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Anyone ride fixed gear/track bikes?


Galen

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Thinking about buying or building one. Had a thing for them when I was a teen, completely restored a pre-war Paramount, also had a mid 60's Paramont road bike and track bike(restorations). Had a Rickert when I moved up here, but it got stolen. they have a rails to trails thing going here in washington we've been riding a lot and it occurred to me a light fixed gear bike would be perfect for them. mt bikes always feel clunky to me on paved. I've been out of the bike loop for a while, the research I've been doing seems to indicate they have become quite popular for city riding, especially messengers. know any resources that specialize in city/track fixed gear bikes? I've always loved the elegance and simplicity of these machines :1luvu:

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Galen there are tons of them On craigslist for sale. It sounds like a SS would be fun on the R to T. I think they are a bit of a fad right now and I know guys use them to messenger but it seems to be more of a hardcore show than for practical reasons. Can you imagine trying to go down Cherry with one? I sold one last year to finance a cross bike.

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I was gonna ditto the craigslist thing I notice a lot of folks on the local Rail to trail here in South County on "fixies" when I'm skateing the R2T on my Longboard. At some point I know I'm gonna buy one but I've been putting it off while I ride my longboards

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Boy, have I been out of the loop! When I was riding fixed in the 70's, the only time you'd see one in a bike shop is if it was up on the wall. Walked into a shop today for the first time in years and they had 7 Bianchi's with fixed, free and flip-flops! so yeah, they have got a little trendy :rolleyes: Craigslist: good idea! think I'll build one, get a nice frame set, though I think I'll get forks with a little rake in them. probably equip it with Campy and a front brake. just clips, no cleats. Ebay and craig list look good for parts. Seattle would be a tough town on fixed, specially with no brake! So whats a "fixie". I've seen the term used, is it a fixed made with road frames and whatever. Dang, no special tools either, this is gonna get pricey! :eek::biggthump

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Unless you go with track geometry you can build up whatever you want. Might want to look for vert dropouts or drop the cash for an eccentric hub or BB. The track bike I sold had a flip flop rear with sewups and it was just hanging in the gareag so bye bye. I have an old Kineisis aluminium 1inch threaded Fork for cheap if you need it with a 190mm steerer so some room to work with but if you can find a frameset all the better. Some of the better deals are pretty sweet if you are patient. Have fun.

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  • 1 month later...

Wanted to get a Jamis Sputnik, sold out till Nov. Got a Motobecane Champ SL, nice light ride. Then this showed up on ebay, hand made steel frame, full Suntour Superb Pro group, $425! Cant wait to get on it. Brakeless should be fine on the R2T, it's basically empty these days in the early afternoon :D

post-1371-141842219691_thumb.jpg

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know any resources that specialize in city/track fixed gear bikes?

Sheldon Brown's site is pretty much stacked with info:

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/fixed.html

Many guys pride themselves on riding the biggest piece of **** they can put together. 50% of the time that works and the other 50% is spent troubleshooting compatibility issues. I'd recommend (gasp) buying a Rush Hour or Langster...they can be found for $399 new if you look hard.

Have fun and don't rip your leg off at the first stop.....

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