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I ordered a Dolan PC in gunmetal grey just because they didn't offer any colours I like. I am thinking of getting the frame and fork resprayed and decals removed.

After reading half of this thread which mainly talks about Armourtex I found out that they are not as good as they used to be?
So is the right place to go Steve at Aurum via Cloud 9 or Stayer Cycles if you're in London?

Is there any DIY or accessory to provide some shoe protection when using steel toeclips? There are some single strap toeclips with leather shoe protection but nothing for double strap toeclips. Has anyone tried wrapping some electrical tape or something?

@c00ps Yep, newbie here.

Thanks! I just placed an order for the sylvan track next pedals but I can't find mks steel double toe clips anywhere in the UK. Perhaps I can go with MASH Nylon Double Toe Clips. Are these tougher and easier on your shoes than steel toe clips?

I guess toshi double straps are also hard to get. I read they stopped producing them 10 years ago and the black ones are gone from the market. Are they much better than the Mash double straps?

Are these good pedals to go with toeclips + double straps?
Or should I go for track pedals instead?
From my limited experience with BLB track pedals they are a bit slippery but I wonder if the first Sylvan Stream pedals above are too grippy?
Any advice please!

So I bit the bullet and ordered my gunmetal grey 50cm PC. I read it is a great starter frame and I'm no great rider, so hopefully it will suit me fine.

However I find the decals a bit tacky with Dolan in big letters all over the place. How do I go about achieving a minimal look with no branding visible? Do I need to repaint the frame? Could anyone recommend a place in London that could get the job done for me?

What size is this frame?

I have been trying every day since I posted and I managed to be able to skid with the leg over but still clumsy and too tense. It is not one fluid motion yet to move the leg over and skid. I first put my leg over the bar, and then push my weight forward in two broken motions. I found these things help:

• practice on grass if you fear falling over (I fell hard once so far). Grass is great for confidence but gravel is easier to skid on. Victoria Park is great for practicing on grass and even has a gravel path for runners.
  
• learn first to skid with one leg only and the leading leg extended towards the side of the front wheel like advised above
  
• what helps the skid is the momentum of shifting your weight forward and pushing down with the leading leg as if attempting to clamp the handle bar just above the stem with your inner thighs, and leaning the torso forward a bit while locking and pushing back against the pedal. So the skid works better when there is one fluid motion from lifting the leg over the bars to leaning forward and locking the rear leg.
  
• I only managed to skid once I switched to a longer stem. I was using a super short stem that made the bike very twitchy. A longer stem seems to also give a bit more surface to support yourself over the handlebars.
  
  

It is still scary how sometimes I hit the bar with my leading leg's foot while moving the leg over or pulling it out. If this happens at speed it's going to be an awful crash :(
Better to practice moving the leg over the handlebars and back, over and over until it is accurate.
I suspect the whole thing will be easier once I get a bike with a smaller frame since I'm riding a 55cm State bike while I'm only 172cm tall :(

I tried to email them but I got somewhat confusing replies from Terry Dolan himself.

I'm 172cm (5'7) inseam 29.5'' and I am looking for the right frame size.

According to their website https://www.dolan-bikes.com/dolan-pre-cursa-aluminium-frameset/ for my height it would be a large frame (54cm) which looks way too big. So I looked at 52cm but again it seems quite big given the top tube is 53.5cm (I own an oversized state 4130 bike 55cm and the top tube is 53.5cm as well, I think my correct size for the state bike would be 52cm).

So going down to 50cm it seems like it might be too small?!

Does anyone have any tips from their own experience with this bike? Unfortunately I'm in London and there is no way for me to try it out first.

I love the classic look of the Cinelli Gazetta frame https://www.cinelli-usa.com/cinelli-gazzetta-fixed-gear-free-wheel-bike-blue/ but it looks like I get more value for money from a customised Dolan Precursa. The stock components seem to be better. However the aesthetics of the frame are not as appealing to me. Some advice deciding please!

Thanks for tips.

Where are the London riders showing off their tricks now that the fixedbeermissions is on hold due to rule of six?

@Elra I forgot to mention I can skid with one foot as you described. Left leg extended forward foot almost close to the ground, hips/pelvis against the handlebar and right leg pushing backward against the pedal. But once I put me leg over I can't find a position where I can push against the handlebars with my pelvis in the same way. Maybe the frame is too big for my size or something (I made the mistake of buying a 55 frame while I'm just 5'7, so top tube is 53.8 cm but I replaced the stem with a short one to make up for the oversized frame). I would blame my technique instead of the equipment though :)

To be clear the skid I am trying to do is the #1 (leg over same side as locked pedal leg) in the 3 skid sequence in the video link Jason Yim is performing. #2 is the one I don't dare attempting for now as it is hard to bail out, and #3 is seemingly impossible (both legs to the same side as the locked pedal).

I had to rewrite the post a bit because I was not clear. By locking against the handlebar I mean they seem to press the front part of the hip against the handlebar to add some support to push back with the leg against the pedal, and they seem to lock the cranks at almost 10pm position which makes the leg bend at a 90 degree angle.

I tried to position all my body weight on the front part of the bike but I don't seem to be able to push back against the pedal hard enough to lock it.

Are there any people based in London that could show me this trick?

How do you press the front part of the thigh against the handlebar while having the leg over? I am getting comfortable putting my leg over the handlebar and remove it but I can't push hard enough against the pedal. It seems like in the video the rider pushes with the front part of his right thigh against the handlebar to create the leverage to push back the pedal. I believe this is the trick to lock the cranks, otherwise there is no way I can lock it.

I am trying to do the leg over to the same side as the locking leg so I can bail out safely. I crashed pretty badly yesterday by attempting to do the leg over to the same side as it is not possible to bail out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M__ukapLx0I&feature=youtu.be&t=106

That is a very reasonable price. I'm 5'7 (173cm) and I'd like to learn a few tricks so I heard that I should size the frame down. Is a Small Dolan frame a good size for my height?

I browsed the classifieds forum but couldn't find anything of my size (51-52).
I read here https://uk.gophr.com/blog/a-bicycle-courier-guide-to-building-a-fixed-gear-bike that the Leader 725 is a decent frame to build your own bike.

I am considering getting a Leader 725 frame and I saw this combo https://www.santafixie.co.uk/leader-725-silver-track-frame-i806-fork.html. Thoughts on getting this vs just the 725 frame?

Thanks!

Are there a few favourite places around Central London where fixed gear riders meet to practice some tricks?