Fixed Mountain Biking

I thought I would cover one of may favorite bikes and an interesting and unique ride. The story is this, I needed a mountain bike. They are always good to have in a pinch, make for awesome snow bikes, and of course are perfect for that which they are designed. I started out with a 2005 Specialized Stumpjumper Hardtail Frame which is made of their M4 aluminum, a compound of aluminum alloyed with silicon, copper, magnesium, and vanadium.

Note: There is now a M5 Specialized Frame that is alloyed with silicon, manganese, magnesium and zinc. The difference being that the ultimate and yield strengths are both a touch bigger and also the ability of the the materials to retain their hardness and stiffness after welding such that less material is incorporated into the frame itself.

Next I acquired a 2008 Fox F-Series 120mm RLC fork with G2 Geometry. This was a very hard item to acquire, being that you cannot purchase this item in retail, as it is custom made for Gary Fisher and the geometry of their bikes. So, I called the rep, and he was kind enough to pull one off a bike for me. Lets just say this was going to be fun.

Note: The G2 Geometry implies that the offset of the fork is 51mm and exclusive to Gary Fisher bikes. As opposed to a normal offset of 38-44mm the fork is unusually raked forward, lengthening the wheelbase. Why did I need this? Well my frame is designed for 80mm of travel in the front, to put 120mm of travel on it I would need to shoot the front end forward.

I paired my find with a Red Chris King 1 1/8 NoThreadSet Original.

Then, I ran out of funds. Postponing the build for another 14 months, purchasing odds and ends when I could stomach them.

Come the Spring of 2009 I had had enough waiting. Although I had intended this bike to run 2x9 with a Sram 3.3 Stylo Team Crankset complete with Rock Guard - tear :'( -I opted to create my first Fixed Gear Mountain Bike.

My last big purchase/build was the rear wheel. The single vertical dropout provided the problem, my White Industries Eric's Eccentric ENO Disc Hub 32h solved that problem.

.

With the help of a great guy named Dustin at University Bicycles we laced it 2x to a Mavic 321 Disc Rim with DT Swiss Champion 2.0 Straight Gauge and Brass Nipples. Paired with aTomiCOG (which is the ultimate solution, laser cut type 304 stainless steel 1/2" pitch chain drive cog, cut to match a standard 6-bolt mtn bike disc rotor mount) I was set.

Parts List:

2005 Specialized Stumpjumper 19" M4 Frame

2008 Fox F-Series 120mm RLC G2

Avid BB7 Disc Brake and Lever

Chris King 1 1/8 NoThreadSet

WTB SpeedDisc Rim Laced to Deore 32h Hub

32h White Industries ENO Eccentric Laced to Mavic 123 Disc

Izumi Chain

Specialized Avatar Saddle

Generic Seatpost

Specialized XC Handlebars UNCUT w/ Specialized XC Locking Grips

Specialized 80mm 31.8 Stem Flipped and Shimmed at -16

175 Specialized Deore LX Crankset (Un Modified Tripple)

Maxxis Advantage Rear 2.25 Tire

Spec.'s aside this bike is so much fun. It rides great, weighs just about 22 lbs. So much fun on the trails, skidding on dirt throws a new meaning into control. Also a perfect commuter in its 42x16, mainly ridden in 32x16 on trails. Seen in haternation's PBR Poker Alley Cat.

55cm White Rainbow Sparkly Chrome Samson for sale !!

My friend Fran, is trying to sell his immaculately setup Samson. This thing is the tits, top of the line everything. The wheelset alone could easily go for +700$ it was built two weeks ago, Gipiemme 428 rear rim - laced with bladed spokes - to a chrome phil. Front wheel is a 650c Shamal laced radially with bladed spokes to a chrome low flange phil. It doesnt stop there, titanium chris king, sugino 75's with a custom anodized zen chainring, custom anodized crank bolts, MKS Custom Nuevo's with kashimax double straps.

Plus its full chrome, and as seen in the pictures the chainstays, headtube lugs, fork crown, seatstay bullets, and a few other places have the chrome fully revealed. Looks freekin amazing !

I talked to Fran he said he would do 1600 OBO ! Thats a steal, someone needs to get on this. email : furaan@gmail.com with offers. furaan@gmail.com with offers.

full specs over at velospace

I was biking on campus today

When I got T-boned out of nowhere by this asshole

who told me it was my fault for not noticing him (I was going in a straight line in the bike lane) and refused to pay for a new wheel. If you know this guy tell him he's a bitch, he was riding a black Surly 1x1 with red ourys.

I know that it wasn't the best wheel, sort of a temporary until I got something stronger but I didn't expect it to go like this. Now I'm starting to understand why some people are trying to crack down on campus bike use.

retired belts - hand made in SF

My friend dylan hand makes these belts from skidded out randonneurs. I wear my retired belt every day, cant say enough good things about it. Its a good use of material that many would consider trash. Go check out his website http://www.retiredbelts.com and order one up for yourself or for a friend, they make great gifts.

