rebecca ([info]splinterjete) wrote,
@ 2008-03-22 19:53:00
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new bike!
went out in search of a new bike with renee today.

i have a retro cruiser that i got last year. with a basket it's perfect for sojourns around the neighbourhood, but i am in need of a fast and sexy bike to get me across the city.

i decided to get a fuji track bike. ain't she gorgeous?!! i love the simplicity. no gears, no brakes.



i've never ridden a fixed wheel bike before but there's the option of flipping the rear wheel to allow it to free wheel. i'd need to add two brakes, instead of one (cause i'm just not cool enough), in that case. i'm also gonna buy hybrid bars; i can never get used to drop bars.

i'm gonna go back to bikes on wheels next weekend and make the purchase. not that i can really ride a bike for the next month, at least. but i'm excited for a time when i can!

~becca

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[info]jessie_c
2008-03-23 12:19 am UTC (link)
Bike!

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[info]queerasmoi
2008-03-23 12:59 am UTC (link)
Awesome, you're gonna be a fixie chick! Vancouver is full of fixed-gear hipsters ;)

here's a hint on drop bars: I never hold on to the lower portion. I usually put my hands on the "horns" (your picture doesn't show horns, but many drop bars have them), and I also tilt up the angle of the bars so that both positions are more useful.

Also, track bikes as-bought may have wheels and/or tires that are more delicate and not designed for the thrashing of real street riding. You may want to double-check that.

And finally, with thinner tires, be very aware of the condition of the road - Toronto streets are really ripped up most of the time, and streetcar tracks are much worse on this type of bike.

Enjoy your ride! :D

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[info]splinterjete
2008-03-23 01:02 am UTC (link)
thanks for the advice. renee got into riding fixed bikes when she was in vancouver. yeah, it'll be rough ride, which will probably be doubly-bad for while! and i'm anticipating probably getting new tires at some point. we'll see how it goes though. :)

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[info]queerasmoi
2008-03-23 01:11 am UTC (link)
Probably best to stick with the cruiser until your body gets readjusted to being on a bike seat in the first place. Then you can challenge it a bit more :)

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[info]danaelaurm
2008-03-23 02:25 am UTC (link)
yay, bike...
I should probably try (again) to learn someday :p

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[info]teraflops
2008-03-23 03:31 am UTC (link)
Cool bike! I'd really recommend though, regardless of whether you ride fixed or free, that you get both front and rear brakes. Not only will that give you the ability to stop safely(because honestly, without at least a good front brake, you simply can't; it's physics), but if you get drop levers and cross levers for the drop bars, you pick up an extra hand position without having to put the handlebars in a ridiculous position.

You might also want to ride with a freewheel for a while at first, at least until you get used to the way the bike handles.

Also, if you get interested in it, there is a lot of really, really good, fundamental info on bikes at this site:
http://sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

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[info]cyborg_kitty100
2008-03-23 03:40 am UTC (link)
Bikes with handeblars lower than the seat scare me!

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[info]wakingdreaming
2008-03-23 05:20 am UTC (link)
I obviously have no understanding of bikes because it looks like you pretty much have to lie on your stomach (in mid-air?) to use this thing. It frightens me.

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[info]the_euphemist
2008-03-24 02:44 am UTC (link)
i've been wanting to get a track bike for a while now, but they still kind of scare me. that's a pretty rad looking bike, though.

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[info]minus70mv
2008-04-17 03:48 pm UTC (link)
Nice bike! (sorry commenting LONG after the entry, but I'm new to your FL). I ride a fuji, but it's an older (late 80's) Team frame (top of the line steel for it's day) and I love it. I converted it to fixed myself, built the wheels and all. It was my first wheel build and they have held up perfectly for the last three years and who-the-fuck-knows how many miles.
The geometry looks really similar to that one, and I rode it with drops for about 3 months before I just couldn't take them any more. The angle was just too brutal for the streets. I put TT bars on, and lived with those for a couple years, but even with those the angle beat me up. So just last weekend I put flat MTB bars on it, and I wish I had done it years ago. It rides perfect on the roads. Now I just need to get this fucking snow to go away so I can go tear up the roads some more!

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[info]splinterjete
2008-04-17 05:31 pm UTC (link)
it's okay - i've been known to post on people's journals weeks or months after-the-fact. that you built a wheel is so friggin cool!

i actually ended up buying a 07 kona paddy wagon. it's a track frame as well but seems easier to ride. i haven't minded the drops as of yet but we'll see. :)

~becca

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