Mid life crisis fixie

elfoam · Postby **elfoam** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 1:49 am

So I openly admit I reached mid 40s and panicked about not being able to do everything I could at 25. I was a mad keen cyclist until age 30 when I stupidly started driving cars (got married you see).

Anyway so I missed the whole fixie crazy of the last x years. After I had collected up a few vintage road bikes from my era and youthfull budget (Japanese bikes). I thought.. Well I really better get on a fixie before its totally too late.

So with my very limited spare cash I built this.

https://drive.google.com/folder/d/0B0qf ... ZBVnM/edit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's a Standish, which I know nothing about other than they are South Australian?. I don't know if the frames were built here or imported.

I bought the frame off a guy who bought the auction I had originally wanted to buy but couldn't fit 6? frames in the car. So I didn't bid, few weeks later the frames that were left over after he picked out the one he wanted were up for sale. I took four of them at $20 each, tight squeeze in a Fiesta, 800km round trip with two babys/seats but I got it done and a trip to the zoo.

The rest of the parts I scavenged from Facebook and eBay. The rear wheel is an old 1970s track wheel. The bike turned out pretty well so far. I'm going to paint it at some stage, probably HQ Holden covert green as I have some left bin a can or maybe a similar but more sandy brown colour. It's great to ride, pretty sporty (it weighs exactly 9.5kg). It is DANGEROUS lol for someone that's never ridden a fixed bike I very nearly crash every time I ride it, I've had one foot out and being still spun around on the other pedal out of the seat after doing some weird road bike moves that just don't work out.. Had my legs almost ripped off when backing off to coast out of the seat.. All these kind of things but I'm persisting with it. I'll admit putting brakes on it may happen (I've got cloth tape that I'm going to put on with shellac). But I don't need to single speed it as one of the other four frames got converted into one of those the day I got home with the frames.

Anyway that's my first fixie, I guess the total cost of the bike was just on $200.

jimsheedy · Postby **jimsheedy** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:12 am

nice one.

minhyy · Postby **minhyy** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 10:40 pm

fun times. your sense of self preservation will teach your legs to resist the motion of the pedals, and eventually, rip skids

dodgiebros · Postby **dodgiebros** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 11:18 pm

Ah.. the mid life crisis. I'm still going through mine, it started 6 year ago just before I joined Club 4-0. Have built a few fixies but haven't done an old school roadie conversion for a while, might have to check out the resource centre (dump) and take on a new project. I got plenty bits in da shed to dispose of for a good cause. Btw nice work on your first! How did you jag a perfect chain length?!! lol

dodgiebros · Postby **dodgiebros** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 11:20 pm

.. and you will get used to not coasting

dodgiebros · Postby **dodgiebros** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 11:28 pm

Q: can you not post pics on here because you new?

elfoam · Postby **elfoam** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 12:38 am

dodgiebros wrote:Q: can you not post pics on here because you new?

I can post pictures, but its more or less impossible on a ps4 which is all I use for web these days. But you can see the bike in the link right?.

Chain length.. Well I took the chain, ran it around the cogs and said thatll be the length there and cut it. There's a fair bit of room in the drop out to get it tight, wasn't a problem, maybe I was lucky?. I had to dish the rear wheel a long way, didnt know what I was doing but google helped me along. I'm building (slowly) the best of the 4 $20 frames (Tange 2 Dodsun) into a mostly Shimano 600 geared road bike. I have a high flange front hub for the fixie, but no hurry. Next bike will be a single speed Mixte. I have a Kuwahara Apollo frame for that. That one will be done very well hopefully.

dodgiebros · Postby **dodgiebros** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 2:20 pm

Oops yeah I meant chain tension not length >.<. Enjoy your crisis, I look forward to the next beast to be given new life

outnabike · Postby **outnabike** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 3:05 pm

Damn...I must have missed the event.Is it sort of like sleeping in and forgetting the alarm....I did that once...

jaseyjase · Postby **jaseyjase** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 4:11 pm

plug your bars!

elfoam · Postby **elfoam** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 8:09 pm

jaseyjase wrote:plug your bars!

Already been to hospital due to unplugged bars once in my life, you think I would learn

least these aren't sharp steel.

elfoam · Postby **elfoam** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 8:13 pm

dodgiebros wrote:Oops yeah I meant chain tension not length >.<. Enjoy your crisis, I look forward to the next beast to be given new life

About the tension, is the correct tension just around about so you can't feel any slack in the chain going from one direction to the other? but not enough to cause friction?, I figured that's about what you aim for but I"m just guessing.

HappyHumber · Postby **HappyHumber** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 8:38 pm

elfoam wrote:About the tension, is the correct tension just around about so you can't feel any slack in the chain going from one direction to the other? but not enough to cause friction?, I figured that's about what you aim for but I"m just guessing.

I aim for no more than 10-12mm or 1/2" play in the chain midway between the ring & sprocket. Depending on the quality of your chainring (or how 'out of round' it is); you'll find tighter spots depending on the "o'clock" position of the crank arm. On my builds, I soon learn which is the tightest and slackests points and then always adjust chain tension at the midway point between them.

eg. chain binds the most with the crank arm at 7 oclock; and it's at it loosest at 1 oclock. Adjust the chain at 4 or 10 o'clocks or halfway between the extremes. Actually easier than my explanation probably makes it; once you're in the habit.

Remember... Don't spin the wheel or cranks when adjusting! You don't want to mash and/or truncate your fingers.

fwiw, at 42 this year my ongoing fixie crisis is in its 7 or 8th year now. Much cheaper than a Harley or young blonde flloozie

dodgiebros · Postby **dodgiebros** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:33 pm

Soz.. Google drive through Tapatalk on iPhone ain't that friendly, can't zoom in, thought you got a vertical dropout ie no chain tension adjust...

dodgiebros · Postby **dodgiebros** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:39 pm

Good advice HH, I once thought I'd check my chain tension whilst riding... I was only about 12year old and the learnt the hard way! Middle finger caught in chain ring nearly half way round. To make things worse it was a coaster brake, couldn't go backwards, had to go forward the whole way >.< ouchy wah waah :,-(

yugyug · Postby **yugyug** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 12:09 am

Totally down with this and standish and Dodson are underrated aussie frames - both are leisure cycles from SA like Ricardo?. Vote for leather bar tape but shellac'd cotton is nice. But please - put a front brake on it if u ride it on road. Mid life crisis at worth all that..,,