Current Projects chat and miscellany

The Visp are cheap and weight as much as a steel frame, but AFAIK I hasn't heard any horrid story about them beside the fact that they're cheap eastern product.

I'd probably go for them if I wanted something like that.

The Velospace "mosh" bike has aftermarket forks. Which do look a lot better, and have to be better than the originals*

*I've not ridden them but they're high-ten steel and alu right? Rough. That's going to manage to be heavy, weak, and uncomfortable.

A Nelson is in a different league and £225. Worth a look. A Nelson also has track orientated geometry.

as a visp owner I'd recommend them. I've ridden my fair share of fixie bikes and although they're cheap the difference in ride quality is negligible -they're stiff and as a first fixed gear bike you could do a lot worse.

Use the classifieds on here, buy a visp frame/forks seatclamp and headset bundle, varno wheels and post a wanted ad for whatever else you can't find already to sell. You should be able to get a sub £400 build.

For a bit more money you could buy a on-one pompino bundle though - everyone seems to recommend them and the geomentry would probably suit you better as it's more akin to a mountain bike and less track-like. You could also bang on some bigger tyres and it'd be more practical for road use and it'll be more "bomb proof"

I'd say go for this - http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FTOOPOMIX/on-one-pompino-fix-n-mix-frameset-bundle
It'll suit you better if you can get along with the aesthetics.

I use the Fleegle pro (with the ends cut off) on my fixie skidder. It's Ace and Rad and all things retro MTB.

If they had the OS version in stock I probably would have bought some. For my taste, the sweep is just right. No point in going all out for the 'elbows-out' position for control. If your wrists are to fecked to use it, when you hit a technical section.

reflector bracket =

Thatrs pretty fecking clever. Light as hell too.

Would'nt last, but who cares, just buy a new one.

i would imagine chainguarding device need to cover the chain from the top? that's my dirt-jumping/street bike riding experience speaking

The Velospace "mosh" bike has aftermarket forks. Which do look a lot better, and have to be better than the originals*

*I've not ridden them but they're high-ten steel and alu right? Rough. That's going to manage to be heavy, weak, and uncomfortable.

A Nelson is in a different league and £225. Worth a look. A Nelson also has track orientated geometry.

Agree. Owned both a visp and a nelson and they are night and day. Nelson is like a kilo lighter, stiffer, welds look better, overall better looks, better geo. Everything really.

But actually I think it's Nelson that's just pretty damn awesome for its value compared to other cheaper alu frames. Somehow I just feel it has a lot more soul than other sub 500e alu frames. Maybe because it doesnt look like cheap bianchi super pista knockoff like every other ugly hydroformed frame.

i would imagine chainguarding device need to cover the chain from the top? that's my dirt-jumping/street bike riding experience speaking

For running 1x9 on a handbag-XC bike, a single catcher on the inside of the chainring is usually fine.

^ usually???

Don't make the man repeat himself.

The chain staying on is down to a load of factors well covered in the last few pages. What don't you understand?

;)

^ usually???

As in when you are doing standard XC stuff. The chain is far more likely to come off when in the low gears, being pulled inside of the chainring. So a simple catcher does the job.

Get a proper singlespeed chainring, using something with shift ramps is asking for the chain to come off. Or buy the chain device that's lurking in my parts bin...

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Hiiii I'm Lexi. Here's my first 'project'.. i'm servicing the headset in the photo.. it's going to be my first single speed. Had done the bottom bracket, kind of, before this.. one side the threads had been stripped though (which I didn't know) so it was a bit of a fail. But I'm pretty stoked to be doing everything myself, so even if it's not high end bits i'm at least proud of that haha. Can't wait to get it all put together and ride it though! :)

Good for you Lexi

it's going to be my first single speed.

Don't forget to remove one of the chain rings then ;-)

Don't forget to remove one of the chain rings then ;-)

:P

one thing at a time! :)

Hiiii I'm Lexi. Here's my first 'project'.. i'm servicing the headset in the photo.. it's going to be my first single speed. Had done the bottom bracket, kind of, before this.. one side the threads had been stripped though (which I didn't know) so it was a bit of a fail. But I'm pretty stoked to be doing everything myself, so even if it's not high end bits i'm at least proud of that haha. Can't wait to get it all put together and ride it though! :)

Thats a lovely workshop. Yours?

Thats a lovely workshop. Yours?

my husband and his mate own a repair shop. :)

Prendas tools and a bike stand. I'm a bit jealous.

I think lots of people here had a Pug as a 1st singlespeed. Mine is still going strong (with a different owner). There are a few threads like this one about the particulars of old Peugeots. Although It looks like your doing alright with it so far.

^Pedros do tools, Predas sell clothing.

I could edit that and make you look mental?

:0

my Nelson Pista is now rdy for the summer:
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Hey Negaatio, was that you i saw pushing this beaut along Bishopsgate maybe Thursday or Friday last week? I shouted 'nice bike' as I rolled by.

@WILLPALMER
I too bought a VISP and don't really have any complaints.
However, make sure you buy BIG because they are small IMHO. My 58cm feels like a 56cm compared with other bikes I have tried.

Also, it is really tough to build one of these up on a "budget". By that I mean buying a second hand OTP is almost invariably cheaper.

For example, the frameset, forks and seatpost costs you say £150.
Then you need a wheelset which is going to be AT LEAST another £100.
At which point you could have bought plenty of the Langsters/Plugs off scumtree.

At one point I even considered buying a very cheap second hand bike and just harvesting it for parts: wheelset, saddle, bars, stem, chainset etc...

If you are looking to "learn about building a bike" or whatever, I just don't believe the hype.

Putting mine together was like following the most straightforward lego instructions. (Not technic-lego, possibly more like duplo to be honest...)
If you can change a tyre, you can build a bike.
I would have probably learned more buying second hand, taking it to pieces and then putting it back together.

Plus, I just changed my stock fork because the original is made of the most hand-jangling material known to man.

update to some of my project over the weekend.
roberts with mavic 501Xcampagnolo omega. 600 tricolour group. need to find the crank and a band on FD. I have a clamp on 600 tricolour FD if anyone would like to trade.

mercian with new bars and stem. stem feels too long so will have to swap it for something else. Still have to order the grand bois 28 tyres and install the mudgurads.

Duell got the crank swapped with a 165. will have the wheels swapped soon for the Paul hub X CXP33.
this is my conversion beater/shopper bike so it has a mismatch of parts that I had around. I really like the feel of this frame. It will probably get a full gear set soon. probably Athena or Chorus.

Just got to finish the moulton now.

how long before you realised a ball bearing from the headset was stuck to your top lip with a dab of grease?