FRESH INK

I took a break from building bikes today to get a new tattoo. "Like the sixgun loves the street" is a line from a song that I wrote for my wife when we first got married. The original line is "I love you like my heart loves to beat / like the sixgun loves the street." I like the image of love as something both dangerous and protecting, peaceful and tumultuous.  Thanks to Jake at Tiger Rose Tattoo in Pismo beach for the design and beautiful execution, and to my wife for the great early birthday present. Check it out!

CREATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM OF THE YEAR

I finally got my front brake lever in the mail yesterday, but when I went to put it on I realized that the curvature of the clip (middle piece in the first pic) was not wide enough to fit around my bars.  The pictures that follow show how I was able to modify a few things to make this awesome vintage lever work for me. 

1. The first picture shows how the brake lever and its components (lever, clip, and bolt) looked originally.  The clip hooks into the slot in the brake lever and wraps around the back of the bars, connected underneath by the bolt.  Everything is made of steel, which, luckily for me, can be reshaped pretty easily with the right tools.

2.  In this picture you can see how the curvature of the clip has been flattened (and thus the length increased) so that it conforms to the diameter of the bars.  I used a padded bench vise to do this.  I also used a rattail file to lengthen the hole for the bolt so that I could get some extra clearance on the bottom.  I then selected a longer, thinner sex bolt (courtesy of Sun Valley Bronze passage hardware) from my box-o-random parts, which just barely snuck under the bars.  The unique aspect of a sex bolt is that it has a threaded tube-like nut (designed to connect two escutcheon plates on either side of a door.)  I like how the nut gives the whole thing a very weird industrial look.

3. This is another view of the sex bolt, complete with random washers, from the underside. Basically what this whole operation proves is that:  a) steel is no match for a flexible mind, and b) you should never throw away old door hardware just in case you ever need it for your bike.

FINISHED FIXED

So here she is, all finished.  All told, the cost was right around $320.  I am still planning on installing a front brake, although I've been riding it brakeless while I wait for my vintage steel lever to arrive.  I am stoked on this bike; riding a fixed gear is a completely different experience, and I'm addicted.  I can't wait to build another one. 

DUMPSTER DIVING

I got up this morning and checked Craigslist (as usual) and found a posting for a free bike in a dumpster behind a housing development out towards Los Osos.  I drove around for a while until I found the place, and then wandered around for a while longer until I found the right dumpster. Sure enough, this little beauty was waiting for me, right next to some questionable potato salad. Behold, my new Trek, soon to be a single-speed of a new color.

A SCHWINN RESURRECTED

This bike was an old Schwinn World Sport that I bought for my wife at a thrift store a couple of years ago.  For Christmas '07 I took it apart, painted the frame, buffed out all the rust from the components, and put the whole thing back together.  This was the first bike project that I undertook on a large scale, and I think it came out pretty nice.  I still want to apply new decals and put new rims on it at some point, as well as some chrome fenders and whitewall tires (both hard to come by for 27" wheels.)  As always, thanks to my dad for his advice and assistance.  I definitely caught the rebuilding bug on this one.

BURBANK BACKYARD BEAUTIFICATION

Last summer my buddy Jim decided that he wanted to fix up his backyard, so I went down to Burbank and helped him design and build a custom patio trellis.  It was 110 degrees that weekend, but we built the whole thing in two days (while our wives drank Coors Light and watched us from shaded lawn chairs.)  Recently, Jim's kitchen was remodeled by the folks at HG TV, and their lead carpenter complimented our work highly.  Here's a few pics:

ME AND JIMBO

RYOBI RULES

WIVES

END OF DAY ONE

HERMANOS FUERTOS

PAINTED, ONE YEAR OLD

MY FIRST FIXED GEAR

This year I have built a couple of single speed bikes (with a freewheel, capable of coasting) but in the last couple of weeks I have been working on my first fixed gear, also known as a track bike.  A "fixie" can't coast, as the back cog has no freewheel.  The rider must pedal at all times, and if he/she pedals backwards, the bike goes backwards.  The bike can be stopped by using leg strength to slow down the speed at which the pedals turn.  Some riders don't use brakes at all. I have a front brake on mine just in case, but I am getting the hang of stopping without it.  

I am not completely done with this bike yet, as I want to add yellow bar tape and a yellow chain.  I will also most likely add an old-school bmx style brake lever.  For right now, however, I am happy with how it looks and rides-- and I have no more money.  At this point, the cost is right around $280.00- not bad when you consider how much it costs to buy a similar bike new.  A large chunk of the cost was taken care of by the sale of another bike i built (see post below "Another Single Speed.")  The bike weighs right around 21 lbs.  I used a Peugeot Record DuMonde frame which I stripped and clear coated.  I bought the wheels on Ebay, and all other parts are stock or scavenged from my shop or my dad's.  The bars are Franco Italia drops that I chopped and flopped to make pursuit bars.  Thanks to my LBS Art's Cyclery for putting up with all my questions, and to my dad for all his help.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

THE BEST SPOKE CARD EVER