More than a few things changed.  I’m a tinkerer looking to come up with the most usable, fun, cool bike I can with essentially no more budget.  It’s pretty sweet right now…rode 4 times this week.  Yeah.

The Univega fixed gear is just about to get a proper handlebar change-out.  I first had chop and flops on there that were part of the original bike, then I tried the ubiquitous moustache bar.  I don’t know about you folk out there, but in spite of looking cool-as-hell, those bars just hurt my hands and required a really awkward stubby stem.  Next I went to a drop bar that came of the GX [r.i.p.]  The GX was a beloved TIG-steel bike built for me by Wade at Vulture Cycles.  Most regrettably, the GX succumbed to the vagueries of east coast road salt and corroded out from the inside.  Very Sad.  Well anyway the old Salsa cyclocross bars that were on the GX are now on the Uni.  Next up though is an Albatross bar from Nitto.  I have wanted to get to this English 3-speed style bar for a while and finally ordered one from Rivendell.  Not quite sure why, other than their good nature, but Rivendell’s price is much better than others I saw on the net.  They sure are cool g33ky folk so I always try to support them anyway.  Very excited to get the bar on there for some weekend slow riding around town.

Side note:  your’s truly is buying his first house next friday and this is all very exciting.  Will have excellent opportunity to move the bike shop and all my bike storage into the house.  I’ve got gear across three locations and darned if the part/tool/cable I need is always at the location I’m not at!

Please come back soon.

G

The party of the new millenium

Yeah, it’s about time to get my post-rave, fixed-gear, formal-wearing nerds together for a party.  If you somehow come across this invite, you’re most welcome to come and nerd-up with a bunch of other local folk.  Semi-formal attire encouraged.  Black and white at minimum.  You’ll want to come in dressed at least close to that, or you may be kidnapped by makeup and formal wear specialists and get a complete nerd-formal makeover.  Come check it.

So, if you don’t know where studio-g2 is, it’s at 420 Pine St. in lovely and healthy Burlington, VT 05401.  Send a comment back for more info if you need it.

I’ve pretty much hung up the bikes and will switch over to winter here.  This is  good joke for those who knew me in the bend days, I used to have seasonal opposition disorder, SOD.  I’d be just finishing my hiking for turns season and be getting ready to ride at Smith Rock and Black Canyon.  Funny how things change.

OK, off to do some party prep.

G

I picked up a Surly 19T cog.  I’m down-gearing from a 46/18 to 46/19 for the winter and possibly indefinitely.  After being chastised as “Johnny Flatspot” I finally accepted the logic of tire wear and even gear ratios.  Well, I almost never skid, so it seems a lot less relevant to me than to some brave and brakeless.  In any case, it should even out the wear and tear on the rear tire and wheel.

Fall is clinging to life here in VT and mother winter is blowing cold.  I hope to get in a few good rides here before I switch to winter [and full time walks to work.]  I flopped my old rear blue loctite lockring wheel this summer in bike polo and various surgeries and long therapy sessions on the truing stand have failed to revive it—so I’m putting that 19T mentioned above on a burly fixed wheel that Ralph built for me a few years ago.   Somehow it had fallen out of use and I found it while doing my laundry this AM!  Cha Ching.

OK, by the way, please link back to this blog, I’m trying to crawl back up the “fixed gear blog” rankings and need your help.

PS I’m also looking for cool and unusual fix to feature in the blog in a “gallery” section.  Ping me and let me know what you got.  Maybe just send Picasa or Flickr links.

Over and Out

G

Yes I always have a brake on this bike.  No it’s never slipped.  Yes I’ve tried to slip it.  I believe the hub will fail before it comes loose.  That said, I’ll test the brake at the beginning of my next ride.

Keep the rubber side down.  Make up a commute so you can ride instead of walk to work.  Have happy holidays.

Flash, if you somehow land here, will you write me, please?

G

-?

G

On the cycling front we’ve fallen headlong into cold weather up in VT, with regular below freezing mornings and some blustery flu and cold inspiring days.  Our hard court polo guru, Liam, with his mastery of the properly placed email, has been able to get the flood lights on early. This has nicely facilitated the Weds evening games.  Last night was looking to be pretty ideal for some matches, but my lingering flu kept me home.