More Hold Fast-Type Straps

Adding to Dailey's Post from a couple days ago:
A quick search through the pedalconsumption archives yields a huge assortment of Hold Fast-type straps. As far as most of these are concerned, they are clear Hold Fast knockoffs. This is a mostly comprehensive list of what the market is like today.

Archie's Grobags Strap Ons
These look sort of like a hybrid between a powergrip and a HoldFast, made by a messenger bag company. Doesn't look too secure or comfortable but the outside looks strong enough to last if you scratch up the side of your pedal a lot.

Burro Bags Straps & Burro Billboard Straps


Another strap made by a messenger bag company. The billboard straps are made with recycled velcro.

Aurora Velcro Straps


These are sort of aimed toward people who want the security of foot straps but don't want to ride BMX pedals. The outside edge is basically exposed velcro.

iMiNUSD straps

These are available in limited quantities from the iMiNUSD bike shop in San Jose, thick and wide.

Huge Grips
I can't read Japanese so I don't know too much about them other than they look almost exactly like Hold Fast.

Brisbane Outdoor Strap Ons

Looks good, I'd imagine they probably feel like stiff double straps minus the cages, pretty easy to install as well. The outside edge looks vulnerable to wear but according the BO they "are constructed from a highly abrasion resistant TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane), which has industrial uses in inflatable boats and hovercraft bladders." A very unique design.

Phoenix Straps

Simple design, easy to install, seems pretty durable but the top strap doesn't seem very wide.

BLAQ platform straps
Not that wide on the top, kinda weak on the side, but... only $30.

ZLDA Straps

Similar in design to Burro, BLAQ & Phoenix.

Handworks Grips

Lookin' a lot like Hold Fast

PINZAT Power Strips

Similar to ZLDA, Burro, BLAQ & Phoenix. Made from recycled materials.

Resistant Pedal Straps

Made by a Japanese messenger bag company, looks very similar to Hold Fast.

Thats it for now, expect a post soon about the evolution of foot retention -- Cages & Straps, Powergrips, Feetbelts, Hold Fast, ?. I think its crazy that Hold Fast basically launched about 6 months ago and this many competitors in the "Foot Retention System" market have sprung up so quickly. Is this a good thing because it means that a lot of riders are getting into freestyle or a bad thing because Hold Fast isn't getting its due?

Found a new source for NOS Campy

I was searching the internet the other day for reasonably priced NOS Campy C-Record Toe Clips (Since I seem to bust one every other week) and found this website, Ochsner International
which has a grip of NOS Campy replacement parts, including one of the coveted 50th anniversary Super Record Gruppos up for sale. They have C-Record toe clips for $10/pair, which is quite reasonable and actually cheaper than new MKS clips.
Further searching brought me to this eBay seller, who has 25 pairs for $87.
This could be a worthwhile investment for me..

Cinelli Laser

Looks like there's a Cinelli Laser frameset for sale on Yahoo auctions. Right now it's at 500,000 yen, or just under $5500.

Previous post about Lasers here.

Italian Steel

Italian Cycling Journal has a nice series going about Italian steel tubing manufacturers. They start with a very in depth article about Columbus tubing, which was a favorite of some of the more well known builders -- Colnago, Pinarello, Eddy Merckx & De Rosa. The next in the series is a blurb about a little known manufacturer called Falck, which is thought to have been used more than people realize but decals are rarely seen. Falck tubing was used by framebuilders like Legnano, Casati, Guerciotti, and Concorde.
After that we learn about Castello Mario & Figlio of Torino, of which not much is known. The only manufacturer that the author knows of to have used the tubing is Rabeneick, a German builder.
The most recent article is about Oria tubing, a favorite of builders like Montagner, Torelli & Cramerotti.
I'm assuming that we will see a post about Dedacciai tubing, and maybe some other crazy shit we don't know about, in the near future.

Tallest Bike Evar

(click to enlarge!)

Toe Strap Reviews

It seems with all the hype about the 700cmx/FGFS resurgence and more so "stuntin" as Peter loves to say, there have emerged many products that are branded for use primarily in this newest category of fixed gear riding. I want to start with Freestyle Toe Straps, but hope to keep up a post every week about the differences between these products, what works, and the inevitable downfalls of construction and performance.

This new breed of pedal/strap combination stems from the absence of a viable solution to the stability/security problems many riders began to have when they started experimenting with their bikes. However, there was already a solution in the form of Power Grips Toe Straps. These straps were most likely the basis for freestyle straps. Somehow, someway these straps had gotten a poor rep. because of their design flaws and insecurity, but the IDEA was there. Then came the the beefier Feetbelts that were more durable and had the ability to adapt to the BMX platform style pedals that were becoming popular.

