Took the bike to work…
So my parts came thursday... I managed to scuff the tube enough to give it a tiny leak... So on saturday I ended up at Rapid Transit on north for a tube and to ask a few single speed/fixie questions. I was asking about a flip flop hub so I could run both fixed and single gear... they recommended the White Industries Eccentric Hub, which would be cool cause I could use it on any frame (since this frame isn't the best). The nice thing about that hub is it works with both vertical and horizontal dropouts, so when upgrade I am good to go...
So sunday morning, I put the new tires on, pulled all the derailers off, picked a gear, and turns out the combination I chose already lined up decently well. I chose a gear setup that is a bit hard, but I am ok with that. I also chopped the handlebars a bit, so it is a narrower ride.
This morning, I pulled it out, put the helmet on, and headed to work. I left a bit earlier than usual, and needless to say I was quicker than the bus. Honestly, I felt like I was super fast. Granted, it is a 2.2 mile ride, so nothing too hard. But I really can tell how much faster this bike is over my full suspension Gary Fisher.
I think the gearing MIGHT be a bit hard, but I think I'll keep it for now. Also, on the way here, in the last 2 blocks, I was getting some noise... I think that the rear wheel might have slipped a bit in the rear, thus throwing off the the chainline. When I got to the office and put it in our storage unit, I played around a bit and it was about to fall to the lower gear in the rear. I'll check it before I leave work today.
Eventually, the plan is to get that hub... but in the shorter term, I think I will get a BMX rear gear (vs. a the cassette gear I am using now) so the chain won't be as likely to slip off. I would also like to swap the front to a single too (not too hard I don't think).
I am also not in love with the brakes. I am willing to bet that I just need to replace the cables. But then again, swapping to some V-brakes would be a nice upgrade... but I am trying to not dump money into it.
Check my previous post for more on the project...
Building a Bike
So I have been walking to work a lot lately, and I was thinking I should cycle there instead. My current bike is a full suspension Gary Fisher Joshua. It is great, but makes for a shitty commuter due to the knobby tires and the 2 springs.
I had been toying with the idea of buying a road bike, but I didn't want to spend the cash. I also kinda wanted a bike I could mod and mess around with, and I have wanted to go single speed for a while. Then a couple weeks ago, as if on cue, the makezine weekend project was build a single speed bike. Awesome.
The next week, I was up at my parents house and I noticed an older mountain bike that I had there. The 'Drink Pepsi Get Stuff' Fila Mountain Bike ("Rugged. All-terrain. Exclusively for Pepsi.") that I got years ago for ~$30. That would make a great staring point.
My dad brought it down last week when they came to visit mason and rebecca, so now it is in the garage. I ordered up some slicks for it, which should arrive thursday. I got some free time over the weekend, so I will swap the tires. Perhaps I will swap to a single speed as well.
I also bought a set of drop handle bars, but I am not sure the my frame is a good match for those on the fila frame.