Ken Charlson Fixie Project

this is in the right thread page isnt it ??
current projects.!!!! its my current project..
if you dont like it thats fine just ignore it stop coming back and posting on it
go read elsewhere.!!

Yeah and your dedicated me me me thread is shite too.

Enjoy.

my thread, that i start. will be about me and my project !!!!! FFS

I'll just post a couple of conversions that are by no means hampered by the presence of braze-on bosses, and then I'll get my coat....

Interested to see how this turns out, good luck

(no hate from me mate, back in 2001 I brazed track-ends onto my winter bike (a 90's Moser) and made a pretty bad job of it and regretted it ever since - the presence of a coherent argument against my project would have been much appreciated at the time!!! )

Rudeboy, please request a thread merge from hippy so the excitement is tempered by the other less exciting 'current projects' ...

skully, it's in the current project section.

It have recently become a section, the current project topic become a general project topic.

coming from a car customizing background i would say these bikes look real beauty's but the braze ons catch the eye.. if you are unsure of the future of a ride then yes leave them on but my KC isnt going back while i own it so id rather it looked clean,, putting track drop outs would make it look even better i agree but it would cost a lot of money and skill to fit them and its beyond my skill and budget level..

should take a week or so to come back from powdercoaters

missed out on a campag track chainset at a bargain price today at m'cr velo jumble.. picket up a nice quill and campag front brake so its coming together nicely.

certainly not a high end finish but it should look clean and nice. hopefully.

It's just there's no point removing brazed-on is all, make it less useful, especially when you'll sell it in 3-12 month time.

why will i sell it in in 3-12 months time ??

why will i sell it in in 3-12 months time ??

"Let us hypothesise "

think away fella

this isnt a whim or my first/only bike

This is an interesting debatex? argument. I met a bloke once with a very light rdbike with campag lugging that seemed to be made by a jeweller, I asked why not do something about the rust on the BB? Why should I he said, got 5 more in the garage. He died and the bikes went to scrapman. I would have liked one to go to work on, I ruined a few bikes that way. But I loved em all.

i love all my bikes and they all live in the centrally heated mancave
only weak link is me dying !!!!!!

cant do anything about that

I agree that this is a 50s frame. The grease nipple, lugs and brake cable stops suggest so.
It's quite possible it was built by someone else and refinished with Ken Charles decals later on. Is there a serial number anywhere?

I expect it was quite common back then to convert road frames to track frames due to the high price of frames. When I stripped the paint off my 1951 RO Harrison "track frame", I discovered it had once had brake, pump and gear lugs.

I'm not sure powdercoating is the best choice for a frame with fancy lugs as they tend to get hidden under the thick paint.
What wheel size will you be going for? I presume it was built for 27" wheels and will look gappy with 700c.

Has nobody round here heard of clamp-on shifters?

Would work if there's a bit of braze underneath to stop it from sliding down.

• 1 what Coldharbour said. But also...
  
  
  

It's just there's no point removing brazed-on is all, make it less useful

The OP seems pretty clear to what use he wants to put the bike, and this doesn't include the use of braze-ons. Given that they're redundant, to my mind the bike is more aesthetically pleasing without them. One of the beauties of fixed gear bikes is their simplicity. Braze-ons look out of place if they're not being used.

• 1 what Coldharbour said. But also...
  
  
  
  

The OP seems pretty clear to what use he wants to put the bike, and this doesn't include the use of braze-ons. Given that they're redundant, to my mind the bike is more aesthetically pleasing without them. One of the beauties of fixed gear bikes is their simplicity. Braze-ons look out of place if they're not being used.

In *your * opinion braze ons look out of place if not being used.

In *my *opinion (and clear a few other people posting in this thread feel similarly) they do nothing to detract from the look of a frame and while they couldn't be said to add anything, the removal of them without finishing the job and converting to track ends/proper clearances looks worse that if they were left.

Also, this

does not equal this,

in the slightest.

so going back to what was said earlier on
the braze on's can be put back on, the frame (puppy) may have been butchered in your eyes but any builder can re fit the braze on's quickly and easily.
so no permenant damage.

i may have no track ends planned, but in keeping with the original shop owner of this bike i have planned to refit stickers with his name on so a nod to the old boy..

i see in building circles removing braze on's is a no no and i have obviously been attacked on here for that, but the other big no no is powder coating.. so why has nobody shouted about this route???

^
^

The problem is repainting it.

Old paint are much tougher than modern paint nowadays due to health and safety, so you can either pay £200 or more for a paintjob that look decent as it used to on that frame, or £60 for a powdercoated frame that look well.. like any other bicycle out there that have been powdercoated.

Main problem with powdercoat while they're very tough often look very thick* and very difficult to achieved a good look, only a few example I saw on here that have a decent coat.

*putting blue lug lining will be a bitch due to the thickness of the coat.

.......

^
^

so listening to KDREGG and taking him up on his very generous offer offer i have put the brakes on the build

i have decided to fit a pair of track ends onto the frame to take it fully over to a track bike,
picking the stripped frame up from powdercoaters tomorrow and putting a stop on the build.
KDREGG has kindly offered me a set of track dropouts and i have had a think and having these fitted kind of completed the process i started by cutting the braze ons off. so once they arrive i will be getting them fitted and carry on with the build. so a big public thankyou to him for helping me find a direction with this

cheers fella

on the powder coating smothering the lugs.. i thought you could get different grades of powder to give a thinner finish to the frame..??

Make sure you build a set of 27" wheels for it. 700c will look jokes on a 50's frame.
At least it'll be a cohesive pile now...

oh is that a compliment of sorts edmundro...

sorry fella i decided to put the original guys name on the frame lol

I think in a strange way that track dropouts do make sense at this stage. Clearly mechanical_vandal's above post was to say that this frame needs dipping in chrome at both ends (I think...)

budget stretched already especially fitting track ends !!!!