Just picked it up from the workshop who redished and spaced the back wheel for Ã,£12  Got it home and whipped the rear mech off, fitted the freewheel and chain.



 :wub:  :wub:  :wub:

Its fast!  Maybe its the "new bike" feel, but I can happily spin out to top speed and keep it there with little effort, its lovely and free.  And if I push it around, the cranks turn gently as there isnt enough resistance in the mechanicals to click the ratched over



Chain line isnt quite 100% perfect but its close as dammit.  He did as much as possible at the rear, reckoned I could add a spacer on the front ring or flip the BB axel around if I was arsed to get it dead on.
 


The chain isnt ohmigod tight, but it seems fine with no sign of skipping.  Getting it better would entail taking two links of chain out (to get to an "innie" instead of an "outie" if you get me); reckon theres enough room in the dropouts to do that, or is it ok as it is?

All in all, Im loving it so far  Heres how the price breaks down:

New crankset: Ã,£15
Fitting: Ã,£4 (cheaper than a crank extractor )
Freewheel: Ã,£5
Chain: Ã,£7
Wheel redish: Ã,£12

So Ã,£43 all in all.  Pricey perhaps, but the rear mech was bent so wouldnt get in to top without hitting the spokes, and the front chain wheels were bent.

 :wub:

It does look kinda cool in a strange way

I spose the best thing is the quietness..  I can only achieve silence on mine if I rigorously degrease, and then teflon the chain and gears really well - and it doesnt last long, ~50 miles if that and you start hearing things again, 100 miles? ....wheres the lube!  clean cogs.

Not expensive at all, translates to around $80. Thats nothing considering that you have a completely new drivetrain.

Looks good, especially the gold chain. Chainline is fine, and can be a couple mms off on a single, but not a fixie. Tension is fine as well, its really not crucial on a  bike thats able to coast, just dont have it tight or so loose that it can jump off is all.

Smart looking cranks. Youve now officially got a bike fitting of New York City. People there are crazy about keeping their single speeds as functional and lowbrow as possible.

The efficiency you feel is real. With a nearly perfect chainline, and the lack of jockey wheels, your bike is measurably more efficient.

Went for a quick blast on it today, up the biggest hill in central cambridge.  Turns out my fears about the ratio choice were unfounded; I raced off from the lights at the bottom, reached the top spinning the pedals up a hundred yards or so later, did a quick U-turn and span back downhill, passing the rest of the pleasure cyclists about two thirds of the way down

Should be able to tackle most of the terrain back down south too, may even go on the hunt for a 14/15T cog for next term though as I find myself spinning up quite a lot in flat ol cambridge

/me thinks.

Biggest hill I can think of in Central Cambridge are the bridges over the backs!

Quote from: BigSoy/me thinks.

Biggest hill I can think of in Central Cambridge are the bridges over the backs!

Castle Hill, you go out of town over Magdalene bridge and its just after the lights.  You probably didnt have much cause to go in that direction though

I dont have a job this holiday, so I reckon Im going to strip this frame down and respray it.  The grey on maxs looks severely cool, but I ought to do something different  Gonna make it minimalist though, maybe satin black or a dark burgandy  

I want one I want one!!

Quote from: M3ta7h3adI want one I want one!!

As there is no craigslist for Cardiff yet, put up a "old road bike wanted ad in the London version:

http://london.craigslist.org/bik/

lol no money at present but there is a craigslist for cardiff, but its full of spam

http://cardiff.craigslist.org/bik/

Just look on ebay tbh, theres loads of stuff.  I got both my peugeots locally, Ã,£40 a piece in mint condition.