Allow me to introduce myself...
09-08-22, 01:53 PM
#1
FixedandBroke
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Join Date: Aug 2022
Location: On the water
Posts: 4
Bikes: Kent Fixie, Custom Beach Cruiser, Framed Lifted fixed gear, 1988 Diamond Back Ascent Ex
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Allow me to introduce myself...
Hello, my name is Nick (irl). I live in the beautiful Low Country of SC on bike friendly Hilton Head Island. I've lived here for almost 10 years now, but grew up around Cashville TN after my family and myself moved down from Michigan.
In TN we lived on a ~300 acre farm with lots of rolling hills and plenty of trails so my first bike was a mtb. I unfortunately can't remember who made the bike, but can vividly remember taking the bike down our very steep driveway before learning how to use the brakes. I haven't since gotten anywhere close to as airborne as I did that day on a bike. After moving off of the farm and into the beautiful city of Spring Hill I regularly rode another mtb to work until I saved enough money to pay cash for a 98 Chevy S-10.
Fast forward to 2013, I moved to HHI. I was working and living in a small vape shop next to Forest Beach Surf and Cycle, a small surf and bike shop that specializes in bike rentals more than anything. They were awesome enough to let me use their rental bikes to go on cruises with my new circle of friends and when they started their bike recycle program their second build was for me. I worked with the shop mechanic on building a custom beach cruiser out of a recycled frame (idk make or model). New 26" wheels and tires, 3 speed internal hub, BareFoot pedals, bright green bike chain, cloud9's cushiest seat I could find and some ape hangers for handle bars. The mechanic did a terrific job on the custom paint job and I certainly paid for it
.
I still have and love the bike, however the BareFoot pedals broke a few months back and although they were sold to me with a lifetime warranty, the company went out of business and I can't even find any of their old pedals for sale anywhere. (The company was out of Tybee Island, GA. Please hmu if you have any helpful info).
About a year into riding my first HHI bike my friend, the bike mechanic, brought over his new-to-him fixed gear bicycle. He couldn't shut up about how awesome of a bike it was and insisted I take it for a spin so I did. I wasn't even halfway around the block before I knew that I had to have a fixed gear! The search began as soon as I got home, but I couldn't find the bike I wanted for a price I could afford. Then one day my mechanic buddy and another friend of ours surprised me when they dropped off an old cheap wally world frameset with track ends and cheap 700c wheelset with a flip flop hub. My work began. Cleaned her up, replaced the BB, bought a 19t cog from another LBS, custom painted a single piece crankset and handlebars (gold and bright green hydro dip),purchased bright green bmx pedals, threw on 700x25c slicks and a gold chain, and she was ready to ride. I had immediately started throwing stickers on the frame as soon as I acquired it, by 1 week after the build was finished it was completely sticker bombed and clear coated. 2 weeks into riding fixed (44x19) I determined that the brakes had to go and have rode brakeless ever since. That frankenbike had been my favorite bicycle up until a couple of months ago when I started getting some crunchiness in the headset. I tried and tried, researched all of the tips and tricks, but nothing was getting that stem free. She was seized for good.
In a strike of great luck a newer cheapo fixed gear popped up on FB marketplace. A Framed Lifted single speed on 700x28c wheels and tires. I drove to Savannah GA and purchased the bike for $60! Brought it home, removed the brakes, swapped the rear wheel off of my old fixie, aired up the tires, and swapped out the pedals. She's not pretty to look at and heavy as hell, but she rides.
The Red Framed is getting me by, but I've got other plans in store. When originally looking for a fixie frame years ago I pondered on building a fixed gear for off road or beach cruiser, just something that would be fixed, crazy, and fun. It was only a thought then, until a couple of years ago when I learned that tracklocross is a thing. Of course, it had to be!! I've since been looking into different tracklocross suitable framesets and components. Not too much out there that I really like and have a budget for unfortunately. While aimlessly browsing through eBay around the same time I acquired the Red Framed, I found an old retro mtb frameset with horizontal dropouts. It was at $20, so I set my auto bid to $60 and won the bid at $44. I have now one 1988 Diamondback Ascent Ex that I am working to build up into a TXC/fixed gear mtb. Purchased and on the way for this build: 29er Sun Rhyno Lite wheel with 32h 6 bolt disk Shimano XT rear hub 10x135mm and Sapim Leader 2.0 spokes (already built) and a Walker-Brothers Shimano cassette freehub adapter, basically their version of the Surly Fixxer. Hoping to run 40c, but will probably go with 38c. I would really like to semi restore the frame, but having trouble finding 88 Ascent Ex decals at the moment. The paint is in decent shape and not too many chips/scratches, but I already own a red bike and I really want this frame to be a flat od green with either gold or purple bits thrown on (or both). Just at the very beginning stages of this newest build and I'm stoked to keep bikeforums updated with the progress as well as getting advice and ideas from other members here.
Aside from bikes, I am a USCG licensed boat captain (100 Ton w/sailing endorsement), live on a sailboat with my wife and our two dogs, and drive a Jeep TJ. I enjoy surfing although I'm terrible at it and like to fish occasionally.
My wife and I have goals/dreams of sailing the world. We would love to live in/near Costa Rica eventually, but will settle for going South FL/Caribbean throughout winter and back to HHI spring-fall in the meantime. We grew up together in TN and were best friends for 13 years before I could finally break out of the 'friend zone'. She and I will be celebrating 3 years of marriage this Oct
.
