Day 17:: Downtown Fort Collins, CO

Day 17:: Another Great Pic

Day 17:: First Ride & Pic

Today was my first "real" ride. I rode into old town Fort Collins to take a couple more pictures and wow - was it a sweet ride! You really do feel a unique connection to the bike that words just cannot explain. This bike build has totally exceeded my expectations and I hope that you get the opportunity build and/or experience riding a fixed-gear bike. You just gotta' give it a try and stop coasting through life.

.......__o 
.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

Day 16:: Fixed Pics

.......__o 
.......\<,  

....( )/ ( )...

Day 16:: Fixed!

Well, the bike is totally finished and took me a few hours each day for 16 days. The last steps were to put on the back tire, install both wheels, calculate length and modify/install the chain and then put on the pedals. 

.......__o 

.......\<,  

....( )/ ( )...

Day 15:: Custom Crankset & New Handle Bars

I went and purchased a new set of handle bars since the old ones were too short. These straight bars were 15 bucks at Performance and are strong and durable. I also picked up the grips for 5 bucks while I was there.

Check out this great shot of the final crankset build! I am so happy with the results of my custom crankset. This mod cost me absolutely nothing and it looks better than the original crankset. 

.......__o 

.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

Day 14:: Custom Crankset

So, tonight I spent about 2 hours building a customized crankset. I took the original set apart and found that the middle chainring was in the best shape so I cleaned it up and it is now like it was new from the factory. The teeth are nice and deep and are barely worn - that's exactly what you want for a fixie! 

The crank and the front chainring were all one piece so I took a dremel tool and used a cutting blade to cut the chainring off of the crank. I now have a crank arm with 5 points where the middle chainring can be mounted. I purchased some single-speed chainring bolts but when I went to put them on I found that the hole size is different from the 5/16" standard. I built a jig like the one in the picture above, put the old bolts up through the bottom and then cut them off with the dremel. This worked like a charm and saved me the $8 that I paid for the new chainring bolts. 

.......__o 
.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

Day 13:: Starting Assembly

Although I am missing a few parts, I started putting the bike back together tonight. I was able to assemble the bottom bracket along with the front forks, headset and handle bar stem. Earlier today I ran across a great deal on some Oury grips for $5. I also purchased some single speed chain ring bolts so now I am ready to get to work on my custom modified crankset. 

.......__o 
.......\<,  

....( )/ ( )...

Day 12:: Painted!

Today I was able to get the remaining coats of paint onto the frame. I spent about an hour last night putting on the painter's masking tape for my Serotta "sprint" paint design. I am so glad that I spent the time carefully cutting and wrapping the tape because when I removed it after painting today, the job was absolutely perfect! I am extremely happy with the results of this paint job. This picture makes the blue look a lot lighter than it really is. It is more of a navy blue. Granted, it is not professional powder coating, but for an under $100, recycled fixie conversion, it is fantastic. Let me know if you need any tips on how to paint yours :-)

.......__o 

.......\<,  

....( )/ ( )...

Day 11:: 1st Coat of Grey

This is the first coat of grey paint that I sprayed over the white primer. It looks great! I plan to put a second coat on, remove the tape and then spray 2 coats of blue in the front creating what is called a "sprint" paint design. I haven't had much of an opportunity to paint because of the cold weather here but I hope to finish this up by the end of the Christmas holiday.

.......__o 

.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

Day 10:: Primed

Alright. After overhauling the front wheel today, I spent some time priming the frame and I have to say that it looks totally sweet! I'm not exactly sure how long this took because I sprayed two coats in-between sledding sessions with the kids, but I estimate that it took about 2 hours. If you do this, make sure you wear a mask and spray in an open area with the doors and windows open as well. I opened up the garage and hung the frame from my garage door with a bungee cord. This worked great and allowed me the flexibility to spin the frame while it was being sprayed. This produced the required result - 2 nice looking, even coats of primer. I can't wait to get some color on this lean machine.

.......__o 

.......\<,  

....( )/ ( )...

Day 9:: Fixed Wheel Overhaul

The weather here has been bad with windy and snowy conditions so it may be a while before I can get back to painting the frame.

