Hasta La Gadget!

One thing that we learned right off when we decided to build a Gadget Lab fixed-gear bike was that our readers are awesome. 95 comments and counting and most of them are full of very helpful, practical advice. We say most. Here’s one that wasn’t: “Loser!” Thanks, Matt.

The advice boiled down to this:

Frame

Something with horizontal dropouts (or track-ends). Drop-out are where the wheel bolts to the frame, and as the chain on a fixed is not tensioned by a derailleur, you need to be able to adjust it horizontally.

Second was that, if using a road bike built for gears, you need to use spacers to make sure the back and front chainrings line up perfectly.

Crank, Chain-Ring, Wheels

You said not to worry about ratios, and to just use the crank that comes with the bike. Likewise the front wheel, which, on a found or cheap second-hand bike, should be fine. The back wheel needs to be strong enough to handle the extra strain of braking with the feet and chain, and also needs a fixed chain-ring. Use of superglue and a normal free-wheel was definitely not recommended.

Brakes

One on the front, at least.

There was a lot more in there, and you should go back and read the comments on the original post for those, but this list gives the gist of all the great advice.

So why has it taken so long? A lack of donor bikes. Although Barcelona, Spain is full of cyclists and second-hand bikes, almost none of them seem to be track or road bikes. At least not the ones for sale. After lots of searching, I picked up a cheap, and crappy, ready-made fixed, which you saw in yesterday’s post on making a saddlebag. It looks awesome, but the 24-spoke wheels, the heavy hi-ten steel frame and seemingly tin-foil pedals (already replaced) don’t make for the safest bike.

But it’s fun. Amazing fun, and the upright, semi-track geometry and fairly easy gear-ratio it comes with means shooting around town is a blast. But bit by bit things started to go wrong with this cheap bike. The spokes kept coming loose, the brakes don’t really toe-in properly, and the chains are knows to be rather fragile.

In an effort to stop sweaty, chafed buttocks, I grabbed a new Brooks saddle a few weeks ago, like the old one I have on my other bike. And then I thought, why not just upgrade bit by bit until the right frame comes along? The frame of my dreams. The frame I am meant to spend the rest of my life with?

The wheels are the most obviously poor part. The frame, although heavy, is built like a tank (it’s also “wasabe” green and looks lovely). I ordered a pair of Velocity Deep V wheels from Espai Bici, a local bike shop, and they were ready today, strung taut with spokes and a couple of BLB (Brick Lane Bikes) hubs. The front wheel is machined to work with a brake, and the new chain (pink) is designed for a BMX and should be almost unbreakable. The rear chainring has 16 teeth, if you’re counting, the same as the one it replaces, and the front, following your advice of not bothering about ratios, remains uncounted.

These parts will go onto the bike this afternoon, and I’ll post some pics and first impressions tomorrow. The search for a donor frame will continue. And if there are any fixed-gear riders in Barcelona, get in touch.

See Also:

• The Great Gadget Lab Fixie Project: Help Us Build a Better Bike …
• Bianchi to Launch Retro-Styled Fixie in 2010
• Fixed-Gear Bikes an Urban Fixture
• Beer Meets Bike in Limited Edition Pabst Blue Ribbon Fixie …