Saturday, July 31, 2010

Fuji Tiara Fixed Gear/Single Speed, 25"/63cm Lugged VALite - *SOLD*

Fuji Tiara Fixed Gear/Single Speed, 25"/63cm


The base of this build is a Fuji Tiara frame made of Ishiwata Si-45 featherweight VALite lugged tubes. Nice and light, tight and quick on the road. Built up with an aero wheelset with a flip/flop hub to switch between fixed and single speed. Bike has been completely rebuilt with beautiful reconditioned Hatta bottom bracket and headset. Features chrome drop handlebars wrapped in French orange cloth handlebar tape. Saddle is a honey brown leather reconditioned one, accents colors nicely. Can be setup as a fixed gear or a coast-able single speed with a 48/17 ratio. When inquiring please indicate if you prefer a fixed gear or a coast-able single speed. Ideal for riders at least 6'0" tall.

[ C O M P O N E N T S ]

Aero Wheelset, 700c
Alex R450 Silver Rims, 700c
Stainless Steel Spokes, cross-pattern
Silver Cartridge Bearing Flip/Flop Hubset
CST Tubes, presta valves
CST Czar Comp Orange-Striped Tires, 700x25c
17t Track Cog & LockRing {OR} 17t Dicta Single Speed Freewheel
KMC Z510 Heavy Duty Track Width Single Speed Chain
Reconditioned Hatta Bottom Bracket
Sakae Alloy SX Crankset, 170mm
Black 48t Chainring
Origin8 Black Single Speed Chainring Bolts
Silver Alloy Platform Pedals
Alloy Seatpost
Honey Brown Leather Saddle
Reconditioned Hatta Headset
Alloy Stem, 80mm Reach
Chrome Drop Handlebars
Tressostar Orange Cloth Handlebar Tape
Tektro InLine Brake Lever
Shimano 105 SidePull Brake

*SOLD*
Please indicate fixed gear or coast-able single speed when inquiring. 

Monday, July 26, 2010

Motobecane Mirage Single Speed Roadster, 25"/63cm Lugged Steel - *SOLD*

Motobecane Mirage Single Speed Roadstar, 25"/63cm

The idea of this build was to create a classic English style bicycle. I've always loved the look of 3-speeds, with curvy North Road handlebars and vintage flair, however as a taller rider, bicycles of this style have simply not been made, usually peaking at 58cm, sometimes 60cm for a vintage Roadster. With this in mind, I built up this bike with a Motobecane Mirage frame made of lugged 2040 steel, as a base. This bike has been completely rebuilt as a single speed, perfect for flat city rides in comfort. Features a lightweight alloy wheelset, and features a track crankset and bottom bracket for a straight chainline. Handlebars are vintage English ones, with a nicely swept back bend, wrapped in cloth handlebar tape and amber shellac'd. Grip area has also been twined at the ends for a classic look. Features some vintage flair with a cloth taped & twined accent on the top tube, and a twined chainstay. Saddle is sprung, and has been reconditioned with a classic honey brown leather. Set up as a single speed with a 48/17 ratio, with 27" wheels this is a quick yet comfortable ratio for flat city streets. This bike is ideal for riders at least 6'0" tall.

[ C O M P O N E N T S ]

Alloy Wheelset, 27", spaced out to single speed
CST Tubes
Continental Tires, Gatorskin in the rear, Ultra Sport up front
17t Shimano MX-30 Single Speed Freewheel
KMC Z510 Heavy Duty Track Width Single Speed Chain
Twined Chainstay
Truvativ Splined Bottom Bracket
Truvativ Splined Track Crankset
Single Speed Chainring Bolts
48t Chainring
KKT Quill Pedals
Honey Brown Sprung Leather Saddle
Kalloy Alloy Stem, 80mm reach
English North Road Handlebars
GreenGrips Cloth Handlebar Tape, amber shellac'd & twined
Reconditioned Headset
Tektro Brake Lever
Dual-Pivot SidePull Brake
ProMax Brake Pads

*SOLD*

Friday, July 16, 2010

Raleigh Fixed Gear/Single Speed Roadster, 21"/53cm Lugged Steel - *SOLD*

Raleigh Fixed Gear/Single Speed Roadster, 21"/53cm

The base of this build is a Raleigh frame made of lugged 20/30 steel. This frame began its life as a 3-speed, a nice base for a fixed gear build. Features a deep-v wheelset with cartridge bearing hubs, flip/flop in the back. Set up as a fixed gear or a coast-able single speed roadster, perfect for comfortable city rides. Arc handlebars have been wrapped in brown cloth handlebar tape and treated with 3 coats of amber shellac for grip and style. Setup with a 48/16 ratio, quick and easy to get around on flat city streets. When inquiring, please indicate if you prefer a fixed gear or a coast-able single speed. This bike is ideal for riders 5'6" to 5'10", give or take.

