urban_cyclist

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There are a lot of sweet bikes in this thread. I enjoy drooling all over myself while looking at all the eye candy. I envy all the folks who are capable of doing a complete built.

veganbikes

No need to envy just go ahead and do it. Save up some money and live the dream. The nice thing with single speed and fixed gear is that you can get pretty nice parts for not a ton of money. Derailleurs and shifters at the top end cost a lot of money. You can also find some decent stuff in the mid range or at least find some clean looking stuff.

For example:
Andel Deluxe crankset (w/BB), EAI Deluxe cog, Dura Ace Lockring, H+Son/Gran Compe wheelset, Cane Creek 40 headset, a decent entry level drop bar from Deda, FSA, Nitto (or swap it for a cheaper bull horn or flat bar or something), a decent black or silver stem, Lizard Skins 2.5, Sram Apex brakes (or similar) SRAM S500 levers (because they are super comfortable), A decent entry level black or silver seatpost, Vittoria Zaffiro Pro V G2.0 tires and tubes will run you around $1035 from Retrogression and will get you a pretty neat custom built bike on whatever frame you choose and the parts on it may not be high end they are not low end and would give you some solid riding and a cool looking bike. Granted yes 1k can be a lot of money to plunk down but I can pay with PayPal through them and use the Pay in 4 (if you qualify) so 259 every two weeks which isn't as terrible.

Plus you might have some parts laying about that you want to swap over to the new bike or you might find some cool used parts (I found some older Dura-Ace calipers for about the same as 1.5 of the Apex calipers I spec'd above from Retrogression years ago) or you might decide to go a little cheaper on some parts. I certainly went a little nicer on the levers, cranks and bar tape than you might want but in the end but you get a cool build you can show off without going super duper crazy like I did.

You can also go crazy and spend money, why not, get a bike you enjoy and will ride a lot. See if your local shop works with any financing companies and finance it if need be especially if you can get zero interest for 6-12 months, You live only once so why not have a nice bike or two or three or more. If you are good with budgeting and managing credit and such you can do great things or if you buy parts slowly over time you can make it happen more easily. Nothing wrong with a complete bike sometimes but if you know what you want or have a particular look or feel in mind chances are most companies may not quite see eye to eye and building a bike from frame up is freakin' awesome. I bought a bike recently that had to come complete but I wish I could have done it from the frame (and a few key components) up. There are some definite things I have or am changing to make it work better for me.

TejanoTrackie 

This is the most expensive fixed gear in my stable. Spent about $3300 on it. If I built it today, it would cost well over $4000 with all the increases in bike part prices. The goal was to have the ultimate fast road tourer. Weight: 16.2 lbs.


2016 Wraith with Heavy Pedal wheels

thehammerdog

i have the same frame. looking forward to seeing the finished product.

BoozyMcliverRot

Yours looks way better than mine. Unfortunately mine was too small for me so I parted it out. Here are some pics of it after the build and also a pic of my newest project.

ceelint

Decided to toss the 32c gumwalls back on.

thehammerdog

fantastic hardcore gravel beast.
I am not sure what to with mine. stripped it down may sell frame but i did like your idea.
good luck

acoustophile

Stopped riding fixed for almost a year and it made me lazier and weaker. Jamming this again to help get my cadence and legs back (rack goes off for longer rides).

TejanoTrackie 

Upgraded the grips and brake levers on my two Leaders, the Cretin and the 721TR. Originally I had Oury grips and Dia-Compe Dirt Harry BMX levers, neither of which I liked. I replaced them with ESI Extra Chunky grips capped with Fyxation bar plugs, and Dia-Compe Tech 99 MTB levers.


2015 Leader Cretin

2010 Leader 721tr

Fyxation bar end plug

Mikefule

I'm not normally into expensive builds or deep rims, but that gets a "super nice" and a ring of the cowbell from me.

jonathanf2

Neighborhood cruiser.

