Mission Accomplished :D

Okay so I finished like two weeks ago and thought I posted this but it turns out I never hit the little publish button at the bottom so nothing happened. These are all the pictures I took during the build. I've included the completed bike as well even though I said I would hold off on it, but since its already been several weeks I see no reason to prolong the excitement.

The very first piece I actually recieved. I was so happy cause it was at this moment that I knew I was on my way.

Im not sure why I never took a picture of these out of the box. I guess I just have a bit of a box fetish...

This was the day I got my frameset. I couldn't resist seeing where I was at. You also get a glimpse of my saddle and rims out of their cardboard home.

I really only took this picture to show someone what kind of chain I had. Please excuse the dog hair :/

Now I present to you....












The one....










The only...










Booze Cruiser (creative huh? I always referred to it like that before it was even built, so I didn't see any reason to change it)

I would like to thank all you folks out there who decided to accompany me on this journey. Up next: Bamboo Mayhem!

Untitled Because I Can't Think of One

This is my last text update. I have gathered my final pieces and begun the process of constructing my new machine. About the only bit of real labor that needs be done is to cut the steerer tube on the fork to size. That will be taken care of within the next two days. Also I've encountered an issue with my seat post and tube. Firstly it was a pain in the ass to get the seat clamp on but after much grease, hitting, and swearing I was able to do it. Unfortunately, when I got it I discovered that it didn't tighten properly so my seat isn't exactly secure. It doesn't appear damaging enough to compromise the project but it's certainly not something I can ignore.

When all things considered, I think that I have had a bit more trouble than I should have with this but it has allowed me to learn more than I otherwise would have. I know that next time it should be easier...but probably more expensive. I can say with great confidence that this has been a fun little adventure, especially recieving all sorts of packages in the mail at work.

Well I guess that's all I really have left to say now. For any future readers, don't hesitate to email me with questions or advice. I not be an expert but I'm certainly no fool.

Such Is Life: In The Homestretch

Well it looks like I'll top out at 15 posts. Seems like relatively few when compared to some other fancy blogs out there but for me it's nothing short of a milestone. I'm going to be killing two birds with one stone with this: longest blog ever and first bike built ever--at least by me. With as much progress as I've made it's amazing how quickly I can be halted. My frame is going to be the death of me. Power tools are the epitome of oxymorons: if you use them to build or repair something, so often that thing ends up worse off. You can use you're imagination here for the details.

Good news though is that the rest of my drivetrain (and replacement fork) has been shipped and all should be here by this time next weekend. I allowed myself a slight delay but since it's a learning process it doesn't really bother me. So I spent $124 on my wheelset, 50$ on my cranks and $25 on the rear cog and lockring. That brings my total so far to: $381. That's not to shabby considering I have found a possible stem for another fifteen. Even though I could have done this all for cheaper if I really tried I feel satisfied knowing that I was able to make the bike I really wanted and for the budget I set.

As these are probably going to be some of my last words before I complete this project and close this blog, I would like to wish anyone who decides on an undertaking of their own good luck. I've learned a lot in these past few months about both bikes and myself. It took a minute before I stopped letting setbacks discourage me. It may seem like I never lost sight of my goal but there were a few times, particularly in the beginning, that I was really considering to just abandon my quest and just buy a whole bike. I can say though that the more progress I made the less I wanted to stop. Maybe it's just that I didn't want to feel like I wasted my money but I'm okay with that.

In conclusion I would like to say that when I begin work on my next project, I will likely post pictures, but don't expect an epic. I doubt I would have much more to say.

Money + Obsession = Stuff

So last night I said that I would probably make some more purchases after I finished my posting. Well I didn't. But I did just now :) I pretty much settled on a gearing. It's a bit low but I figure it would be a good place to start (and maybe help with my horrid pedal stroke) and if I decide I want something a bit higher later, it's only a matter of finding a cog with fewer teeth. As always, I wont share the pricing until the item is at least on it's way. I can say I got a decent deal on the crankset. I'm not as sure about the cog and lockring but I don't believe there is as much of a price gap as there might be with other parts.