[ C O M P O N E N T S ]

Deep-V Alloy Wheelset, 700c
Black Spokes
Formula Flip/Flop Cartridge Bearing Hubs, black
Hutchinson Kevlar-Belted Tires, 700x23c
RPM Black Crankset
48t Chainring, black
Origin8 Black Single Speed Chainring Bolts
Sealed Cartridge Bearing Bottom Bracket
KMC Z510 Heavy Duty Track Width Single Speed Chain
16t Track Cog & LockRing {OR} Dicta 16t Single Speed Freewheel
Silver Alloy Platform Pedals
Alloy Stem, 100mm reach
Arc Handlebars
Tressostar Brown Cloth Handlebar Tape, amber shellac'd
Shimano Deore Brake Lever
Weinmann Center-Pull Brake
Brooks CR-3 Vinyl Saddle

*SOLD*
Please indicate fixed gear or coast-able single speed when inquiring. 

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Raleigh Super Course Fixed Gear/Single Speed Roadster, 64cm Lugged Reynolds 531 - *SOLD*

Raleigh Super Course Fixed Gear/Single Speed Roadster, 64cm


The base of this build is a Raleigh Super Course frame made in the famous Carlton workshop. Built with Reynolds 531 tubes, the frame is light and strong, and responsive on the road. Built up as a fixed gear or coast-able single speed roadster. Features a freshly handbuilt wheelset with deep-v rims for strength and style. Rear wheel is laced in a traditional cross pattern, while the front is laced radially. All wheel parts are new. Bike has been completely rebuilt with a new headset and a reconditioned bottom bracket. Arc handlebars feature double-wrapped cloth handlebar tape, finished with wrapped twine. Currently set up as a fixed gear with a 42/14 ratio, but can become a coast-able single speed by adding a freewheel to the flip/flop hub. At 64cm, this bike is ideal for riders 6'0" and up. When inquiring please indicate if you prefer a fixed gear or a coast-able single speed.

[ C O M P O N E N T S ]

Handbuilt Wheelset, 700c
Front Wheel: Silver Shimano Hub laced radially to Silver Weinmann DP18
Rear Wheel: Formula Flip/Flop Cartridge Hub laced to Silver Weinmann DP18
Forte Tubes, long presta valves
Velox Cloth RimStrips
Forte GT2 Black Tires, 700x28c
SRAM PC-1 Silver Track Width Single Speed Chain
14t Cog & LockRing {OR} 16t Single Speed Freewheel
Sakae Reconditioned Bottom Bracket
Sakae Alloy Crankset, Raleigh Pantographed
Sakae 42t Alloy Chainring
Silver Single Speed Chainring Bolts
Silver Alloy Pedals
Kalloy Alloy Micro-Adjust Seatpost
San Marco Creme Leather Saddle
Kalloy Alloy Stem, 80mm Reach
Arc Handlebars
GreenGrips Cloth Handlebar Tape, double-wrapped with twine finish
Forte InLine Brake Lever
Dia-Compe CenterPull Brake
ProMax Brake Pads

*SOLD*
Please indicate fixed gear or coast-able single speed when inquiring.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Schwinn Le Tour Mixte Single Speed, 22"/56cm Lugged Steel - *SOLD*

Schwinn Le Tour Mixte Single Speed, 22"/56cm

The base of this build is a Schwinn Le Tour mixte frame. This is indeed a rare 56cm mixte, quite tall for a mixte as most frames are in the 48cm-53cm range. Mixtes make nice commuters and are comfortable bikes to mount/dismount when loaded down. Has been completely rebuilt with a reconditioned bottom bracket and headset and many new components. This bike is built up as a quick, coast-able single speed. Sports a new alloy wheelset, dished out for single speed. Features a nice reconditioned saddle with leather in a beautiful deep, red. The slightly swept back handlebars are wrapped in red cloth tape, then shellac'd to get an exact match to the saddle color. This bike is ideal for riders 5'7-5'11" give or take. Set up as a coast-able single speed with a 52/17 ratio, quick and speedy for flat city streets.

