Finally. No longer shamed at lack of SS

Got my plug freestyler tonight. OK, it's very OTP, but I love it already! Already ditched the cheap plastic platforms for some old mongoose metal platforms. Think I'll invest in some others soon though.

I'm a bit concerned the bike shop has rigged the chain too tight. It feels a little rough when pedaling, but only at certain points (I'm guessing the tight spots).

Anyway, I can come along on December 6th and not feel like the odd one out :)

Did you get it from Albany?

I was scrounging old tyres and tubes from their rubbish bin yesterday and they were putting one together ready for collection in the shop, looked very sweet!

P.s. pics please!

Yeah, from Albany - Galvanised plug freestyler :)

Just been trying to get chain tensioned correctly. Mick at Albany seemed to think "tighter the better". I've managed to get it a little better, but still binding a tiny bit.

Not too tight. You want a small amount of slack. If you tighten it too much the chain will make crunching noises. Spin the wheel and if it slows down quickly then it's definitely too tight. Loosen it up and start again. Don't be surprised if it takes several attempts to get it right.

Bike looks nice btw. I like the bare metal finish.

That's the one! V.Nice.

Trying to decide if I should ditch the stickers on the forks. Removed most of the other "safety" stickers etc...

Found I can't ditch that sticker, as it's lacquored on. Ditched all the other ones that aren't :)

Been riding fixed this weekend, and appart from a few stupid moments, it's going good :D I've got no pedal clips at the moment, so going down hill too fast results in my legs splayed and pedals flailing while I try to get my feet back on!

Almost had a bad off on the A45 when I forgot to keep pedaling whilst cornering. Ended up riding on one pedal which was freaky, but survived and carried on.

Been practicing stands, and kinda get the idea, just not the technique yet. Determined to master it :) My knees are killing though, after a few hours of messing about in a car park :)

In short, it's fun :)

Get some straps and learn to skid stop! You'll find that having your feet bound to the pedals allows your legs to relax when you are going downhill so no pedals overtaking feet. It's also much less exhausting trying to resist the pedals when your feet are attached and it will allow you, with practice, to skid stop.

Skid stopping is really difficult, I can't get it at the moment, but yeah... I think with straps that will be easier.

I have some power grips on order, and I've put my name down for some JOL Gurneys (though, 69th on the list).

Unless you've got a circus gear ratio or you are cycling on ice then skid stopping is difficult without straps because you are essentially skidding with only one foot.

I found skid stopping a strange thing to learn. Maybe for some people it comes easily. I wouldn't consider myself a slow learner but confident skidding, with either foot leading and the ability to skid going flat out, only came after about 6 months of riding and 100s of miles. Before then I could stop ok, but each time it required a lot of concentration. Actually, it still requires concentration but my brain is more familiar with all the variables.

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casa steve i picked up some gurneys from 14 the other week! last pair! jus cudnt find pedals up here to suit so im goin bk down wednesday, any rides goin on soon?

We're trying to plan something for the 6th December at the moment - check here:

http://www.londonfgss.com/group45-71-page4.html

Also, might be meeting up on Sunday if enough people are interested (see same post above) to plan a route for the 6th :)

You can skid stop without straps, you just have to lean your ass forward on the bars and give it some shit haha. (I am gonna strap in soon though i put trakc pedals on just hadn't rode fixed before so now I'm used to it i'm gonna strap up)

Thye do seem to make your knees ache though, but thats not a bad thing I don't think, using muscles you haven't before and all that!

Man, tell me about it. My knees/thighs are really feeling it! Only been riding fixed since Saturday eve. I spent about 4 hours hanging out in some multi story car parks with a buddy, trying to get the hang of track stands etc.

My power grips arrived today, and I'm considering getting some cheap Welgo DMR V8 clone pedals. My current pedals might work with the power grips too, but I won't find out until tonight.

can't do this Sunday but'd be up for checking a route the following Sunday... will post in that other thread.

I missed this whole page, doh!

I can't skid at full speed, I'm not that hardcore yet.. haha

I can't skid. I'm too tight to spend money on new tyres.

I don't like spending money on consumables either but a Vittoria Randonnuer lasts me 6 months of near daily abuse and they are £13.00 a pop delivered.

Nice tyres :) I might look into those when I kill the Kenda's that came with the charge.

I fitted the power grips last night, but couldn't use the brackets to fit them. With the bmx style pedals I was fitting them too, they were too tight. Ordered some MKS MT Lux Comps last night, so they should work a little better :) I'll probably go back to BMX flats when I get my JOL gurneys :)

I reckon I can make mine last 3 years at current (ab)use levels :)

Pedals arrived today. Sitting at work wanting to be at home playing with bikes.