Now that I have a visual of what my bike looks like, I really wish I had a stem. It seems that the one part that most people don't even realize is a part is what's keeping this from really looking like a bike. The handlebars are part of what makes a bicycle a bicycle and the humble stem is apparently overlooked. What I'm really looking forward to, however, is taping the bars. I just replaced the tape on my current speed demon and I can see why all those fancy magazines tout it as being an "upgrade" because it really did make a difference. I pimped my ride, yo.

It's certain that my headset will be installed by this weekend and I see no reason to put off buying a stem any longer than that. With glorious payday fast approaching, it is in the plan to purchase said stem on this coming saturday. I think I should probably mention that, although I started on my Super Advanced Pedal Retention System weeks ago I haven't done anything else since. Knowing myself as well as I think I do, it probably wont be done until after I get my crankset installed. I understand that it really doesn't matter whether I have a crank arm to attach a pedal to or not because I'm going to have to keep the pedal detached as I sew on the straps, but I feel I will be much more motivated to complete that task once I reach a point where pedals might actually have a purpose.

After going over the list of things I still need to do I seem almost impressed with myself. It's very short. This is my 11th post and I'm starting to wonder if I'll make it to 20. I like nice even numbers so unless I stop at 15, I'l figure out a way to make it to 20 even if the last few are just pictoral updates. I still expect to post again this weekend so be on the lookout.

Uphill Both Ways...In The Sand

It feels like I've hit a wall. After making so much progress in a short amount of time I have literally done nothing for at least a few weeks. No, I didn't abandon, I just ran into a long line of progress slowers. All is well though, once I get my headset installed and buy a stem, I will have an almostly perfectly functioning bike. I went through the list of all the things I need to do and its surprisingly short and simple. I wanted to order the cranks this past week but I lost my debit card so had to wait for the nice bank to send me a new one and because my paypal is connected to my debit card, I needed to wait until I get my new card to update the information otherwise I would get nothing. I have found some decent cranksets though and I should expect to get soon. Actually I might order it after I finish this post--but no promises.

I have a confession to make. I through the bike together as best I could and took pictures to show off. I kinda wanted to wait until I had as many parts as possible before I did that, just to surprise myself, but I couldn't resist and I wanted to make sure it was going along as I planned. It is :) I imagine this is what it's like to watch a child grow up but without all that pesky parenting.

In case you forgot (like I did) I'll recap what I have purchased: saddle, frameset, wheelset, bar tape, handle bars, pedals, Super Advanced Pedal Retention System, and chain. Is that it? Well it's all I see on my kitchen table so it must be. My total expenditures still rest at under $300 which is perfect since all of the other things I've priced total much less than $200. Maybe once the masterpiece is complete I'll be able to buy a hundred dollar messenger bag to complete the "hipster" facade. Actually the purchase of a $200 messenger bag would be far more appropriate, but then I wont have enough for a $50 lock and cycling cap.

That's it for now, next update should hopefully be after the completion of my frameset. At least I hope so. Until then may you not be run over by a French TV News Car.

It Only Took Twice As Long

I haven't given up. In fact, I feel more inspired than ever. Today I finally recieved my bicycle frameset. Due to the aforementioned technical mishap it took a minute longer but at least it's here. Now I have what might resemble a bicycle scattered throughout my apartment. Hell with some skillful duct tape work it could even look like a bike which is quite exciting. Have you ever put together a jig saw puzzle? Well if you have then you know what it feels like to get the entire border put together. Sure it's simple to find all the proper pieces and figure out where they might go, but you know that that is the first and most crucial step to finishing the master piece. My frameset is the puzzle border. Relatively easy to obtain but without it, all the other parts will never look like a bike.