I live on the local bike path and have been watching the “trends” as they ride by during the warm months.  Though I don’t believe our little VT town is ahead of the fixed curve, but the caravan of fix this season has grown in unprecented ways.  I’ve watched at times when over 25% of passing cyclists [over an hour, say] have been on single speeds—as far as I can see as they roll by this group is about 75% fixed.  This place is well suited to it for ‘muting as there is only about 200 ft of climbing/descending in any direction for about 10 miles.  You can do a lot of commuting and never have to gorilla for more than a couple of minutes.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a few widowmaker fix-hills here, like Cliff St. [aptly named.]  It is really just a thrill to see it all grow like this.   There are a few emerging sub-genre of fix around worth noting.   I’d be interested to know if they break out like this in your neck of the woods:

1.  Glam fix.  These are bikes that look like Myspace.  They are loud colored, typically brakeless.  Their riders have a 93% chance of being under 28.  Most will have odd-toothed chainrings/cogs since they are died-in-the-wool skidders.

2. Courier-wannabe.  99% probability of alley cat cards.  In this town, also a 90% chance the alley cat card is not from a real race.

3. ‘Muter fix.  This category I’m sure could be broken down, as it is our largest.  Lots of fenders, bells, lights and front brakes.  Trail-like gearing, especially for winter use is common.  Brooks saddle, a greater than 50% chance.  Rusty chain at least half the year [guess which part.]

4. Training bike.  OK, maybe 1%, but I’ve seen a few roadies bundled up in spring trying to truly smooth their pedal stroke.

5.  Transfix.  The conversions.  Almost single-handedly, the Old Spokes Home has put hundreds of converted road/’muters out there.   This is somewhat of an umbrella category, living above, in particular, the “‘Muter Fix” category.

6.  Riven-fix.  These bikes are always clean, have lugs, and cost well more than I make in a couple of months.  Ever to date count in Burlington: more than 10.

7.  Swobos.  I’m not at all a fan of aluminum tubing.  That said, they are around, sleek and popular.  The shorty riser bars make me laugh.  There isn’t any traffic to ride in between here.  OK, they do look cool and if you can 180 ollie-to-fakie they appear to be a big help.

8.  MTB.  I ride one of these for polo.  Honestly, I’ve only seen a couple others—at least one of those went back to coastin [jeremy's indy fab.]

9.  Polo Fix.  Notable for their backing board “aero” front wheels, these are built for polo.  They block the front wheels [think solid like an aero wheel on a Kilo bike.]   Liam and Eric both have this.  It keeps your mallet out of the front wheel.  An extra aid to help keep you upright and your bike working.

10. The Blue Loctite Special.  Thanks to one fella from the Alpine Shop for showing me his.  I promptly applied the same treatment to my Univega] with an EAI 18T and old tied-and-soldered Campy road wheel.  This is blingy.  [4 years now and it's never slipped---I always use the front brake.]

Well, time to make some cash.

G

Can’t say it does a ton to improve your cycling fitness, though it definitely works your low speed handling skills.  I’ve been riding the Vulture MTB in fixed mode, with 32×16.  It’s perfect for hard court polo.  [not perfect for much else...]  It’s nice and upright, easy to balance.  I think I’d be better off with a rigid fork on there, and I do have one…thinking about swapping out.  hmm.

be back tomorrow.

G

Slack time has come to an end and I’m back on the FI train. Funny how the fixed addiction comes and goes, but always comes back stronger than before. I’ve riding only my fix for about 2 and 1/2 months. Just haven’t needed anything more. Old news I know!

I’ve had a few good micro-shreds and am looking forward to some winter commuting. I had to endure quite a bit of petrocommuter world with all I’ve had on my plate. Now a lot of the errands and trips and visits have been taken care of, I’m thrilled to get back to chugging up hill to work….and leg locking down the muddy singletrack on the way home. Sweet!

Since I first climbed on a fix back in 1994, the first and only one I’d ever seen up to that moment, the fixed world has grown beyond the messengers and trackies to trails, commuting, cross, and even “fixed gear dirt match-sprints”. If you search you tube, you may find some Swedes flat track dirt fixed gear match sprinting. I don’t have time to find the link at the moment, but if you have time, It’s so worth checking out. Here in the biggest city in Vermont (40,000) I’ve seen tons of fix. There’s an LBS here that single-handedly has converted hundreds of old road frames to fix. And people buy them and ride them. There’s a certain practicality of Burlingtonians that makes the fix a natural choice for the VTmuters. I think I’m fairly “core” when it comes to bad weather riding. But here, there are folk out there that fix to work every day, all winter! I know I’m just a shell of “core” compared to them. If I could only get some clipless winter boots.

OK, time to go make more donuts, so that during vacation next week, I can tune the Uni for winter and get a few more rides in before the, um…..snow falls.

Over and Out.

G