I think that that may just about do it for my introduction. I will post pics later as this is my first of the 10 posts required to get those kind of privileges. I did just open a new IG account for my bike building, but not sure I'm allowed to put that on here. Now you know me! I'm very much looking forward to being a part of the community here. Later days! 🤙
-If it ain't fixed it's broke
In TN we lived on a ~300 acre farm with lots of rolling hills and plenty of trails so my first bike was a mtb. I unfortunately can't remember who made the bike, but can vividly remember taking the bike down our very steep driveway before learning how to use the brakes. I haven't since gotten anywhere close to as airborne as I did that day on a bike. After moving off of the farm and into the beautiful city of Spring Hill I regularly rode another mtb to work until I saved enough money to pay cash for a 98 Chevy S-10.
Fast forward to 2013, I moved to HHI. I was working and living in a small vape shop next to Forest Beach Surf and Cycle, a small surf and bike shop that specializes in bike rentals more than anything. They were awesome enough to let me use their rental bikes to go on cruises with my new circle of friends and when they started their bike recycle program their second build was for me. I worked with the shop mechanic on building a custom beach cruiser out of a recycled frame (idk make or model). New 26" wheels and tires, 3 speed internal hub, BareFoot pedals, bright green bike chain, cloud9's cushiest seat I could find and some ape hangers for handle bars. The mechanic did a terrific job on the custom paint job and I certainly paid for it
.I still have and love the bike, however the BareFoot pedals broke a few months back and although they were sold to me with a lifetime warranty, the company went out of business and I can't even find any of their old pedals for sale anywhere. (The company was out of Tybee Island, GA. Please hmu if you have any helpful info).
About a year into riding my first HHI bike my friend, the bike mechanic, brought over his new-to-him fixed gear bicycle. He couldn't shut up about how awesome of a bike it was and insisted I take it for a spin so I did. I wasn't even halfway around the block before I knew that I had to have a fixed gear! The search began as soon as I got home, but I couldn't find the bike I wanted for a price I could afford. Then one day my mechanic buddy and another friend of ours surprised me when they dropped off an old cheap wally world frameset with track ends and cheap 700c wheelset with a flip flop hub. My work began. Cleaned her up, replaced the BB, bought a 19t cog from another LBS, custom painted a single piece crankset and handlebars (gold and bright green hydro dip),purchased bright green bmx pedals, threw on 700x25c slicks and a gold chain, and she was ready to ride. I had immediately started throwing stickers on the frame as soon as I acquired it, by 1 week after the build was finished it was completely sticker bombed and clear coated. 2 weeks into riding fixed (44x19) I determined that the brakes had to go and have rode brakeless ever since. That frankenbike had been my favorite bicycle up until a couple of months ago when I started getting some crunchiness in the headset. I tried and tried, researched all of the tips and tricks, but nothing was getting that stem free. She was seized for good.
In a strike of great luck a newer cheapo fixed gear popped up on FB marketplace. A Framed Lifted single speed on 700x28c wheels and tires. I drove to Savannah GA and purchased the bike for $60! Brought it home, removed the brakes, swapped the rear wheel off of my old fixie, aired up the tires, and swapped out the pedals. She's not pretty to look at and heavy as hell, but she rides.
The Red Framed is getting me by, but I've got other plans in store. When originally looking for a fixie frame years ago I pondered on building a fixed gear for off road or beach cruiser, just something that would be fixed, crazy, and fun. It was only a thought then, until a couple of years ago when I learned that tracklocross is a thing. Of course, it had to be!! I've since been looking into different tracklocross suitable framesets and components. Not too much out there that I really like and have a budget for unfortunately. While aimlessly browsing through eBay around the same time I acquired the Red Framed, I found an old retro mtb frameset with horizontal dropouts. It was at $20, so I set my auto bid to $60 and won the bid at $44. I have now one 1988 Diamondback Ascent Ex that I am working to build up into a TXC/fixed gear mtb. Purchased and on the way for this build: 29er Sun Rhyno Lite wheel with 32h 6 bolt disk Shimano XT rear hub 10x135mm and Sapim Leader 2.0 spokes (already built) and a Walker-Brothers Shimano cassette freehub adapter, basically their version of the Surly Fixxer. Hoping to run 40c, but will probably go with 38c. I would really like to semi restore the frame, but having trouble finding 88 Ascent Ex decals at the moment. The paint is in decent shape and not too many chips/scratches, but I already own a red bike and I really want this frame to be a flat od green with either gold or purple bits thrown on (or both). Just at the very beginning stages of this newest build and I'm stoked to keep bikeforums updated with the progress as well as getting advice and ideas from other members here.
Aside from bikes, I am a USCG licensed boat captain (100 Ton w/sailing endorsement), live on a sailboat with my wife and our two dogs, and drive a Jeep TJ. I enjoy surfing although I'm terrible at it and like to fish occasionally.
My wife and I have goals/dreams of sailing the world. We would love to live in/near Costa Rica eventually, but will settle for going South FL/Caribbean throughout winter and back to HHI spring-fall in the meantime. We grew up together in TN and were best friends for 13 years before I could finally break out of the 'friend zone'. She and I will be celebrating 3 years of marriage this Oct
.I think that that may just about do it for my introduction. I will post pics later as this is my first of the 10 posts required to get those kind of privileges. I did just open a new IG account for my bike building, but not sure I'm allowed to put that on here. Now you know me! I'm very much looking forward to being a part of the community here. Later days! 🤙
-If it ain't fixed it's broke
