Fixed, finally…

I posted a photo quite a few months ago of a new wheel build that was for a new project. I’ve been riding that bike a lot. It’s quite fun riding a fixed gear road bike. And that’s what it is, a fixed gear road bike, not a fixie. It’s a prototype frame that I powder coated matte black and set it up with a Sugino crank, Phil hubs, Velocity rims, Ritchey bar/stem, 1980’s era Dia-Compe brake levers, Campy Delta brakes and the item that started it all, a fi’zi:k Pave seat. It rides beautifully. The gearing is 42/17 and it gets me (or I get it) up and over most of the hills within a 10-15 mile radius.

I’ve started many a bike project with just one part. That one part sparks an idea, a concpet, for bike. In this bike’s case, it was the black and white seat. Originally, I was going to build a mountain bike around it, but I’ve been spending so little time on a mountain bike, I though a road going rig would be a better choice. That black and white seat gave rise to a black and white bike.

The cause of it all.

The first things finished were the wheels. Phil hubs and white powder coated Velocity rims.

The bike.

These Dia-Compe AGC 251 levers are, perhaps, my all-time favorite.

Delta brakes. Since they don’t work very well, anyway, they are the perfect brake for a bike with a fixed gear.

I’m not a sprinter by any means and, therefore, am perfectly content to use a 3/32″ chain.

If you got a black and white bike, it’s only natural to go black and white with the photos too – and boost the contrast a bit.

(What’s playing: Hank Williams Sr. Long Gone Lonesome Blues)