Fix Push

The fixie movement has gotten out of hand, right? Well that's nothing... check this shit out!

Menage a trois

Check out Declan Cox from Valley Cycle's bike:


So much potential. So tastelessly executed. Sorry Dec, but putting neon green Lizard Skins grips, Titec carbon bars and an SDG I-Beam saddle on a vintage Merlin Titanium frame that deserves something classy from vaguely the same era is just wrong.

Fashion gripes aside, I've ridden this bike offroad and it's super sweet. I've yet to come across a rigid singlespeed that handles as well as this baby.

Here's my Cross Check after the transformation that was blogged a few posts ago:

This is yet to be taken to the trails, but if the way it feels on the streets is anything to go by it should be a ripper. 700x32 Smallblock Eight tyres, EA50 riser bars, 38x18 (free) and38x16 (fixed) gearing. Bummer that I didn't get the time off to go to Vegas for the SS nationals. Brett might get the chance to hurt himself on this bike instead.

Last up, check out what you can get from Surly, fully built, fixed and ready to go:

The Steamroller complete. Pretty well specced with Surly 1x1 hubs and a Surly sprocket, and great value at around $1300. My flatmate Karen plans to use this as a round town bike, having ridden my cross check in one of its previous fixed-wheel incarnations and loved it. I'm looking forward to putting a few miles on it too. These guys must be taking the piss with the included owner's manual though:

Converting the converted

Preparations are underway for NZ's first singlespeed National Champs next April in the magical singletrack of Rotorua's Whakarewarewa forest. Well, Josh and my preparations are underway, first trying to secure the weekend off work, then picking a suitable (or unsuitable) steed on which to compete... na, make that participate. I dug out an old, old Giant Iguana from the pile of bikes that have been traded in at work for a promotion, but after an hour of trying to extract a jammed solid seatpost, gave up and returned it to it's home in the corner of the workshop.

Josh, meanwhile, is putting his Surly Crosscheck through it's umpteenth transformation in the last few months, this time adding riser bars and and cross tyres but keeping the wheel in fixed mode, although there is talk of free-ing the wheel in the name of sanity.


With my SS back in Aus, and the pile of crap for conversion just too much to cope with, I'm thinking of pony-ing up for one of these babies.
I can get it pretty cheap, and I can sell it off at the race afterwards... or will the 29 bug bite me and inspire me to more upgrades in the name of cool? Time will tell. We'll keep you posted on the Surly's surgery and our beer-drinking training (mine's going pretty well so far).

BMX Bandits

BMX bikes aren't just for kids, right? No, but maybe the adults who ride them never lose their 'sense of youth', as evidenced by the following graphic examples of bike molestation purveyed by our twisted workmate James. We apologise in advance for the lack of subtlety, but hey, singlespeeders aren't exactly known for decorum either.

Apparently the owner of the bike is a huge man with some anger issues... could this push him over the edge?



Ned Flanders would be proud of the use of Spokey Dokeys.

Cool bike goes to uncool home...

We get a lot of old shitters coming through the doors here at the shop, most of them uninspiring 'racing bikes' from the 70's and 80's. But last week this one was wheeled in by a kinda cute young lass with her hipster douchebag accomplice.

This really is a cool old bike, a BSA Stronglight, God knows where the young lady dug it up from (I'm sure she told us, but we were too amused by her weird little friend).

I'll let Josh loose on the poor fella's 'dress sense' or lack thereof.

People like this annoy me immensely; it's becoming increasingly difficult to hold back from verbally whipping them down in public. It's not enough that I have no appreciation whatsoever of their dress sense. It bewilders me that people have created a style out of looking as ridiculous as possible and go about their business thinking that they're cutting edge. The douchebag referred to above was wearing girls jeans that were too big for him, required braces (a 19 year old wearing suspenders? give me a break!) and tapered adsurdly from the knee down to his skinny ankles; his shirt was buttoned all the way to the collar and accentuated his lack of any apparent muscle tone; he was wearing shoes that were obviously bought at an op shop because they would go with his look, although in real life a 90 year old had probably owned them all his life and recently died in them; worst of all, his foppish hair poked out from beneath a blue beret worn at a jaunty angle.

This crap truly sickens me. Brett politely asked the girl how her bike was running, to which she replied that it was great, although the brakes didn't work very well at all; this wasn't seen to be a serious problem though, since the bike was only getting ridden around slowly on the flat. Come on. This is tantamount to admitting that it's just another accessory to be seen posing with. I could rant till my fingers cramp up on this one, but lunchtime's over and I have to get back to the freak show. Back to you, Brett.

Josh

How can I possibly top that? And here I was thinking that I was the king of intolerance... hail to the new king, Josh!

Welcome to Hell...

...Population, Casio! He being the man who stated "brakes are a sin" found himself knelt in the confessional box. Said box being On Yer Bike, where his deemed penance was purchase one front road brake, install on fixie, eat own words. The unfortunate heathen was struck down from above on the motorway by a motorist of the apocalypse, and salvation was sought at the altar of the Church of OYB. Holding limp, shredded tubulars in his stigmata-scarred hands, he bowed his head in shame and dragged his cloven hooves out of there. Your soul is ours, Casey. Look over your shoulder out there.

Mikey fixes up

Our workmate Mike finally got off his old Sakae SS roady and plumped for a 07 Langster, same as the one I ride but ten sizes smaller! So far he's lovin the fixed gear experience, after he remembered he couldn't coast down Nevay Road and nearly got pitched over the bars on his maiden voyage. He even cranked it up Brooklyn Hill on his way home one day, something that I haven't had the energy to attempt as yet. But if Owen can get up there in 48/17 after Friday night beers every week, then I should at least have a crack. Keep pedalling, Mikey!