Alas, as soon as someone closes the door, someone else decides to open a window. Such is the predicament I currently find myself in. What my next task is, is finding all the specific parts that might run up some dough in parts and labor. I'm referring to the rear cog, stem, and crankset of course. I still haven't settled on a gearing. I know what I'm going to be using the bike for so it's not like I have to take terrain or distance into account. The problem is that I don't really know how to ride a fixie. It's true. I don't even know how to skid stop or track stand. If I choose a gearing that's slightly high, once I get up to a comfortable cadence I may not be able to stop well. I know I can learn but I don't really want to resort to adding breaks if I can avoid it. This is something I can dwell on for a short while though, as I still have to get my frameset put together and lack a headset press.

I can't close without basking in my own glory for a moment. I have managed to stay within my budget and not go all out buying the things I want as soon as I see them. It's kind of a growing experience. I do hope that anyone who reads might understand how easy it is for cyclists to buy things and that holding back is a challenge. I'm not sure what I am going to get next but there's a few cranks I have my eye on. I also have to find a stem but I have a feeling that's going to get taken care of when I go to the shop for my headset. I wish I could say that will be taken care of this weekend but I had a slight mishap with my debit card this week so funding might not allow for it. It's all good though because with next weekend comes payday so it is entirely likely that I will accomplish yet another major step in this build at that time.

The tour de France has been quite riveting so far by the way, in case anyone cares.

Is It Progress? I Think So.

Another next day update? I actually have a decent amount to say today even though it's only been 24 hours. Starting off, when I wrote last night's post I was in a slight state of intoxication. If it read a bit awkwardly, that's why, and I'm not ashamed to say so.

Continuing on, my wheels came today! It felt like christmas almost. I get told I have a box for me upstairs and there it is, sitting there, waiting for me. I was tempted to look around for a tag that said "From Santa" in my parents handwriting. What's more is that when I opened up the box, they were just as I imagined, it was all so perfect. If it feels this sweet everytime a get a present from the internet I'm going to have to start ordering things more often.

A quick aside. I was reading a book today about quests. More accurately it was about the theory and literary history of quests as it relates to modern gaming quests. It was all quite fascinating really and it got me thinking. Does this whole super fixie building project qualify as a quest? I mean it sounds silly to call anything nowadays a "quest" but after I considered it for a moment I realized that what qualifies as a quest is relative. Sure, some dude talkin on is cell phone on a park bench may not consider the act of building a dinky hipster bike to be a quest but the starving college student doing a track stand at the stop light might. I suppose it doesn't matter if it's a quest or not I just thought it was interesting.

My frame shipped today as I was told and it's nice to finally expect it. Hopefully in a few more days I will have at least a vague resemblence of a bike sitting under guard by that beast of a dog I own (seriously). By my calculations, the crankset should be the last "expensive" piece I buy, but I'm still researching and I may be able to get a fairly good deal on it.

Not Quite Lazy, But Close

So it's been what, a week? This seems about normal for me. Hell I don't think I've even updated my facebook status in several weeks. This is far more important though. I suppose the least I can do it actually make a post. Where to begin. Probably the most important update concerns the wheels. After some research I came to the conclusion that, even though it may not be the best lesson, I will be getting pre-built wheels. In the end that was the most cost effective method and cost is a big factor here. Maybe my next build (and trust me there will be another) will include hand made wheels but until then I'm going to do what I believe to be the best thing overall. If you don't like the fact that "non-purist" way of thinking, well you can just suck on my nuts. Ha.

Okay on to the next subject. Well I hit yet another snatch with my frameset. I did order and pay for it properly but as of today I still haven't recieved it. Now I'm trusting but not naive so I contacted the seller to see what was up. Apparently there was a little glitch in their system that said it had been shipped but when they pulled it up to tell me where it was there was no tracking info. It was never even shipped. The gentleman was kind enough to call me (not email amazingly enough) to say that he was "immensly sorry for the confusion" and that it would be "shipped immediately". Fair enough. Come next wednesday if I don't have a shiny new frameset in my possesion, someone is getting their ass kicked, and it probably wont be whoever runs that company seeing as I am nowhere near St. Augustine, Florida (oldest city in the U.S by the way, pirate's galore) so I will have to settle for someone closer. Probably a neighbor.