As the sport evolved, so did the merchandise. Riders began experimenting with differing strap lacing techniques and started putting their Toshi Double Straps back on their track only bikes/pedals, and cruising bikes.

Alas we arrive at the current FGFS SPECIFIC straps. Here's whats out there and new.

Hold Fast FRS

If you haven't heard of Hold Fast as of late, you must live under a well insulated log. If you are living under the log, please do your best to stay warm, it's a chilly 12 degrees currently and the light snowfall often chills straight to the bone. Anyways, this is one of the most common FRS's (foot retention system)'s now-a-days and they truly have proven their worth. Straight out of Brooklyn, Hold Fast Straps come in 10 different standard colors to match your whip, although you may end up waiting over a 6 weeks to see these in the mail.

Pros:

Secure as Hell (Gates are Locked)

Easily Adjusted

Nice Forward Cant Allows for Foot Wedging

Cons:

Can be Pedal Selection Limiting

Interfere with Pedal Spindle

Webbing Getting Raged

Some Hate the Nautical

I have been riding these for a little while and have absolutely worn down the webbing on the outside of the new metal buckles. I am a bit concerned as to their durability.

Chicago Wig Street Straps

A lesser known strap that is basically indestructible. That pretty much sums up the Chi-City straps. They are constructed from heavy duty Polypro webbing, the are hardware-less and have a super secure double layer of ballistic velcro to hold you close at night.

Pros:

Double Layer Velcro

Heavy Duty PolyPro Webbing

Available in 2" or 3" Thickness

No Metal Hardware

Cons:

Durability of Webbing makes Lacing Difficult in most Pedals

Non-Canted Design (No Toe Wedging)

Jol Gurney Toe Strap

Another lesser known competitor that incorporates the same webbing designs, and hardware-less construction of the wig straps. These straps have been in the works for just about as long as Hold Fast's design, and the battle flares as to who copied who. It seems that most the designs incorporate the same fit and ability to adjust. This makes them superior to their predecessors (feetbelts) .

Pros:

Classy as Hell

Well Tested

Fit Most Pedals

Inconspicuous

Toe Wedging Compatible

Cons:

Never Owned a Pair

You'd Hate to Scuff Something That Pretty

DIY Option

It seems as if almost all the designs listed above incorporate the same basic essentials, adjustability and stability/security. If your not stoked to spend 30-65$ on a pair, make them yourself. Hell you can have whatever color you'd like. They probably won't get featured online, and you'll never outsource to china, but hey, their unique, and the do the trick.

Choose what you will, but have fun...

Riding odyssey Jim Cielincki Trail Mix Pedal w/ Purple Hold Fast FRS (extremely difficult to lace)

haterNation's bikes 2009

Heres what I had in 2009:

The Ocean !

Aww man how i loved this bike. Super light and snappy, best bike ive ever owned. Unfortunately near the end of the summer a small crack started to appear on the underside of my downtube. It grew until it was a full on split going about half way around the tube, thats when I threw in the towel. I dont know exactly how it happened, i had some head on collisions in alley cats, but those were months before i noticed the crack. I wasnt tricking to hard on it, whip skids, wheelies, and whirly birds. Either way that bike wasnt meant for the street and the type of riding i was doing. Eventually ill get it repaired to its former glory.

Bianchi DISS the ultimate winter bike: FOX suspension, studded tires, Thomson sp/stem, chris king

Loved this bike so much, had a blast every time I rode it. It excelled in thick snow and blizzard conditions. The fox suspension fork was great because it had the auto-engaging lockout so when your riding on the street/bike path it feels like a rigid fork, and when you need the suspension it just works. Singlespeed was great in the crappier conditions, but as the snow melted, having gears would've been better.

Redline 925 "Ringer"

After the ocean went out of comission I needed to get something setup asap, scooter let me ride his redline 925 until I got the cutter. this frame is better suited for singlespeedin' but worked well fixed.

Volume Cutter - Current

Volume's lifetime warranty helped soothe the pain I had for my broken Ocean. ride is solid, feels like a track bike, lots of barspin clearance. PLUS it glows in the dark!!

2009 Bikes

My list is noticeably shorter than Peter's and Scott's but here goes...

I got this 49cm Pake Track sometime mid-2008 after having a conversion and continued riding it till late summer this year. It's too big for me and I kind of hated it. Right now it's in the slow process of becoming a winter/cruising bike, which it should be much better as.

For a while during the summer I rode my mom's 90's Carrera road bike. It's a really fun ride. Fingers crossed that I inherit this...

Finally, at the end of the summer I bought this 46cm Vivalo NJS frame (yes, tiny, I know). Got great deals on some parts through work and thanks to Peter for building the wheels. Definitely won't be buying another track bike until something happens to this one, its perfect for me.

That's it!