9th november 2012 Fixie project start

9th novembre 2012 Fixie project START

Today I am starting my fixie project. Rather than taking the simple route of buying a pre-built fixed bike, I have decided to make my own from my L'Eroica bike. There are two reasons for this:

1) The number of bikes that I own is perilously close to S-1 (Velomenati Rule #12 (http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/)) and buying another bike for a fixie/winter trainer would be relationship suicide. And we have no space - currently in our loft space we have: my Scott race bike, my Claud Butler touring bike, my Claud Butler MTB, my Peugeot (above), a BSA 1930s tandem, Dawn's MTB and Dawn's road bike. 

2) I want to learn about bikes and how they work. I'm ok at riding bikes, but I am useless at repairs and knowing how they work. So this will be a vaulable, and costly lesson, as it is going to take me a lot of time and cost significantly more than if I went out and just bought one!

So - why fixed gear? Why another bike when I already have some rather splendid bikes? (Ignore rule #12 aka n+1) Well, the legend that is Sheldon Brown says it all here:

http://sheldonbrown.com/fixeda.html

And most spectacularly he quotes:

I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five.
Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer?
We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!

--Henri Desgrange, L'Équipe article of 1902

So - what is fixed gear? Well simply, instead of having a freewheel whereby you can stop pedaling and the bike continues to move forward, with fixed if you stop pedaling, the bike stops (often painfully I would imagine).

But coming back to the essence it's a pure form of cycling, apparently giving you a greater feel for the road, a better workout, better for your knkees, giving you a better pedaling shape. Also there is no fluff - no gears, brakes, levers, wires, derailleurs - so the bike can be more pure.

And it's really cool. Super urban chic. Not that I could ever be like that, but we all have desires.

So, I embark on this mission and will update you all.  Wish me luck!