Let's see, what does that leave? Well probably nothing I guess. I've started sewing the straps onto my pedals but that's about the extent of the progress I've made. You'll have to excuse me if I'm a bet hesitant to proceed with neither a wheel or frameset to work with. I'm sure that once both of those are comfortably in my spare bedroom under guard by my super ferocious guard dog (see profile picture) I will be able to proceed at a fairly heavy pace. I predict that to begin sometime by next weekend.

One final note, I've realized that even though I set myself a 500$ limit I probably could've had this all built for much cheaper, but hey I had a very specific picture of this masterpiece in my head and I did not want that to go to waste. Maybe one day I will build an ultra budget bike, but knowing myself like I do (and that I love spending money on things I surely don't need) it is unlikely. I've already started picturing my next machine first things first and this is gonna be good. Until next time, enjoy the start of Le Tour.

What's in a Name?

My handlebars came in the mail today and I was too excited to wait until Sunday to post again. I know I said that I would subsequently tape them and stare, I decided that it might be wiser to hold off until I have a frame on which to mount the bars so as to have a bit more stable platform to work. Some may argue this logic, but I stand by it. The frame is still en route and if I'm lucky it will be here before next Friday. I'm hoping for this because I have that Friday off and I will be very sad if I'm absent when it shows up.

While I have your attention, and since I don't want this post to be a paragraph long, I realized today that I still don't have a name yet. Something like this must have a name, right? I can't decide if I should name it like folks name their cars or their horses. I've already ruled out dog and cat names because Fluffy and Tiger just don't sound right...I haven't put too much thought into it yet but it is something that will need to be taken care of before I can post any pictures. I'm thinking personalized license plate. Too much? We'll see.

On the subject of pictures I know I haven't actually stated it, but I will not be posting anything until the project is complete. The reason for this is that I want this adventure to inspire people not influence. If I started posting pics of every single component I bought it might only serve to encourage people to buy similar objects instead of taking the time to think and search on their own. I understand that there is a load of other pics and information out there that anyone can choose to turn too, but I refuse to lump myself in that set. I give my word, however, that I will post a wealth of bike porn when the time is right.

Finally, I realized that I recorded my frameset cost at $94. In fact it was $69 with the rest being shipping. I thought about going back and changing the price to show what kind of prices I've found but shipping is part of my expenses so I'll leave it as is.

Not Dead Yet

It's been 4 days since my last update so I decided to take this opportunity to reassure all of my thousands of loyal fans that I am neither dead, nor given up on this project. Quite the contrary actually. Though progress is slow I have been able to procure a few more items. One of which is the strapping I am going to be using for my Super Advanced Pedal Retention System. It's just some simple tow straps in the exact color I'm looking for and even though it was slightly pricy at $15, I decided that it would probably be the best material for me due to its durability.

I have also successfully paid for both my frameset and some nifty handlebars, and the latter should be here by the weekend. If and when they arrive I will promptly tape them and admire my handywork. I also plan on putting together my Super Advanced Pedal Retention System sometime this weekend too as soon as I determine exactly the best way to do so. I do have an idea of how to work it but I want to make sure it's totally thought through before I go around cutting up my fancy new straps.

I've decided that it is a good thing I didn's set myself any particular time limit. The sun has been baking my brains on my rides home and soon the sideways hundred degree rain will surely hinder my overal biking performance. Once my machine is complete, I would like to take it for a test ride around my parking lot, but doing so in either of these circumstances is far from ideal. Now, dont think this means that it's going to be slow building until Thanksgiving, but it does mean that no one should be surprised to see completion pictures sometime after Arbor Day. Come to think of it, I don't know when Arbor Day is exactly...so let's say mid-August.

The next best time to expect an update will be Sunday.