[ C O M P O N E N T S ]

Alloy Aero Wheelset, 700c
CST Tubes
Velox Cloth RimStrips
Hutchinson Nitro Black Tires, 700x23c
17t Dicta Single Speed Freewheel
KMC Z410 Red Track Width Single Speed Chain
Sugino Crankset, 52t
Sugino Reconditioned Bottom Bracket
Reconditioned Threaded Headset
SR Alloy Stem, 70mm reach
Flat Bars, slightly swept back
GreenGrips Red Cloth Handlebar Tape, shellac'd
Alloy Brake Lever
Dual-Pivot Long Reach Brake
Kalloy Alloy Micro-Adjust Seatpost
Vetta Red Leather Saddle
Alloy Cage Pedals

*SOLD*

Shellac'ing Cloth Handlebar Tape

I've quickly become a fan of shellac on cloth handlebar tape. Not only does it give a nice aesthetic appeal, but it gives grip and feels comfortable. I've also become a fan of matching colors on other parts of a bicycle.

For this project, I had a beautifully reconditioned Vetta saddle commissioned through Lugs (lugschicago.com & lugschicago.blogspot.com). This saddle had a beautiful, deep red color that I wished to match with red cloth handlebar tape.
You can purchase shellac at any hardware store and will come in clear and amber hues. These will give drastically different shades. I sampled both before starting. The clear shellac didn't give me a deep red that I needed, yet the amber shellac gave too deep a color.

Here are the freshly wrapped handlebars before any shellac was applied.

I decided to try a first coat of clear shellac. The first coat will soak in quite a bit of shellac and will lay a nice base for the next coats. A nice thick layer of clear shellac deepened the bright red color, but not quite enough.

I then added a coat of amber to deepen the red. Any subsequent coats will not affect the color as drastically as the first, so I figured I could add amber coats until the desired hue was achieved. One coat of amber was all I needed. I then added a couple more coats of clear shellac to get the grip I wanted.

And finally, the completed build with a perfect color match of saddle and cloth tape, utilizing both clear and amber shellacs.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Motobecane Fixed Gear/Single Speed Roadster, 23"/58cm Lugged Steel - *SOLD*

Motobecane Fixed Gear Roadster, 23"/58cm

The base of this build is a Motobecane Grand Touring frame made of lugged steel. Built up as a fixed gear or single speed roadster with many nice components. Features a freshly handbuilt deep-v wheelset that rides smooth and strong with a cross pattern in the rear and radially laced up front. Features Porteur handlebars with the grip area wrapped in cloth handlebar tape that has been treated with 3 coats of amber shellac to give a beautiful and classic honey brown, which matches the saddle perfectly. Set up as a fixed gear with a 39/14 ratio, can become a coast-able single speed by adding a freewheel to the flip/flop hub. I can swap out the chainring for a larger on if you prefer a single speed. This bike is ideal for riders 5'10" to 6'1" give or take. When inquiring, please indicate if you prefer fixed gear or a coast-able single speed.

[ C O M P O N E N T S ]

Handbuilt Wheelset, 700c
Weinmann Silver DP18 Deep-V Rims
Formula Cartridge Bearing Flip/Flop Rear Hub
Shimano Silver Alloy Front Hub
Velox Cloth RimStrips
Kenda Kampaign Black Tires, 700x20c
Forte Tubes, long stem presta valve
KMC Z410 Track Width Single Speed Chain
Lasco Alloy Track Crankset
39t Alloy Chainring with Chainguard
14t Track Cog & LockRing
Silver Alloy Platform Pedals
SR LaPrade Alloy Micro-Adjust Seatpost
Origin8 Honey Brown Stitched Saddle
SR Forged Alloy Stem, 80mm reach
Velo-Orange Porteur Handlebars
GreenGrips Cloth Handlebar Tape, amber shellac'd
Velo-Orange Brake Lever
Dia-Compe CenterPull Brake with Quick Release Cable Stop
ProMax Brake Pads

*SOLD*
Please indicate fixed gear or coast-able single speed when inquiring.