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So I got a slow puncture last night and had to pump up my bike this morning. I was out and didn't have time to repair the inner tube (also I didn't have all the tools with me). I just kept pumping it up. It lasted a couple of hours between 9am and 11am (of which 20mins were cycling). Then an hour on the train and it was totally flat. Then it lasted about 10 minutes a couple of times and then about 5 mins. Then, after lunch, I pumped it up and just tried to get to a bike shop to get some tyre levers and fix it... And it never went down. Been fine the last 12 hours. I'm home now and can fix it but i was wondering if this has ever happened to anyone? How can it be? Is it a valve problem?

Any ideas?

sorry to interject - i've got a question sort of related -
I've just broken the holding nut on my raleigh caliper brake... can you get replacements esaily or do i need to get new cable?

i seem to remember something called advanced elementary analysis

i'll take the 700x20 tyres if they are still available

i'm in stock newington tomorrow so can pick up when you want

Cheers

This is a good idea. Wow it's quite a high number. Shocking.

I'd say armbands is better but maybe black armbands with and optional flower?

There isn't in the picture but I wouldn't mind to put a freewheel for you.

would that work on my vintage falcon? or is the spacing too low (i just spoke to someone who told me that the falcon probably has 130mm spacing and that track bikes are 120)?

I just lost my black Ridgeback fixie as above - link?

this is on of the four. i c an't find the others now

what i found suspicious is that he gives his whole address as if to say "i'm NOT DODGY" but why would he have 4 bikes for sale?

Yes, but it'll be a singlespeed and not a fixed gear. It's a good solution, because you can pick your chainline to whatever suits.

Alternatively, if you have a couple of knackered cassettes, take them apart and you will have enough spacers to enable you to just buy a singlespeed sprocket.

But if the wheels are shimano 8, 9, 10 sp compatible i.e. they have that sort of plastic hub-end (the splines shown above) I won't just be able to screw a screw-on single speed sprocket, right?

I have the same frame and had no issues converting it. If the hill is too steep you could always go for a lower gear, or just walk up...

Thanks for yr reply : You've got the same frame... Funny since I got mine i've seen a few about the place. Is your also yellow?

i just got off the phone with the guy at Planet X: He said that i'd have no problem using either the R-500 or Planet X b or C type wheels (all have the same shimano 8,9,10 speed compatible hub) with a single speed conversion kit. What I didn't ask him was what if i want to ride Fixed? Could I simply put o lock ring on and be ok or is that the so called suicide hub?

He also said that he thought teh falcon has 130mm spacing. Do you know if this is true? Track bikes are 120 - or so he said

D

wait, i'm not sure i understand. What i currently have is almost exactly like the one on the left. a screw on hub with a single speed. What i'm thinking aobut getting is either an R-500 which looks like the one on the right or something else. If i had the one on the right would there be no way of putting a single speed freewheel on it? I saw something called, i think, a2z single speed converter that looked like it would do the job.... but do you think i'd be better off with some track wheels?

This seems relevant to what ive been looking into. I#ve got a 1980's racing bike frame (a falcon) which is currently set up as a single speed. I want to upgrade the wheels. I've got a shimano r-500 front wheel from my last bike. if i got the rear wheel to match (with it's 8,9,10, spd compatibility) would i be able to run it as a single speed, and would i have to use spacers like i currently have on the back wheel? If i got some track wheels or something designed for a flip flop hub would i end up with a better looking and riding outcome?

Cheers

there is a guy from bethnal green with 4 bikes for sale on gumtree all different and none mentioning that he has other bikes on sale, seems strange. One he said he bought from a friend at a bike shop recently so i guess he should have receipts.

Anyone lost a cannondale road bike or a black fixie?

the orange Quando track Hubs is there a sprocket on the rear wheel?

hi

I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself. I've had a look around this forum a bit and there seems to be some good stuff here.

I first tried cycling round london about ten years ago. I went to the local bike shop wher i'd got my last bike at the age of 12. Twelve minutes and £110 later I walked out with a yellow mountain bike that seemsed to fit my needs i.e. it was cheap and would get me around without attracting attention and getting stolen (how I can have been so stupid took me years to get that kind of self insight). About 20 minutes later I was half way to notting hill when a nail went straight through the front tyre. bad luck i thought to myself and walked the rest of the way to my friend stopping on all saints road to get the thing fixed. the guy in the shop was like why on earth would you buy a bike like this? For the same money you could get something decent second hand.

So....8 years later when I next wanted to start riding I took his advice. I knew nothing but had an idea that i didnt want to ride the tube every morning. I went to brick lane and got myself a second hand brand name mountain bike for about £80. It took me half an hour to realise that the back tyre had a huge hole in it so i took it to a shop in camden and got "puncture resistant" tyre - remembering that the nice man in all saints road had sold me one. I was happy enough on that bike even if i did suspect that it was stolen. .... And then it got stolen.... and i didnt ride again for a while

I made a couple of further attempts when i bought a bike off a guy at work for £100 and another when i got an old raleigh 3-gear girls bike for £25 that i thought would never get stolen... but it did. By now i'd lost my office job and thought i'd try doing a bit of courier work while i thought what i wanted to do with my life. I went into the local bike shop on kingsland road to get my girl's bike a new chain (some nice person stole the chain off an old 3-speed - it was quite comic when i tried to peddle and, cartoon-like, my legs spun but nothing happened). I came out with a yellow falcon single speed conversion for £95. I guess it's from the 70's or 80's. It's a great bike but when a friend offered me an entry level road bike for £100 i took it. As a courier i liked having 2 bikes and the gears did help.

The story ends with my road bike getting stolen, save the front weel, a shimano R500, that i've put on the yellow falcon. So now I'm deciding what to do.

Either i could get a new (second hand) road bike and keep the singlespeed as a second bike. Or i could upgrade the back wheel of the falcon in which case have to decide if i want single speed or fixed gear. I am on a pretty low budget but can spend monney if necessary and good value. I also have plenty time to put work into a project.

I'm aware that this post is getting a bit long so i'll stop soon. First question is this. I live on a hill (parliament hill) and the road up (tanza) is very steep, quite possibly the steepest in london. I can ride up it in 1st gear on a geared bike but not on my singlespeed. going down I take advantage of the freehub. similarly when i come down tufnell park road to the holloway road i often don't pedal at the top. If i got a fixes gear would this be a big isssue or would i get used to it in a day or two. Equally I do find it annoying tat I can't stop the bike without using the brake. That extra control seems to be the big advantage to a fixed hub. Are there other advantages? Do you feel more connnection to the bike?

Finally if i am going to build a fixie do you think my 30 year old bannana flacon racer 10 speed is a good frame to use or should i try to pick something else up either for free or very cheaply?

dan

Just had a call from a friend on Englefield Road, he's just seen a sketchy looking dude, hood up, dirty tracksuits, riding unclipped/dangerously on a dark blue/purple frame, black trick forks, risers and gold deep section rims.

Anyone lost/heard about anything?

i had my bike stolen from hertford road (off engelfield) on thursday night / friday morning. The poor unfortunate took it even though I'd taken the front wheel in to my girlfriends flat for the night (she loves it)..... It's all so sad.

Also had someone offer me a cannondale bad boy in hackney about 3-4 weeks ago