Fixed Gear in SF

Ready to ride!

So the last few things went on - brakes and cables, bar tape and the saddle. After taking two weeks to find the time, it was all done in no time at all today. So I took a quick spin around the streets and into the park.




















First impression? It's great - a super smooth ride and almost silent as you churn along. The simplicity of the drivetrain is really noticeable in its lack of drag and whine.

A few more pics...














































So what now? Well, to ride it lots, I suppose - have to put brackets on for lights and maybe a computer too, though it seems a shame to clutter up the bars with all that. Then I have to start looking for the next project...

Undersize BB shell

By the way, one further small snag (surely not the last) was that when I came to install the new BB, I discovered that the shell was in fact only about 65mm, rather than the standard 68mm. Of course with the old adjustable 3-piece cup & cone bearings, this was easy enough to accommodate, but with unadjustable cartridge bearings it simply didn't fit. So now I have the old BB lock-ring serving as a spacer. Perfect!

Almost there!

A bit of a quiet time on the bike front - the aforementioned wardrobe building taking precedence. I did however get out to the Ripley Cycle Jumble last weekend where I picked up the last few bits - a nice new Selle San Marco Rolls saddle, an old Italian seat post and some bar tape. With a bit of luck I might just get it together this weekend....

A bit of a grind

Here you can see the obstructed BB shell.


Well, I decided to tidy up the rather messy joints the Viscount frame builder left inside the BB shell. A quick post on the London Fixed Gear & Single Speed forum to see if anyone else had encountered the same clearance problem gave me the reassurance I needed, so today I took to the tube-ends with my Dremel grinder.





In about 5 minutes I had cleared the way.

















From there, it was a quick job to install the new BB, chainset, chain and pedals. With the light fading fast (Autumn is well and truly upon us) I managed to put in a few laps of the garden. No brakes yet and no saddle, so standing room only, but it was great to turn the pedals.

BB Snag

Most of the remaining parts arrived in the mail and so I thought I'd take it a little further on Sunday evening. On of the upgrades is to switch from the old cone & cup bottom bracket to a modern sealed cartridge bearing like this.

Low maintenance, weather-proof, etc. But what I hadn't bargained for is that the down tube, seat tube and chainstays intrude into the middle of the Viscount's BB shell where they're brazed in. It's a bit of lazy framebuilding really; the joints could have been much more neatly finished internally, but then of course there was no need to waste time on this as the original axle has acres of clearance around it in the middle. The cartridge bearing on the other hand is a fairly close fit. Hmm. Currently considering the next move. I think it might be Dremel time, to grind off just a wee bit of the offending protrusion to make a little more room.

For now, though, construction work has been temporarily halted. (That's also something to do with the new wardrobes which I'm supposed to be fitting, instead of 'playing' with my bike).

Wheels on

...and so to put the wheels and handlebars on.




Next: the search for a chainset and bottom bracket.