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This project sounds very exciting. Not sure if Microcosm is a sound investment or not, but I like the way you think and the way you operate, and that, as far as I’m concerned, is always worth investing in. In my experience, business plans aside, when you invest in people, with no immediate expectation of capital gain, you nearly always get a return for your money no matter what.

Having said that, going for accredited venture capital, is very probably the way forward. You need to look for an investor/investors who in addition to capital can provide you with the necessary expertise and support network to see you succeed. In that respect Y Combinator is the perfect place to start. It would be fun though, getting in on the action, even with a small stake, but in any event I wish you the very best of luck.

Lynch

[updated 2012-09-14]

"...The best way for costs to be met is for many people to give a little... When you can, and when you feel you want to, buy the server a beer."

What the fuck is going on here? What sort of “Hey man, be cool, trees have feelings too…” peace on earth, philanthropic, vegetarian, communist human rights bull shit, hippie organization am I getting myself involved in?

Are you seriously suggesting, that if we pull together, according to our means and ability, we can keep this site running without putting anyone out of pocket? Oh well, it might just be crazy enough to work… Count me in for a round and a packet of crisps.

Cheers!

I think the nursery scheme is great idea, at least in principle. Forcing newbies, such as myself, to have a sniff before bombarding the forum with new threads will undoubtedly reduce if not eliminate at least some of the spam, present comment excluded of course.

Having said that - something that struck me straight away - pointless, ignorant, harsh and often ill meant replies, as oppose to “friendly ribbing” seems to be a far greater problem than I would imagine stupid questions could ever be, but I guess that’s just the nature of any internet forum or so-called social media…

In any case, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for a great forum, and I’m looking forward to draw on and hopefully contribute to the knowledge base, let alone share my passion for cycling.

Thanks, Lynch

Thank you mdcc_tester, thank you so much!

That’s is just about the most insightful, intelligent and straight forward answer I’ve come across plowing through this forum. And here I was expecting to get hammered for asking a stupid newbie questions about my “monster heavy” bike in a weight weenie thread. Still it’s early days yet I suppose…

I’ve changed more tires than diapers in my time, as I’m sure my ex will testify to, so while tire change is indeed a pain in the a**, I’m not overwhelmingly concerned, much like bike care and maintenance is something I used to enjoy almost as much as riding my bike. As for the lack of braking surface… well, let’s just say that that won’t be much of an issue either.

Thank you again, Lynch

PS Being in the game you might not have noticed much of a difference, but I can assure you that prices hasn’t dropped in the 10 years or so, since I was last riding, quite the opposite in fact, and I’m already pushing my initial budget. Still, I was thinking about getting a spare wheelset anyway, so I have ordered a set of Mavic Ellipse this morning - my bike-guy sends his love.

Perhaps more weight conscious than a weight weenie as such, I’m in the process of building a “light weight” high performance fixed-gear bike for racing, training and exercise and managed to get a good deal on a Campagnolo Pista tubular wheelset. Okay, so at 2.15kg (excluding tires) they’re not exactly the lightest option on the market, but they are extremely rigid and perform like a dream. Note that this bike must comply with the 6.8kg UCI minimum weight restrictions, which for a fixie still leaves a bit of leeway

Admittedly I have a thing for Campagnolo and I definitely want a tubular wheelset, but nevertheless I am having second thoughts. While I’m not in anyway, shape or form planning on applying any unnecessary stress or abuse to these wheels, I am somewhat concerned whether the hubs and spokes can withstand the potential pounding of road use e.g. accidentally hitting a pothole.

This is a factory made wheelset, needless to say designed for the track, thus “recommended for track use only” by the manufacturer, much like many of the track framesets you see on the road today. Both hubs are low flange Campagnolo Record adaptations. The rims are 38mm boxed aero profile aluminum alloy and the front wheel has 20 spoke radial lacing, while the rear is 24 2-cross spoke laced - both wheels are laced with bladed stainless steel spokes and fitted with aluminum nipples.

The question is, would you consider this a viable solution for a so-called light weight fixie, or more likely an accident waiting to happen? Would I in fact be better off going for a purpose build, less rigid, higher spoke count and possibly lighter wheelset, leaving me more weight to play with in terms of frame and additional components? I should mention that I weigh in at just over 90kg in full autumn/winter kit and shoes, so I’m not exactly feather weight myself.

Your thoughts please? I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who’s ridden the said wheelset or something similar on the road.

Thanks, Lynch

Hello from Kent,

I’m building a fixie - my first - for training and exercise, and who knows, potentially some friendly racing. While I have sizeable traditional road racing and track experience dating back about 10 years, I’m a complete newbie when it comes to riding fixed on the road, hence I’m hoping to draw on the powerhouse of knowledge and experience represented here.

Thanks, Lynch