A Girl’s First Fixed Wheel

[Martin109]

Another fixed wheel bike is born, this time for our 14-year-old granddaughter, who has shown quite an aptitude for fixed wheel riding.  She’s a tall girl too, and able to ride my 23" frames bikes with the saddle lowered by about 2”!  So, when a 19.5" frame came up on For Sale (thanks Charlotte) I got it for a tenner's donation, and the build started.



I was able to reuse the following from my parts bin:

Tubes
One unused Panaracer Pasela 700c x 28      
3T Ahead Stem adapter and stem
3T Start bars
Shimano Exage Aero Levers
Old rattrap pedals, nice bearings
300mm Push seatpost
Selle Italia Saddle               
HPX Size 4 Pump
Barely used SKS black mudguards
Seatpin bolt (this was my spare which I’ll have to replace)
Rack: came with frame

And had to acquire:

Front hub: 32h bought s/h
Front hub skewer: donated (thanks GrahamG)
Rear hub: On-One Inbred 32h 135mm OLN (thanks Zipperhead – I still owe you!)
Rims: Rigida Sputniks from Spa Cycles
Spokes: 64 DT Competition from Rose Versand
Tyre:   Panaracer Pasela x 1            
Stem: stem raiser from Rose Versand
Brakes: s/h unused Alhongas 65mm drop (thanks Gruff)
Crankset: Basic single ring chainset from eBay
BB: Shimano UN72 s/h (thanks Rogerzilla – I still owe you!)
Sprocket: 16T 3/32" EAI from Hubjub
Lockring: Shimano Dura-Ace from Hubjub
Cables: New shimano casing from ChainReaction & cables
Bar tape: Shimano from SJS            
Odds and ends: new reflector, bolts

Gearing: 42 x 16 gives 70.2" on 700x28 tyres

Total cost: £257

Edit to fix factual error - thanks, RZ!

[clarion]

Top work, Martin.  Lovely build.  Bet she's made up.

[rogerzilla]

BB: Shimano UN54 s/h (thanks Rogerzilla – I still owe you!)

It's a UN72, I'll have you know.  None of your cheap s**t  

Are you expecting her to become the next Mal Volio with the rack and all?

[Martin109]

BB: Shimano UN54 s/h (thanks Rogerzilla – I still owe you!)

It's a UN72, I'll have you know.  None of your cheap s**t  

Are you expecting her to become the next Mal Volio with the rack and all?

My humble apologies, RZ!

Who knows what she'll get up to on this bike... we'll see how she takes to it tomorrow.

[Fixedwheelnut]

BB: Shimano UN54 s/h (thanks Rogerzilla – I still owe you!)

It's a UN72, I'll have you know.  None of your cheap s**t  

Are you expecting her to become the next Mal Volio with the rack and all?

  Why not my first fixed was a Falcon hack and I rode PBP on it  

[Zoidburg]

Just don't let her see Fixed Gear Gallery or it will have fluro rims, bull horns and no brakes before you can blink.

Kids today

Bless em.

[rogerzilla]

Just dont let her see Fixed Gear Gallery or it will have fluro rims, bull horns and no brakes before you can blink.

And, usually, a blowin'-in-the-wind slack chain.

[Charlotte]

Excellent looking bike - I'm genuinely shocked that you've managed to do something so fab with it 

[Martin109]

Just don't let her see Fixed Gear Gallery or it will have fluro rims, bull horns and no brakes before you can blink.

Kids today

Bless em.

Looks like FGG has peaked!

[How do I get a .xls chart to display as a pic?]

[Torslanda]

Martin.  That is beautiful!

Maybe you can make a silk purse . . .

. . . or possibly chicken soup.

That is 'vision' my friend, being able to see the potential in scrap. Nice one! 

[Phil]

I got a shock when I opened this thread! That was my bike for years.  I never thought of fixing it, but that looks lovely. 

The original bits all went onto my first fixer, coincidentally also a Falcon

[Ian H]

It's rather sad that the current frame won't easily convert to fixed in due course. Such is progress.