"The 601" is complete!

I got a call that the frame and fork were ready today... way earlier than I expected to receive it... Of course I went and picked it up immediately!

I had just started the rebuild when I remembered to grab the camera and snap a shot...

Dang that's pretty!!!

Check out the metal flake powder coat job... AMAZING!!

I also scored a smaller break lever.  It's not as tiny as I'd like, but it'll do while I keep looking...

I took my time putting it back together tonight.   Boy did it turn out sexy!!!

The end result...

I'll snap some better pictures tomorrow--right... now... I'm... tired...

And I've decided on a couple of things.  I'm going to skip the Brooks saddle.  I actually like the look of the saddle Tim gave me.  I think it's perfect!

And I've decided to name her "The 601" 'cause that's how much coin on dropped building her.

That's all for tonight... I'm off to sleep.  More later.

Doing the Math...

Well, I decided to run the numbers on this project.  I actually expected it to be worse than it was, but with friends, used and old parts... it really wasn't that bad for what it's going to be...

The following are items I've paid for:

• Wheels: $220
• Tires: $70
• Tubes: $10
• Powder coat: $161
• Seat post: $30
• Grips: $20
• Chain: $20
• Freewheel: $20
• Headset: $50

Grand Total so far... $601.
Geez... it sure do add up quickly!
CRAP!!! that $601 is without the Brooks seat...

But let's see...

1. Frame - Free, thanks Tim!
2. Fork - Free, thanks West End Cycles
3. Cranks - Free, thanks Tim!
4. Rear cog - Free, thanks Tim!
5. Front brake - Free, thanks Tim and Dr. Josh!
6. Quill - Free, thanks Tim!
7. Handlebars - Free, thanks Dr. Josh!
8. Pedals - Free, thanks Houston Gym!
9. Seat - Free, thanks Tim! (but when... if... I get the Brooks, I will return this one to Tim)

Well, for starting with the idea of building something from nothing, I sure did manage to spend a lot more than I thought I would...

Oh well, it's still cheaper than a comparable new one... and since I built it, it's worth it!

Powder Coat!!!

The frame and fork are at the powder coating shop!!!  Here they sit in the back of my car about to be hauled into the shop...

I stripped everything down to the frame and fork and took the two parts to Precision Powder in Spring, TX.  They had an awesome red-with-metallic-flake powder coat in stock, so I went with that... frame and fork.  It's the same as the red motorcycle frame in this picture (the picture is from the shop where I'm getting my frame and fork done...)

The guy said it would be about a week and a half... UGH!

Oh well, it will be worth the wait...

I also found a the perfect seat for the build... the Brooks B17 Special...

"The B17 is our flagship model, ideal for long distance spors touring, trekking and atb use. It has been on the market for over 100 years, being featured in as early as the 1898 catalogue ."

This is a pretty darned impressive YouTube clip about Brooks...

Part 1

Part 2

I think it'll look fantastic on the bike.  I sure do wish it was cheaper though...
I haven't purchased it yet... but maybe.

I also took the old quill over to J.K.'s shop, Gull Industries. (J.K. is another buddy from the gym).  He sand blasted the quill to remove some scratches.  We also were able to remove the word "Mongoose" from Dr. Josh's old bars with some Scotch-Brite pads.  I was able to polish the quill back to it's original shine prior to the sand blasting... so that'll all be good-to-go when the frame and fork come back from powder coat.

Now the waiting begins...

Here's some bike-porn to hold you over...
http://www.fixedgearbiking.co.uk/bike-porn/


Stay tuned...

Getting Closer...

Today was another productive day... though in reality, I only spent a couple of hours working on the bike...

My buddy AJ, from the gym, told me he had a Chris King headset that would fit my bike.  He gave me a SA-WEET deal on it... this be it... literally...

So I took off the old crunchy one (even though I rebuilt it... it was just too old and worn out) and installed this beautiful piece of art!  Man is it awesome--sealed bearings and bulletproof!

O yeah!!!

I also took apart and rebuilt the pedals.  Twenty-six little tiny ball bearings on each pedal... tedious, but I persevered!

And I also think the Flash Gordon color scheme is the way I'll go... (as you can see in that picture of the bottom of the head set, it needs a coat of paint!).  Maybe a DEVO theme...

Though, a Ferrari theme might be a little more to my liking....

hahahaha... OK, maybe not...

And another friend made an interesting observation...

Maybe I'll go with all red, instead of red and yellow, and call it good...

We see...

Stay tuned...

And the votes for Pink are rolling in!!!

The Details....

I picked up a couple of things... a freewheel and aluminum seatpost...

The aluminum seat post looks muchas better than the black one in my opinion...

Then I installed the freewheel on the other side of the hub and flipped the wheel over...