Straps: $15
Handlebars: $18
Frameset: $95

total so far: $182

Phase 1: Almost Done

Just like I promised I went out and began the daunting task of shopping and making physical purchases (I'm choosing not to count my chickens before they hatch when it comes to my frame seeing as the monetary part of the exchange is still in a pending status) and returned home to blog about it (teehee, blog, I'm so modern). Before I list everything in excruciating detail, however, I would like to thank all 4000 of you for reading along.

First I rode down to the local craft store (heretofore referred to as LCS) to hunt for materials for my Super Advanced Pedal Retention System: needle, thread, velcro, and some sort of heavy duty material to bring it all together. They had everything except for the latter. That isn't so bad though, because I figure I can destroy a bunch of backpacks and the like to get what I need. For fun I also stopped by the pet store and picked up some dog treats for my beloved dog who is being an asshole right now trying to eat the rest of my sandwich for me.

The next items were those cycling specific items that would not be worth buying online: saddle, handlebar tape, and chain. The most expensive of these was the saddle, but for what it's worth I had actually been hunting for one online. It didn't seem that any manufacturers even had a green one so imagine my surprise when I walked into my LBS and saw one sitting there. I also inquired about some labor prices because I will probably need to get a headset installed. If I read the ad correctly my frame set should come with the headset and bottom bracket already installed, but I would like to stay on the safe side.

So far my total expendatures are as follows:
Needle, thread and velcro (I'm bundling them up because I had a gift card for some of it and didn't pay attention to the prices, my bad): $4.13
Saddle: $20
Handlebar tape: $18
Chain: $10
Total: $52.13

When the payment clears I'll also share the frame pricing but for now it's secret.

I'm Not French

What's sad is I can already feel the fire beginning to dwindle. But only slightly. There is a reason I didn't set myself a time frame for completion. I would either cave and spend $1000 for a brand new bike that I didn't even really want, or I would abandon the project all together. Seeing as I have no intention to do either, I decided it would be best to take my time and try to do everything right. I thought it had started today, once again I found the perfect frame, cheap even, but it slipped through my grasp. Surprising that I'm not more disappointed. I understood the enormity of this endeavour from the beginning and I went ahead full force. Now, just because I wasn't able to get that frame doesn't mean I didnt get one at all. After a bit more searching I found a very similar frame, very similar price, and it came with a headset and bottom bracket. The only real difference is that it is 50cm instead of 49cm. With some thought I decided that a 1cm difference wasn't major enough to pay an additional $40. I made the order earlier and expect my frame by the end of the month.

Tommorow things will go as planned. I will still stop my LBS and make a few small purchases. After work I even managed to visit REI and browse tire selection/prices. $30 a pop, not quite what I want so I'll keep looking. There has to be some tire clearance selections going on somewhere in the forsaken college town in which I reside. When I went through my list of things-I-need-to-buy-for-this-to-work and concluded that I shouldn't spend more than $20 on tires, so three times that is certainly out of the question. My list isn't set in stone though and I'm sure as time goes on and more pieces are aquired that I'll have a better idea of what I can spend on things like tires and cranks and what not.

On the happier front, as I was sitting on my couch eating my delicious home made dinner (cheesy mashed potatoes dressed in cabbage and grilled chicken) I decided to embrace my vanity and look at the blog stats. I have comments from two different people. After a little research I discovered that for every comment there are approximately 1756 viewers. So by my calculations, I have nearly 4000 viewers in like four days. God I'm amazing. With the amount of fixie hipster wannabes out there I'm bound to square that number come monday.

In conclusion I would like to address my previous exit. Despite my choice of wording, I'm not French. In fact I kind of hate the French. It is for that reason that no matter what obsticles craigslist decides to throw my way I am not going to give up on this. Cause I'm not French, and I wont surrender after a few days.

Something To Stand On

Second post. That's a pretty amazing record for someone like me. I wasn't lying when I said I was overly ambitious. It's actually a pretty good sign that I'm willing to keep up with this blog, let's just hope it transfers. I spent a lot of time thinking today (though I was still suprisingly productive at work). What's worse is I had a lot of great things to say but it appears I have forgotten nearly everything. Oh well, might as well get to the bike.

