When the never ending hell of politics starts getting to me I go ride my bike. So now seems like a good time for a cycling diary.
For my winter project I decided to build a “fixie”. I’m not sure why. At my age I’m incapable of being hip and would only look pathetic for trying.
First I needed a frame. A visit to my favorite local bike shop yielded an old Mercian frame in my size. The paint was pretty faded but it was otherwise in decent shape. I have no idea how old it is. Mercian is a British bike maker that has been around since the 1940’s. The frame still sported a badly worn MAFAC center-pull brake on the front so it could be from the 1970’s or even earlier.
Next step was a paint job. About an hour’s drive from me, near Newark Ohio, lives a reclusive frame builder who operates out of his barn. This guy is so far out in the boonies there isn’t even cell phone coverage. He’s damn good, however, and pretty reasonable on price.
Six weeks later I had a restored frame in a beautiful red and cream combination, with the correct appliques. The pictures really don’t do it justice. It’s one of those deep paint jobs that just looks better the longer you look at it. For what I paid I could have had a new frame, but I like the looks of this one.
Back to local-bike-shop guy for parts. He had a used Campy Record crankset on hand. The single 49-tooth chain ring makes me think it may have been on a track bike.
I had him build me a set of wheels, since I’ve been extremely happy with the wheels he built for my touring bike. I’ve put 2,000 hard miles on them and never had a bit of trouble.
The build was pretty painless. The only problem I ran into was the chain stays were just a little too close together to fit the new axle. Using a long bolt and some large washers I was able to very carefully spread the chain stays far enough apart to accept the new wheel.
Since I wasn’t sure about the whole fixed-gear thing I had the rear wheel built with a “flip flop” hub. One side has a fixed cog but the other side has a freewheel. Just flip the rear wheel around to switch from one to the other.
With a 49-tooth chain ring and 700C wheels I figured I needed about a 22 tooth cog to get the proper gear ratio. That’s a little on the large side, but fortunately Surley makes one.
Some fixed gear riders disdain brakes. I however am of the opinion that brakes were a great invention. I put a pair of Paul Engineering center-pulls on it. The Paul brakes look a lot like the old MAFACs. On the plus side, they are highly adjustable. On the minus side, they are highly adjustable and it takes a while to get them properly dialed in. Like everything else Paul makes, they’re pricey.
“I couldn’t fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder.” — Steven Wright
The handlebars are a set of Nitto Albatross that were sitting around the basement after my wife didn’t like them on her bike. Flipping them upside down gave the bike an old-time racer look.
The saddle is not a Brooks B-17, even though it looks like one. It’s from Gilles Berthoud in France. The leather is a bit softer than the Brooks, so it doesn’t take as long to break in. The rivets have also been moved to the sides, so you’re not sitting on them. They’re not cheap, but once broken in I find them more comfortable than any modern saddle I’ve been on.
I didn’t put a bottle cage on it, because I didn’t want to spoil the look. I wanted this to be cycling distilled to its purest form. Since I’ll probably never ride it more than 15-20 miles at a time, I just stick a water bottle in the back pocket of my jersey.
The leather Brooks saddle bag is just big enough to hold a spare tube, tire tools and a CO2 inflater. I’ve already had to use it once.
I did my first few rides with the freewheel engaged. As a single-speed, this bike is a blast to ride. It’s like the bike you had as a kid — just jump on it and go. It took me a while to get used to toe-clips again. I hadn’t used them in at least 20 years.
At 21 pounds it’s pretty light for a steel bike. I would describe it as quick rather than fast. The gearing gives me 14-15 mph at a normal cadence. If I spin for all I’m worth I can get a little over 20 mph. Handling is pretty quick, just this side of twitchy. It’s a fun bike for a 15-20 mile ride on relatively flat bike paths.
To climb you have to stand and mash. The bike is light enough where moderate hills aren’t a problem. You’re not going to climb any steep grades on this thing unless your name is “Legs McGhee” or “Calves Johnson”.
I have ridden it exactly once as a fixed gear and it was……..um……...different. Frankly I don’t think I’m cut out to be a hipster.
The first time I tried to slow down I got a “kick” from the pedals which my 57-year-old knees did not appreciate. “In Soviet Russia bike pedals you!”
After about five miles I started to get the hang of it. You have to watch tight turns because there’s no way to keep the inside pedal from going down.
I’m not sure if toe clips are a good fit on a fixed gear bike for day-to-day riding. I found it difficult to get my feet into them, since there’s no way to stop pedaling. Or maybe I’m just not good enough.
The only advantage I can really see to a fixie is it forces you to perfect your pedal stroke. Other than that I don’t see any real advantage over a single-speed. I didn’t notice any mythical “road feel” that some fixie riders claim.
I can see wanting to ditch the complexity of gears and shifters, but a freewheel isn’t exactly complicated and I have yet to have one fail on me. I think the ability to coast far outweighs any advantage in efficiency from a fixed cog. I guess it’s easier to do a track stand on a fixie but I’d probably injure myself trying.
So it’s back to a single-speed for me. But if a fixie is what you’re into, who am I to judge? Just be careful out there.