I got a 16-tooth for the freewheel.  The fixed gear is a 17...

So that's that... now I need to decide on a color scheme.  And the more I look at the red and yellow, the more it's growing on me.  It's sorta reminds me of Flash Gordon!

I spent a little time on PEDALMAFIA (and Fireworks) and designed the following...

You can click any image to enlarge it, by the way...

... hard to see, but note the Flash Gordon logo on the down tube.  I reckon this design looks OK, though I guess I'd have to get the T-shirt...

I've also considered black...

By the way, I drew a Chris King headset on all of the designs.  Turns out a buddy of mine from the gym has one he's going to sell me fo' good price.

... but it seems like lots of folks go with black.

So Tim gave me an idea.  He said why not paint it like my truck, "Sherman"...

... hmm!

So this is what it would look like painted green...

... and I have "SHERMAN" on the top tube.  I actually think this might be the ticket!  I also think a Brooks saddle would be the cat's ass to complete the project...

(I wish they were not so expensive).

Anyway, that sums up where I am right now.  If you have an opinion about the paint scheme, feel free to leave a comment.

Stay tuned...

Now That's HIP!

Several friends have come through by donating old parts to the cause!  Tim gave me a bunch o' goodies... I mean a bunch!  Dr. Josh gave me an old mountain bike, and I had some various bits.

This is going to be a short post because I am tired... so I will post the photo along with captions.  More later...

This is where I started.  Tim gave me this old frame last night...

These are some of the parts Tim gave me and some of the old stuff I had...

These are the headsets from the new bike and the red and yellow bike...

Getting there!

I bought two wheels and tires.  You'll also notice I have the yellow fork from the other bike the build.  The problem with the Romic fork was that it didn't fit with the wheels and tires.  The tire was too tall and rubbed... to the point that the wheel wouldn't turn.  Of course the yellow fork was too tall, but I was able to cut it down and make it work.

I used the handlebars from Dr. Josh's old mountain bike, and I chopped about three inches or so from each end...

I didn't have a seat post that would fit... and the only one I could find was black.  Since I wanted to ride the bike immediately, I went ahead and spent the $20 on it.  I'll swap it for an "aluminum finish" later.

Fixed single speed!

This is a brake handle from Dr. Josh's old mountain bike.  I used the brake part that Tim gave me...

A better look at my chopped handlebars...

I also had to buy a chain, but that's about it.  The pedals are from an old "spinning" bike.  Note I shortened the brake cable too...

Now I need to decide on a color.  I'm thinking all red!  We'll see.  I'll ride it as it is for a while...

Stay tuned... :-)

I Got a Frame! ...but it's too big :-(

I got a frame today.  I happened to be in West End Bike Shop for no particular reason... other than to see Frank the cat I guess (Frank is 19... he's lost about 10 pounds, and he's not doing so well.  Frank was actually born inside the bike shop and has lived there his entire life.  Not a bad life for a cat... not bad at all).  I was looking at some of the new single speed bikes, and as it turns out, they had a spare frame and fork.  Free!  Well, I had to haul it away, but free nonetheless.

"Coach", from my gym, gave me a set of old Rolf wheels.  They're campys, but I see there are single speed conversion kits available for Campy hubs, so I'm good to go there... unless I can find some single-speed-specific wheels...

Unfortunately, the frame is a bit tall.  Too tall for me I'm afraid.  Even without tires on the wheels, the top tube hits me in the boys.  But, I will start with it.

I also have an old set of CODA cranks from a mountain bike.  I need to convert them to a single gear, but the Shimano 105 sealed bearing fits perfectly into the "new" frame.

Here's where it stands right now:

When I think about it, I need little.  Seat, seat post, stem, bars, chain, single-speed conversion kit, tires, tubes, pedals, and I reckon that's about it.  Hopefully my buddy Tim will come through with some old track bike parts!

Anyway, this is where I am.  I'm still looking for parts... and in reality, I still need a frame--something smaller.  I'd be willing to trade of course...

I need to decide on a paint job, though, the red and yellow doesn't look so bad... we'll see.

Stay tuned...

And I have found more examples online...

I found these pictures tonight online...

This one is OK...

Cool.

This one I really really like!

Stay tuned...

The Beginning...

Well, I want to build a Fixie... a Single Speed... a Hipster bike... something.  I have very few parts, but I am starting to collect some.  I have no clue what I will get; hence, I have no clue what I will build.  I do have an idea of what I want to build... something similar to one of the following:

Clearly someone mirrored this image... this one is OK...

OK... I'd have to skip the pink front wheel...

This one would work...

This one is OK too...

I like this one...

And something like this would be OK too...

Clearly the parts I find will directly impact what I am able to build...

If you have some old bike parts you'd like to donate to the cause, please send me an email... I'd love to have them!