammer the DuPont clear down on top of everything. But herein lies my quandary. . .

What color to paint the frame and fork? Just so happens there's a leftover pint of Toyota Salsa Red pearl sitting on the shelf. It's a relic from a friend's 2004 Camry after he had, ah, shall we say a minor road rage incident (see repair pictures above *note: this was his wife's car*).

On the other hand, I've grown accustomed to having two blue bikes on the rack (and am especially fond of the light blue Gary Fisher, shown), and red just wouldn't do then, would it? So here's my dimemma: Salsa Red or Fisher Blue? If you can't tell, I'm leaning toward the blue, but I'll let you have a say.

Vote away-via email or the comments link below- and PLEASE, no hanging chads. Results will be tallied Friday at noon.

Feedback!

Time for you to offer your input. How am I doing so far? Are there any details from the build that haven't been addressed, or anything specific that you would like to see? Please let me know. Also, if you have any technical questions about this build, now's your chance to ask them. I (truly) look forward to hearing from you.

Ryan

Homebrew Stuck Seatpost Remedy

First thing I did upon unloading the frame from my trunk was to set about finding a way to unstick the seatpost from the frame. Fortunately, there was a section of seatpost (about 2 inches) sticking up out of the frame, so I went to work.

First I tried a set of channel-locks and WD-40 spray penetrant. My goal was to get it to turn, and then pull it out. This had probably already been tried based on the scars present at the top of the seat tube, so I didn't hold much hope.

Next, I tried a really brilliant suggestion to cut the seatpost in half, the entire length of the post, then fold it in on itself with some pliers. Well, I'm not the very patient type (not a good characteristic of a painter but I get by) and so my motivation quickly faded. This led to...

Finally, I decided that, if it will move in, it will move out. So I gave it a couple taps with the hammer. And a couple more. After about 30 seconds, I started to see movement. I liberally applied WD-40 inside the seat stay (remember, the bottom bracket is out) and continued to tap. It worked! After that, the channel-locks went on to twist the tube out of the frame. No blood, only a little sweat, and (fortunately) no tears.

Track Wheelset Ordered!

I ordered the wheelset tonight, and it was a tough choice. I really wanted black rims without the machined braking surface, but that would have required a custom wheel build or riding fixed/fixed all the time. As I have never to this point even thrown my leg over a fixed gear (other than my Big Wheel), I like at least having the option of riding fixed/free.

So after much debating, and even recommendations from others, I decided to go with a black Formula/Mavic rim that's a mid-deep V. I couldn't get the "deep v" in black at the price I wanted, and I really wasn't sure I wanted it anyhow. I also thought long and hard about an economy wheelset from Bike Island, but I just couldn't get one name out of my head: MAVIC. If I ever need to sell these rims, I hope that name will ring just as true for another as it did for me.

BTW I wet sanded the frame today and it looks really good to me. Not perfect, but really good. Now I'm just waiting for a nice day to apply the next coat of primer, color and clear!

Original Schwinn Brochure Scans

Here are two original scans from the 1985 Schwinn catalog. Remember catalogs? They would come in the mail...snail mail that is, and you would spend hours thumbing through them while you took care of, ah, business. Anyhow, these go right along with the "before" pictures of the frame that Eric over at Brazen Cycleworks sent me last week. Take a look. And thanks again, Eric.

Mies van der Rohe

What, you are likely wondering, does a 20th-Century architect - and a noteworthy one at that - have to do with this bike? Other than the fact that he and Ignaz Schwinn, the founder of the Schwinn Bicycle Company, are both German-born American immigrants, not much. He really has no documented history of being a cyclist, although I am sure that as a boy he dreamt of a shiny new two-wheeler just as much as any other.

"God is in the details". This famous quote by Mies Van De Rohe sums up the next series of photographs of the Schwinn. And so I leave you with some of my favorite details of the bike. Until next time...

52-17

The Raleigh crankset I have also came with a 52T chainring. With this in mind I took a look at my road bike and the gearing I use most frequently, and came up with a 52-17 combination that should be fast enough to get down the hills but low enough to get back up (most of) them. With steel cogs being less than $10, if I'm off by one or two it shouldn't matter much.