BoozyMcliverRot

Looks good. What bars and can we get a cockpit pic? I just swapped from the FSA Adventure bars to O8 Gary Ergo Sweep OS. I'm still on the fence about them though,I like the width but it's been difficult to get the levers located so that I get enough height on the hoods and still have control while in the hooks.

jonathanf2

They are Ritchey Comp Beacon Drop Handlebars with a 44cm width. They feel good when riding and I have no problem using brakes with the hoods and the drops. I prefer these over my PRO Discover Gravel drop bars that I have on my geared gravel bike. I was planning to swap them out, but I've been too lazy to do the switch!

i don't have a cockpit view, but here's a frontal shot:

PIFFLE

RideFarr Headspace stem ordered in December finally arrived, definitely got their second run (friend bought the v1 in November and got it within a few weeks):

Twisted the bar up a bit after this ride...



v1

v2

Was drawn to it for the open-face look which is totally gone here, might have to get in touch with their customer service to get in line for the 35mm with custom shims...

much more of what I had in mind

TejanoTrackie 

This is a refresh of my 2014 chrome Soma Rush that had Oury grips and a cross brake lever that I didn't like, but were necessitated by the 23.8mm Nitto B260AA bar. Recently I discovered that Nitto also made a 22.2mm B220AAF bar that was otherwise the same, but was basically unavailable retail. However, the good folks at Retrogression were able to get one for me through EAI, who only sell to businesses. This opened the opportunity to replace the ugly Oury grips with Brooks adjustable leather ring grips in honey color to match my Brooks Pro honey saddle. I also replaced the equally ugly Tektro cross lever with a silver Dia-Compe Tech 99 mtb lever. In addition, I replaced the generic retro Campy/Sugino 44T chainring with a silver Sugino Zen 44T chainring that had been removed from my khaki Soma Rush when I changed its gearing. Finally, I added a RETROGRESSION sticker in homage to my favorite fixed gear parts supplier.

The first two pictures are of the new setup and the last picture is of the original setup.


2014 Soma Rush modified in 2021

2014 Soma Rush cockpit


2014 Soma Rush original setup

bwilli88 

Had this as a dingle speed freewheel. Built some fixed/free hubs into some Alex rims and found a dingle cog from a shop in Canada. A 73 Raleigh SuperCourse I stripped and painted. Fun bike to ride.

Mikefule

Nice looking bike. A refreshingly relaxed approach to chain tension. I tend to ride with mine a bit slack these days: quieter and less friction.

takenreasy

Interesting; I've always been a 1/2" mid-chain deflection guy but do notice some noise. So, slaking up a bit is the way to go?

bwilli88 

The slack also allows me to switch the dingle gears fairly easily.

Mikefule

Too tight a chain can cause excessive chain "drag" and noise.

The only disadvantage of a bit of slack, on fixed, is that slightly irritating fleeting feeling of disconnection when you transfer from pedalling forwards to applying back pressure. Other than that, it's quieter, and there is less friction.

People talk about a slack chain being a risk of coming off. Within common sense limits, this is not a risk. Think how much effective slack there is in a derailleur chain. I happily ride my 2x10 over very rough ground without ever fearing that the chain is going to flap about so much that it comes off.

On my fixed, whether I have been riding it fixed gear or (as I used to) with a freewheel, I have never had a chain come off.

It is more a matter of personal taste than anything else, but I have been happier since I have moved away from trying to get the tension "just right" and have let it run a tad slacker.

SkinGriz

What?!? That freewheel has 2 cogs? That might be the coolest freewheel ever.

veganbikes

White Industries Dos Eno Freewheel does the same thing but at much higher quality then any other freewheels I have seen on the market recently. You may find some older stuff that is good but modern stuff would be WI. Surly did a Dingle cog but I think they have long discontinued those.

Broctoon

I have a WI Dos freewheel, and I can attest that they’re a cool product. Really high quality.

They come in two sizes, I think 17/19 and 18/20.

The spacing is the same as a (10 speed?) road double crank, so you can have chainrings with a difference of two teeth, and everything lines up nicely. Chain line stays straight, and axle stays in same position with either gear combo.

Next thing you know they’ll have freewheels with like five cogs, and some sort of mechanism to shift gears while riding, by simply moving a lever.

abshipp 

Bit moody this morning

bro

​​​Awesome, this the 650b Merckx yea? Love it. I wanna do that to this one, hopefully I can fit 35s

Edit: a bell, and brake hoods/levers+front brake with a splitter so both levers can operate it are definitely also happening this year, and a 10mm shorter stem. Man your setup is so good!!

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