FIXIE: Build Thread

[starkey]

Now I'm quite new to this site but I haven't managed to find many build threads of people doing up their bikes. I don't know about you guys but I find looking at people's progress on their bike really interesting and inspiring! So I decided I'd do a build thread for my first fixie build!

I started out with this absolute bargain from ebay! A Malvern Star Silhouette '94. It's a super clean frame with no rust and in really good order! Hardly any cosmetic damage! I managed to get the cranks and a set of dropped bars with the frame so I was practically only short of a seat, chain and wheels!



I managed to get a wheelset for a fixie surprisingly cheap off a guy from Facebook. After tweeking the dropouts, I managed to get a few extra mils movement, crucial for gear selection!



As you can see, I got a chain and a C-Unit seat so that the bike is rideable. While I had the angle grinder out from adjusting the dropout, I managed to clean the frame up a bit by knocking all the unnecessary cable and shifter stays off the frame. I dropped the gooseneck down a bit more and set it on a 16/40 ratio using the original crank.

At this stage I'm using this bike to learn how to ride a fixie. I have intentions to do a fair bit more work on this bike so stay tuned!

[slidetaker]

Looks like a solid ride.

Perhaps bartape, foot retention and removal of downtube shifter? more comfy, better control and looks cleaner.

[Jangari]

Looks like a solid ride.

Perhaps bartape, foot retention and removal of downtube shifter? more comfy, better control and looks cleaner.

Also perhaps a front brake.

[starkey]

You guys are incredible! I've changed the pedals so that they both have straps, I'm holding out on bar tape as I want to change the colour of the bars and the down tube shifters are being ground off this weekend! Plus I've order a brake lever and have the calibers back on the front (although they aren't functional yet).

Not sure how I what colour scheme I want on the bike but if you guys have any suggestions on how to strip the paint that'd be appreciated!

[apollocreed]

I wouldn't bother painting it. Not worth the time/money or experience. Just leave it as is until you are comfortable riding it. Then when you're ready, buy a nicer frame

[Mulger bill]

I'm no fan of white bikes but IMO that whole scheme you're rolling works.



Or will once some better bar tape comes along

[The 2nd Womble]

A bit worried about all this grinding.

[schroeds]

One too many chainrings?

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk 2

[starkey]

Cheers guys for your input!

apollocreed: I think I may end up doing that, I guess I'll way up the options and see which is best. I really like the look of the frame, small headtube etc but if it's going to be cheaper to get a better quality frame than paint it then I guess I'll take that route!

Mulger bill: Thanks! It kinda was luck of the draw but when I put the rims on it actually looked really smart! The green on the bike along with the white walls on the tires really finish it off!

The 2nd Wombie: Only worry is keeping all my fingers and toes! Not affecting any of the structural components of the bike! I hope..

schroeds: Chain is so tight, almost too tight if there is such a thing! Next to no play! It was only a cheap chain but once I get new cranks and front cog, I'll invest in some more exy running gear! Who knows, might even start with a new frame depending on everything.

[Jangari]

Is that crankset biopace? Does it work?

[starkey]

I had a look, the larger cog is defiantly biopace however, the difference in radius is only pretty marginal, only like 5mm between the widest and thinnest points. The smaller cog on the other hand appears to be circular, I could be wrong as the scaling down in the size might make the variation really small. Regardless, it still all works so I'll probably just leave it as it is for the meantime!

[HLC]

I had a look, the larger cog is defiantly biopace however, the difference in radius is only pretty marginal, only like 5mm between the widest and thinnest points. The smaller cog on the other hand appears to be circular, I could be wrong as the scaling down in the size might make the variation really small. Regardless, it still all works so I'll probably just leave it as it is for the meantime!

the smaller ring will be biopace too, and they do work with a fixed gear.

[starkey]

Its been a little while but finally have a half decent bike together.

I'd initially intended to sand the Silhouette frame down to raw for a grey on black colour scheme, which would've been pretty cool! But halfway through sanding back the frame, I found an old Puch Mistrel A frame that someone was throwing out just up the road from me. For anyone else, this frame wouldn't mean much but for myself it was quite impressive! My dad had bought a Mistrel A back in the 80's as his bike to commute to and from work when he first started his career. Since getting into riding, I've loved the old tubed frame over the new fancy deep carbon frames, they just have a bit more style to them, despite all looking the same.. So I've had dad's old Mistrel as my road bike. Which just so happens to have the exact same paint scheme and size as the Puch that I found! The odd thing is though, I'm not sure whether or not they are actually from the same era. The fact that they have the same paint scheme made me think that they were but my discovered one has a different head tube size to dad's and had better derailers on it..

Back to the build..
This is how she sits right now


I resprayed the fluro green rims to matte black, although I will probably replace these with lighter, powder coated black rims when I get the cash. I've chucked some track style bars on it, which are a lot more curvy and I'm really liking them despite having no area to hold up high. Took the single speed cranks off of the other frame and chucked them on. And to finish the deal, put a spare black wheel on the back to go with the blue and black theme (the front will get a nice new black tire sooner or later) along with a set of brakes for the meantime while I get more comfortable going down hills and stopping, although despite having them, I'm finding I hardly really use them..

Since finishing her off I've been getting around a fair bit on it! Finding the strength back in my legs to climb hills fixed and getting comfortable riding around on the road. I have pretty much done this build as a mode of transport to get to and from uni next year, decent 20k ride with some larger hills on the way. Really looking forward to clocking up some miles on it!