The New Ride

As much as I loved the Fooj, it became painfully evident that it wasn’t exactly what I wanted in a fixed gear bicycle. The touring geometry was just too long and lazy, and I could never get entirely comfortable on it. I decided that the Fooj deserved to be returned to its original glory (another post on that in the near future), and a new frame found.

I settled on the Scattante SSR frame and fork from Performance. The price was just too low to beat, leaving more money for quality components. I don’t expect the quality of the SSR to be any issue, but if it is, I can take all my good parts to a better frame later. Seemingly thanks to the complete lack of street cred that a Scattante inspires, they ship the frame with the decals outside the clearcoat for easy removal, and even advertise that fact. As soon as I got it I pulled them all off.

The build-up went quick and easy, with many parts transferring over from the Fooj and the guys over at No Brakes getting me a few new pieces, as I needed a new stem and seat post, and wanted a new BB and bars. The Miche post proved to be difficult to get from anywhere in the States, but No Brakes pulled through by finding me a gently used one locally! In addition, Edgemont over at Outback wins for helping me get the right seat post clamp, and No Brakes double wins for swapping it with me since we both wanted the other color.

The full specs:
Frame: 2008 Scattante SSR 56cm
Fork: 2008 Scattante SSR
Headset: IRD Technoglide
Stem: Nitto UI-5GX 90mm
Bars: Chinelli blue annodized
BB: Miche Primato Pista
Cranks: Miche Primato Pista 48T
Pedals: Crank Bros Candy C
Chain: Izumi
Cog: EAI 17T
Hubs: Miche Primato Pista 36H
Spokes: DT Swiss
Rims: Velocity Deep V
Tires: Michelin Speedium
Seat Collar: IRD Sting Ray
Seat Post: Miche Supertype
Seat: Selle Italia Gel Flow SLR

So far it has proven to be very comfortable. As it is a modern road racing geometry, this is no surprise, since that’s what I’m most used to. It remains to be seen if it will be appropriate for the track. The angles are a bit lax for a track bike, and I’m concerned about the BB shell height. As I’m planning to take the beginner track course at Dick Lane Velodrome soon, I suppose I’ll be finding out…

gettin fixed

It’s been 6 weeks now since I built The Fooj. It’s the only bike I’ve ridden since then, as I intended to spend some quality time getting used to riding a fixed gear to see how I like it. Today I finally got out the old Scatmobile for a geared ride, so I’m feeling ready to compare the two.

Getting started riding a fixie was easier than I thought. Sure, it was a little awkward at first, but not nearly as difficult to adapt to as I expected. After a few weeks, I felt pretty comfortable on it, though I’m still leery of emergency braking and taking turns at speed. I tend to ride cautiously near intersections to avoid getting into such situations, which takes some of the fun out of it.

Riding a converted old touring frame has proven to be a bit of a downer. While I love the feel of steel, the long wheelbase and relaxed geometry are too stretched out for my tastes. It also makes it harder to do skid stops or ride no-handed. As much as I love the Fooj, I’m trolling the internets for a tighter frame. I’m not sure I want to go full-on track geometry, but at least to modern road racing geometry.

One of my expectations turned out to be spot on: I’d love the ability to turn the fixed-ness on and off at the flip of a switch. Not gonna happen, but it would be pretty neat. Most of the time riding fixed is very comfortable and fosters a feeling of greater control over the bike. But then sometimes I want to stop pedaling, duck down, and let gravity haul me down a hill at 30+ mph. That’s one of my favorite parts of riding a geared bike.

On the other hand, the simplicity of the fixed gear is sweet. Especially since my gears were acting a little squirrelly today on my road bike. I think it’s time to take it in for a tune-up. I think it has somewhere around 2000 miles on it with nary a problem, so it’s about time. Then again, I bet Bob can help me do it myself. In the mean time, I’m going back to riding the Fooj.

The Fooj

After getting fed up with the Rapido, I was on the hunt for a new frame. I wasn’t excited about the cost of a new frame, and really wanted a conversion of a road frame as opposed to getting a track frame. It’s not easy to find a new frame with horizontal dropouts that isn’t a track frame.

This old Fuji popped up on craigslist, and I sprang. It’s in very good condition, especially for being nearly 30 years old (it’s a 1979). I don’t think it was ridden much. I’m sure some folks would be mortified at my stripping it down to make it a fixie, but I’m keeping all the original parts so that it can be rebuilt as stock later.

I tuned it up a little yesterday and took it for a ride. The steel frame is a joy to ride, though the sizing is not what I’m used to, coming off my modern racing bike (which I don’t race but I’m very comfortable on). The stand-over height is perfect for me, but the top tube is short, yielding “a more upright riding position” (read: “Graham scrunched up”). We’ll see how it feels with my bullhorns on there, the stem lower, and a new seat on there and slid back a bit.

Click the pic for more.

stripped and dipped

I can smell the excitement, and it smells like spray paint. I finished stripping the frame and fork this morning and got them primed and painted this afternoon. It went reasonably well, though some parts look better than others. Now I must let them dry for 24 hours. Which means I can’t really start building tomorrow. My plan is to take it to SOPO Tuesday night and build. Still gotta find a 25mm seatpost and a brake, too.

fancy frames

found on bikesnobnyc…

This guy Eman is making some hot frames with intricate lugs.