This evening I took about a half hour and overhauled the hub on the "swamp thing" wheel. I removed the nut on one side of the axel and then was able to pull out the whole assembly. I removed the barings and then cleaned all the parts with some Pedro's citrus cleaner. After cleaning, I put everything back together and made certain that there was plenty of grease on all the moving parts. With a fixed wheel this procedure was pretty simple and it went a lot smoother than I thought it would.

.......__o 

.......\<,  

....( )/ ( )...

Day 8:: Bottom Bracket

With the proper tools, I was finally able to remove the crank arms and the entire bottom bracket. I had to purchase a crank puller in order to get the crank arms off. This was quite a project getting them removed because the bike was so old. 

The bottom bracket came apart quite easily. I took only the chain side off so that I could pull it out one side and then completely overhaul the bearings. I couldn't get a good picture of the inside but it was pretty nasty in there! On to priming the frame...

.......__o 
.......\<,  

....( )/ ( )...

Day 7:: Swamp Thing

So, I went over to Recycled Cycles here in Fort Collins and I was going to spend $65 on a new fixed rear wheel. I found that I would need to replace the entire hub on the old wheel from the $5 garage sale bike so I figured I may as well purchase a new one that is more safe to ride. I'm so glad I met the guy I did. 

I walked into the bike shop and met one of their bike mechanics straight away. I explained to him the project I was working on and that I needed a new rear wheel. He looked at me like the lightbulb had just come on and said, "I have just the thing for you." We walked over to another set of wheels hanging over the used bike area and he showed me a few fixed wheel sets that were used. He said, "how about this one - I call it swamp thing!"

As you can see in the picture, "swamp thing" looks like it had literally been pulled from a swamp. However, I saw it's potential - the wheel was fairly true and the spokes just a little loose with some corrosion that could be removed later with some Simple Green.

The best part of this whole encounter was that instead of paying $65 dollars for a new rear wheel, I got this used one for $8 bucks. Sweet! Now I still have money for other unexpected refurbishing.

.......__o 
.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

Day 6:: Test Prime

Today I did some test spraying with a really good quality Rust-o-leum primer. The forks look great. I can't wait to start on the real paint - onyx grey! Gotta' get some tools first and get the crankset dismantled.

.......__o 
.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

Day 5:: New Front Rubber

I picked up some $12.99 rubber for my front wheel today at Performance. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find tires for these 27 inch wheels but I tracked them down.

.......__o 
.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

Day 4:: Ready To Paint

Last night I spent another 2 hours sanding the rest of the frame. This morning I spent about an hour cleaning the frame and wheels as well as removed the front forks. Once I get a hold of the right tools, I'll take the bottom bracket and cranks off so that I can finish sanding down there. For the most part, I am ready for some primer and a few thin coats of paint. I'm going for a euro style look. Any suggestions on colors?

.......__o 

.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

Day 3:: More Sanding

This evening, I did some more sanding and spent about an hour and a half. I was able to use my elbow grease and remove almost all of the paint on the rear triangle as well as the vertical crossbar. This baby is really starting to sparkle! If it weren't for rust, I would brush in some detailed artwork on the chrome and call it quits. However, my ride would be ruined and rusty after the first day in wet conditions. 

.......__o 

.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

So what is the big deal about a fixed gear bike?

For me, a fixed gear bike takes me back to my roots. Growing up in Colorado, my friends and I would always ride our single-speed bikes around the neighborhood. We felt one with the road and had a freedom all our own.  

This is what Zack Rosen of Mission Bicycles said in his San Fran interview with Bay Area Innovators. He states, "The best way to understand is to try riding one. It's a very different experience from riding a "hybrid" bike typically recommended for city biking. The geometry of the bicycle frame and the direct drive connection you have with the road makes it a much more enjoyable experience."

I want to get back to building a bike from the ground up. Taking something old and making it new. Recycling frames and parts and making the world a better place. The advantages of a fixie are endless, but I'm excited about the simplicity, low maintenance, better performance and better physical conditioning that it will give me. Who knows, maybe I will even be able to ride backwards a time or two.

Want to join me and create your own fixie?

.......__o 
.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...

Day 2:: Sanding

I spent about 3 hours today removing most of the components, cable housings and cables along with some initial sanding. I was able to remove all of the paint on the top and bottom cross bars all the way down to the original steel frame. I found that I was able to sand away all the detailed areas around the bar fittings with a sanding sponge. 

.......__o 

.......\<, 
....( )/ ( )...