My fixed gear project

[jrenaut]

That’s a really nice looking bike. Enjoy

[hozn]

Congrats on finishing! Just in time for the big Jan 1 ride!

Weird about the quill adapter; but that is how it is supposed to be? (I.e. it is sufficiently braced/secured and you’re not worried about safety concerns with the stem mounted so far above the HT?)

[dkel]

@hozn 102832 wrote:

Weird about the quill adapter; but that is how it is supposed to be? (I.e. it is sufficiently braced/secured and you’re not worried about safety concerns with the stem mounted so far above the HT?)

I read about this on Sheldon’s site. The HT tapers in near the bottom, which is why the quill only goes in so far. There are two concerns for the quill: minimum insertion depth and not engaging the wedge against the tapered part of the HT. I’m in fine shape with regard to both aspects, so that quill isn’t going anywhere. I think what happened is that some quill adapters are longer for the specific purpose of raising the bars. Some are quite long; I just managed to pick out one that’s intermediate in length, without being specifically a quill extender. Origin8 makes one that’s a few cm shorter, and I can always go with that if I want to change it. Also, being a threaded headset, the stem doesn’t need to rest against the top race, unlike a threadless system that is held together by the stem.

[hozn]

Ah, ok; interesting. I suppose you could also replace the fork with a 1″ threadless steerer fork if you wanted? Anyway, looks great. Enjoy!

[dkel]

@hozn 102835 wrote:

Ah, ok; interesting. I suppose you could also replace the fork with a 1″ threadless steerer fork if you wanted? Anyway, looks great. Enjoy!

I could replace the fork, yes. I’m more likely to replace the whole frame eventually, though, as this one does have its shortcomings, not least of which is that it is borderline too small for me. It’s funny though, when I imagine all the things I might like a fixed gear frame to do, I end up with a list of things that is pretty much met at every point by my Straggler. It might be easier to just convert that to fixed (he said, as if money were no option). One thing at a time, though: I haven’t even gotten comfortable riding fixed yet, so it’s a little early to start thinking of converting my “do-everything” bike into a FG.

[dkel]

@dkel 102834 wrote:

The HT tapers in near the bottom, which is why the quill only goes in so far.

I misspoke here: it’s the steerer that tapers in towards the fork crown, not the HT.

[schvin]

sweet build! thanks for reminding me of the forums

-george

[dkel]

I think I just fell in love with cycling all over again! I took the new build out from Falls Church to Java Shack (never been there before!), back the other way out to Gallows Rd, and then home again. 19+ miles. It was amazingly easy! I only tried to coast a couple of times, and I never had any trouble on climbs; in fact, they felt oddly easier than on my commuter. I have figured out how to use the front brake to lift the rear wheel and set my pedals for the next start, and I never felt like I was spinning too fast. This bike is much lighter than my commuter, so I’m sure that’s why some of the riding was much easier; still, I felt like I was connected with the bike, and we were totally working together. Just amazing! Having done all that work on the build myself added to the magic. 😎

[dkel]

One last, important thing: a massive THANK YOU to all you forum gurus for all the advice on how to execute the build!! I couldn’t have done it without all the great advice and encouragement I received here, nor would I ever have had the idea and courage to try it. This forum makes cycling better! You guys are the best!

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dkel 102849 wrote:

I think I just fell in love with cycling all over again! I took the new build out from Falls Church to Java Shack (never been there before!), back the other way out to Gallows Rd, and then home again. 19+ miles. It was amazingly easy! I only tried to coast a couple of times, and I never had any trouble on climbs; in fact, they felt oddly easier than on my commuter. I have figured out how to use the front brake to lift the rear wheel and set my pedals for the next start, and I never felt like I was spinning too fast. This bike is much lighter than my commuter, so I’m sure that’s why some of the riding was much easier; still, I felt like I was connected with the bike, and we were totally working together. Just amazing! Having done all that work on the build myself added to the magic. 😎

Another thing to think about, which may or may not end up affecting you, is that riding fixed requires a bit of re-thinking when it comes to winter layering. I find that it’s a little more difficult to regulate my body temp when riding fixed, because there’s no pedal-heat up/coast-cool down cycle…I’m constantly working. So layers that I could wear comfortably on a geared bike for a given temperature may cause me to overheat and sweat a bit more when riding fixed. It’s not a huge difference, but I try to layer down by about a half-layer’s worth when I ride fixed to compensate.

Again, maybe this is all in my head, but for me it is one of those weird adjustments that you don’t necessarily think about when making the transition.

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