Fixed Gear Bicycles - Accessories - Service
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Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Gallery |
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Road to Fixed Conversions - Our Specialty |
We have done dozens of road to fixed conversions over the years, and it's the number one phone call question that we get. So here is a handy quick guide to whether your old road frame will work.
1) Horizontals work great - pre-1990 pretty much every frame had horizontal drops. They give you the all important ability to slide the wheel axle back to maintain chain temnsion, and that's what you look for in a road frame to fixie conversion.
Horizontals come in many sizes and shapes, the longer the drop, the better. But as long as there is a forward facing dropout, then you are in business.
2) Verticals won't work - modern road frames come with verticals. The only way to make this work is go ENO eccentric hub, with a custom wheel build. If you have that kind of money, just buy a new fixie frame and be happy. It's far cheaper.
3) The best of all - The last kind of dropout - techically its a fork end, not a drop out - is the track. If you have this, then you are in business, it's the best of all.
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JCS Fixed Gear Blog |
He already hit 60 MPH on this bike in test runs. Brit framebuilder Tom Dohou plans on taking this fixie to 100 MPH this year. It features a Columbus Max steel frame with a 104 tooth chainring, 17 inches across. The handlebars are slammed down on the crown of the headtube, with drops so deep that the rider's hands are at the same level as the front tire. Note the disk brake up front. No skids on this whip.
So will this be the fastest speed on a bike? Not even close. You might be surprised at how fast bicycles have gone Keep Readin' Here...
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Feature Fixie |
Bike of the Month
KHS Flite 100 - High End Steel Speed and Stability at a Great Price
Our No-BS Bottom Line:4 out of 5 Spokes:
Do you like steel bike frames, want to upgrade your current frame, but can't afford an expensive import? Look no further, this is the one you want.
The Frame
The KHS Flite 100 is a pure track frame. If you get sponsored by KHS as a track rider, this is the frame and fork that you get. If it looks familiar, no surprise, as the venerable Mercier Kilo TT is identical to the Flite 100. Same facotry in Taiwan, same master welders. No "Mr. Roboto" frame, they build these babies by hand. The tubing is the same higher quality double butted Reynolds 520 tubing. The down tube is ovalised, with an oversized top tube, that gives the frame extra stiffness. The back triangle, with the same quality Reynolds tubing, gives you a stiffer ride, yet feauring the compliance of higher grade steel tubing. Alot of the bike distributors frame cheat and use Hi-Ten on the back triangle, but not these. It's nothing but the good stuff, all around. Keep Readin' Here...
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Spokes Speaks - Fixed Gear Tech Talk |
Ride It With Leather!
Over many years of riding, we have discovered that there is no substitute for a good leather saddle. Their comfort, and durability, is simply the best. BUT - what they do require is a proper break-in, and then some minimal care, unlike artificial saddles. People that have a bad experience with a leather saddle have either:
A leather saddle will quickly conform itself to your own unique ass-anatomy, so it's important to NEVER buy a saddle that has been broken in by someone else. It will not be as comfortable, or durable, as a new saddle that you break in for yourself. Basically, it's going to hurt like hell.
Breaking your new leather saddle in is a very simple process. Forget the nonsense on the Internet about soaking the saddle in motor oil, or about applying neatsfoot oil every day, and blah-blah woof-woof. Here is the easy - does it way to break 'er in. Keep Readin' Here...
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Gear - Stuff We Like |
For our first install of "Stuff We Like" we are going to mention something that we think is one of the best add ons for a fixie - Thick Slick tires. If you skid stop - and let's face it, it's one of the cool things about riding fixed -then this is the tire to use on your rear wheel.
What makes the Thick Slick different is that they have a double thick casing with absolutely no tread whatsover. The tire is rounded, more like a tubular than the typical road clincher you see stock on most fixies. The compound used on the tire wall - the manufacture calls it DURASTRIP - makes it wicked conducive to sliding. FREEDOM Bicycles - part of the WTB group - makes three versions of this tire. The DELUXE model has been the one we use and sell. The ELITE URBAN version of this doesn't work as well for skids - different casing - and the SPORT version doesn't quite last as long.
A really nice thing we appreciate here in the shop about the Thick Slick Keep Readin' Here...
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Fixed Gear 101 - Free Book |
Want to get into fixed gear riding? Want some tips in building up a fixie? Want to build up some skills like trackstands? This is the book for you, and it's free. PUMA put this out as part of a promotion back in 2005, and we have a copy you can download. It's got some neat pencil drawn art, too. Just don't try to enter the contest - it was over in August 2005! Get a Copy Here...
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About Us |
Who We Are-What We Do
by Spokes
I started riding fixed gears when I was a teenager. I was getting coached by an old time British dude who had worked at the Raleigh factory over in Nottingham before World War II. He put us on fixies over the winter to build up our pedaling skills and leg strength. It worked - next season I was stronger and faster.
I spent time as a bicycle messenger, choosing a fixie as my work ride. It was better at getting through the narrow and crowded Boston streets. I got into track racing later on, and found my street experience paid off at the 'drome. When I started commuting on a bicycle, I turned to a fixie as my first and only choice. It was just more reliable than geared bicycles. Simple, less things to go wrong, and easy to maintain. All critical stuff when you rely on your bicycle to get around. I sold the crappy 'cross bike I built up to commute on, and went fixie full time. And I never looked back. Fixies were just better than any other kind of bicycle, hands down.
But - something bugged us about riding fixies, and it wasn't our bikes. Keep Readin' Here...
