Road fixed / fixed road

For those in SE London and want to give your RF/FR bikes a workout: https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/328381/

My winter whip.

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Is there a best technique for preventing the rear brake lever from going all floppy when only running a front brake? I guess putting a cable in & clamping it on the bars somehow?

There's a trick with a biro spring. Or a Problem Solvers 2:1.
EDIT: you can also (probably) tape an inner cable to the bars, taut.

I put a rubber o-ring round the strut the cable anchor goes through at the top of the brake lever, and other end round the handlebar. I originally used a rubber band but it broke after a while.

What chainring is that? Loving your bike btw, all business.

Yeah, I've tried taping down a shorten cable with electrical tape under the bar tape. It does work, until you have an "oh sh1t" moment and instinctively go to grab a fist full of brake. If you look at my winter hack I've drifted the pivot bolt on the LH brake out and removed the lever all together. That works the best as zero rattles, but I didn't want to do that on my "best" fixed gear as that was running rare Campagnolo Record single speed specific levers, hence the electrical tape trick.

Thanks! It's a cheap "Hub Jub" chainring. Just wanted something 1/8" in 130bcb and these came up cheap. The whole build is a nice blend of reliable/affordable. It's ideal for bashing out winter miles.

Guys need a road spaced rear track wheel - any pointers / advice? (Figured this is the thread to ask)

Surly and sturmey archer both do 130mm spaced fixed hubs

@Lolo, @timmah!, @yetidamo - cheers for the ideas, will have a play when I have some free time.

Novatec do a 130mm hub too, found it once on ebike.hu, no idea what they're like as a retailer though.

no idea what they're like as a retailer

If you want a trusted seller, bdopcycling have the 130mm Novatecs too

ebike.hu .... very good

I've just stuffed a load of balled up tape in mine before. Simple but effective!

Cheers, can I ask if you use a Shimano BB with it? I've found in he past that GXP BB's are made of cheese.

Ha, yeah, I've got a regular SRAM GXP BB in it, the Shimano ones are a different diameter so won't work with GXP. I've used GXP on a lot of my bikes and have Chris King and Hope BBs in most, but for this beater I'm just using the BB it came with when I got it. Will be fine for a while but may get replaced with something better when it dies.

Is there a best technique for preventing the rear brake lever from going all floppy when only running a front brake?

If you look closely, you'll see a wrap of self-amalgamating silicone tape around the top of the left lever here. It's rubbery, so if you do grab the lever it stretches and then pings back.
The JTek cable doubler is supposed to be better than the Problem Solvers, and it would only need to be half as good to be the same value for money.

I've found in he past that GXP BB's are made of cheese.

In the past, they were. SRAM took note of the complaints and started making them better.

I think a lot of the rattke, with Tektro levers at least, comes from that barrel the cable fits in inside the lever.

I removed it from my left hand lever and it seems a lot quieter.

Yep, putting a cable and clamping it on the bars works a wonder.

More Facebook bangers.

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First page...

forgive me

I've had a look at the JTek cable doubler, & I like the idea of that solution, but the price does seem a bit steep.

I think I like the silicon tape idea best - least obtrusive, pretty cheap & gives some of the springy lever action I'd like if I do grip the lever - I'll give it a shot, cheers!