I hit a bit of a snag today. Well I guess it wasn't a snag, probably not even a setback, but for someone like me, it might as well have been an overturned semi that was full of cacti lying right in the bike lane. I thought I found a great place to get a frame. I called the guy and he said he had all types all sizes. So we get to talking and apparently what I'm looking for (49cm track frame, or 51cm road frame with horizontal dropouts) was either recently sold, or part of a fully built bike. Sigh. Its depressing that the most intregal part of the whole operation seems to be the most difficult to find. Now I know for a fact there is a shop around here that carries a frameset in my size and the color I want. It's practically perfect in every--except it's about $300. Double sigh. As a last resort, however, I may decide to go that route, seeing as I was gonna have to pay a mechanic to assemble the headset and possibly the bottom bracket, this takes care of that expense. If I hustle I may be able to get the remaining parts for sub $200. Like I said, it's a last resort.

In other news, I've settled on what I will do for wheels. I will purchase the parts separately and assemble the wheel on my own. I actually already have the tools to do so and what better way to learn how to replace a broken spoke? I was advised that it is cheaper to purchase wheels over ebay than it is to have it built locally, but I made an oath to build this machine up from scratch to the best of my ability and that is what I am going to do. I thought long and hard about this and I think it is the best thing to do.

So, two updates in a row? Might this be a trend? Absolutely not. In fact it's unlikely I will post again until the weekend. The plans right now are to purchase smaller simple items that have no reason to be purchased online at my local bike shop (heretofore referred to as LBS) and just play the waiting game for my frame. There is one out there, I can feel it. Well, not really, if I could most of this post would have been replaced with "Yay I got a frame :D" but you get the idea. There are many pawn shops I have yet to browse and many websites I have yet to click, the game has only just begun.

In closing, I would like to explain the purpose of this blog in greater detail (in reality I don't remember what I said yesterday and don't care to re-read it). As I was preparing for this endeavor I spent time looking at other peoples writings on the subject. It was all disappointing. I know that much of my generation is dumber than a bundle of hair when it comes to basic literary skills, but being constantly bombared by it is just embarassing. As such, I hope any future fixie-building hopefulls stumble upon these humble writings and, along with greater insight into the mechanical process, but also learn a few basic grammer rules. With that I bid thee adieu.

Good news though, I already had a pair of pedals to use:
Total expenses to date- $0.00

Prologue

While sitting at work, hunched over a keyboard in a lowly cubicle, one's mind is bound to wander. Such it is that my mind often launches into one of my true obsessions: cycling. Before you scoff, however, I don't really see myself as a stereotypical obsessed cyclist. I don't wear a helmet or a "funny suit", I don't load my "steed" down with 60 pounds of gear and travel around the world (though not from lack of trying), and I don't put put around town on a bike obviously too small for me bustin air off of curbs. I just enjoy it more than normal people. Simple as that.

One day several months ago, as I was browsing the interwebs, I came upon some interesting articles concerning "fixed gear" bicycles. At first I didnt really think anything of it, I just assumed it was an oversized childs bmx bike. Big whoop. I suppose that was where the seed was planted. I casually started reading articles and blog-types and looking at pics and became increasingly intrigued by the idea of these simple machines. I'm no artist but it looked like something I could do that would become a true piece of art.

I began to daydream of the machine I would build. The colors I would use, the components (or lack thereof), and the adventures I would go on. I even went so far as to envision taking a tour on my new ride, but I find that highly unlikely. Now, it should be stressed that I'm often overly ambitious, and going along those lines, this initial bout of daydreaming took place several months ago. Then it died.

Recently however, and especially today, the flame was reignited and I yern to create my own 2 wheeled masterpiece. I have some extra dough and extra time seeing as the valley of the sun is going to begin to live up to its name with thunderstorms and such. I plan to use bike shops, internet, and maybe even a few dumpsters to put everything together. My budget is 500$. Let's see what happens.