Fix Track Bike Blog This is a blog showing my fix track bike and my progress as I convert it. It started life as an item I claimed from freecycle, therefore costing me nowt! What is a fixed track bike? 30/09/2006 - The Bike These pictures show the bike in it's current condition. As you can see, the tyres are shot, but other than that everything is sound. I have the rear horizontal dropouts, so I can adjust chain tension easily with one gear. All the brakes and all other accessories are gonna be stripped off. There are no cable lugs, so the look is gonna be neat. The mudgaurds are going to come off....and the only new part will be the wheels. The current wheels are an old imperial 27" size, and it's therefore difficult to get tyres and tubes etc. for it. Therefore, as I have a few spare bits and bobs from my racing bike, I shall get some 700c wheels which are modern, and will be brand new and working fine. I'll have to make an adapter to make it fix track, but I can do that in the workshop at school. Here are some pictures of the bike: Before and after I took everything off! Click on images to make them larger The original bike Front of original bike Rear of orignal bike The bike stripped All that I have done on the stripped bike is take everything off. It's a good bike, I'm pleased with it, as it's all good quality parts. I even pumped the tyres up (not much because they're perished and will probably blow), and gave the bike a ride. Something on the wheel or freewheel rattles, but I'm not too bothered as I'm changing those. Only thing was getting used to not having a method of stopping, but once it's fixed, it'll open up another whole range of challenges! 13/10/06 - Update - Bent Frame Well posting on Friday the 13th I suppose it would be bad news, but it's always had a bent frame, I've just posted today. The bike is always pulling to the right, I thought it was me putting the rear wheel in wonky, but I haven't. I noticed as I get more confident riding it with no brakes, and deciding to go no hands! It would also explain why my right hand is so tired riding it, coz it's always keeping the bike going straight. I will inspect it later, coz it might not be bent, but it probably is. I'll see what I can do, or I might have to scrap the bike:( 29/04/07 - Wheels and another frame Well this bicycle cropped up, and I decided to take it's a claud butler - and old school so good quality claud butler. Obviously needs some work done to it, but it's a good frame. Same process as the falcon, strip it down. It even has a campag front mech on it, but as I am going fixed....(well singlespeed now), I don't need it. And the wheels, I posted on freecycle and a local cycling newsgroup, and hey presto a very nice person gave me these wheels. They're a bit good to start go drilling into the hub, and as this is supposed to be a budget bike, I'm not going to be buying a fixie hub, coz they cost a lot! So it looks like I reckon I'll be going singlespeed, with both front and rear brakes (currently looking on eBay for levers and calipers). Oh and these new wheels are 700c as opposed to 27" so my tyres and inner tubes I have spare will fit, and spares etc. will be easy to get hold of. These are quick release, and the guy was going to give me some quick release skewers with the wheels, but I'm getting some slightly more secure ones that require allen keys to tighten them. Then the wheels don't get knicked quite so easily! 01/05/07 - Brake Levers I manages to get myself some brake levers for the claud butler now from eBay. These cost me the grand total of £5.20, although most of that was postage. I am toying with the idea of new brakes, but I reckon I might just get new brake pads to go with the new wheels. Cable routing for the new brake levers and grip tape is now toying on my mind. That and gear ratio's...although I need to get the quick release skewers soon. 10/05/07 - More Shiny New Bits eBay again, managed to bag myself some skewers (to hold the wheels on) but use an allen key, so they are slightly more secure than quick release ones. Also easier to do up and stuff. Also got some brake pads from the same seller for my new wheels. I shall use the current brakes, as they're in fairly good shape. I'll just get some new cables for them at some point, actually I should have some kicking around somewhere. 26/07/07 - Building it I finished all my A-level exams :)...now all I had to do was wait for it to be a sunny day so that I can set to work fitting everything. I also decided to time lapse the whole thing to show a video [68.9MB, 9:04, wmv] of me building it...that will come when I edit it. The steps were essentially as follows (+ many tea breaks!...so many I won't mention most of them in bullet points). You can watch the video in Google Video here Pull off front mudgaurd and remove front wheel Fit tyre and tube to new front wheel, fit to bike with new skewer Take off chain, rear mech, rear mudgaurd and rear wheel Fit tyre and tube to new rear wheel, fit to bike with new skewer Have lunch Get rid of un-necessaries such as front mech, gear shifters etc. Try and re-adjust saddle height - give up, it's very jammed..grrr Fit new chain to cassette and chainring, I like the 50-20 teeth ratio Go for test ride Fiddle n faff about, adjust some stuff, go for another test ride Start removing brake levers, grip tape, and fit new lever (LHS only) Realise a long enough brake cable isn't in your room, so pop out and get a new one from shop 3.5 miles away Fit rear brake cable, outers too, and refit grip tape to LHS Remove RHS brake lever, then go for another test ride Fiddle with stupid rear wheel not staying in place, and imperfect chainline Decide that front chainrings need to be swapped over to perfect chainline Find out one of the bolts is completely rusted, so needle file down to fit...then regrease and refit chainrings the opposite way rounf (big ring closest to frame now Mother pops by, has chat, then go for test ride with improved chainline Back, still not perfect, but mother and brother around now, so drink tea that has been provided :) Test ride again Drink large mug of tea in one go RHS brake lever, fit new one, new cable, refit grip tape etc. Brother comes around and pesters Adjust front brake, use a clamp to hold calipers together Test ride Pack away some stuff, as only thing left to do now, is try to once again adjust saddle height Try to move seatpost with mole grips....just screw up seat post instead Enlist help of father who is back from work..who also decided it's jammed Go find hammer, brace bottom bracket, and hits lots and lots until it moves, then wiggle it a lot with big metal bar Clean up seat post, grease etc, refit Test ride numourous times and readjust Tidy up Stop time lapse sequence And in Pictures Front wheel off New front wheel on Rear wheel off New rear wheel on New lever Swapped chainrings Checkout the clearance Fitting cable Fitting cable New chain Adjust brake New brake levers Jammed saddle Finished zippy-online sticker Time Lapse Video [68.9MB, 9:04, wmv] Watch the video in Google Video So basically, the bike is built, but due to not having a perfect chainline, and a cassette on the rear, the chain will skip a bit, and jam, and move the wheel, which isn't good in the slightest. I need one of these type of things. This will solve all my problems. The video shows time lapse of me building the thing. And the sticker on the side of the bike is made of vinyl and cut on a roland cam plotter.