Felt Dispatch 2010 Fixed/SS

[DrSquirrel]

Felt Dispatch 2010 - got it for £345 from Wiggle.

Was looking at building up a fixed bike but decided the time and effort wasn't worth it, and if I wanted a lighter frame etc I would end up paying more so just bought this one outright.

39x15 is a little easy (16 on freewheel), I can usually keep the cadence up but when im going down a hill and all I am going is trying to keep up with the bike then it feels strange. Might just drop the rear to a 13T and make do.


M540s fitted initially

SKS Blumels fitted for this winter, pedals replaced with some Look Keo - different from my main bikes R540s but I have 2 sets of road shoes and wanted to try something different + these were cheaper.

Guard spacing isn't perfectly even (although it is left to right with no rubbing even out of the saddle). I still have this space on the seat tube. I could use a longer bolt + nuts to space it out and then deal with the change in arch - any other suggestions or am I on the right track?

Got some Profile Designs Aerowing OS bullhorn bars with a bit of drop to go on + bar end brakes. Currently not internally routed ones (bought the wrong ones) but will be fine for now as I can still internally route part through the bar where the hand grip sits.

Aero bars will also be transfered onto this bike.

 

[Howard]

Nice! How do you find the Keos? I have these on my road bike, and find them a nightmare to clip in to compared to the SPDs on my commuter bikes. When I peddle off the force of the crank spins the free pedal to the point where I've no idea what position it will be in when my foot meets it - and as a result I've slipped off a few times meaning very slow gettaways...v. annoying on a road bike. Shame, because otherwise they seem fine.

Maybe I should grease the pedal bearing up to the point where some friction is added.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Comparing them against my SPD-SL R540... the clip in action is softer, but there is less feeling from the pedal when engaged, not a problem really. There is less friction on their spindles than my Shimano pedals, so sit with the back at the bottom. Shimano also do that but I am used to knowing their position as they come around... the Look seem like they will still be further down but as long as the front is pointing up I can just put the front of the cleat into that... sorted. As they are on the fixed though I will be in a "higher" gear than I pull off on the road bike so less velocity so they still point pretty much up (not much riding in the Keos yet).

 

[gaz]

Looks so much sexier with look pedals!

 

[DrSquirrel]

Bullhorns on properly today, realised that the brake levers require the MTB style cable and have none around so bike is waiting for some more tomorrow hopefully. Luckily the weather looks good for tomorrow so I shouldn't be wanting it.

 

[skudupnorth]

I like that, especially the bull horns.

 

[zigzag]

if i needed a ss/fixie right now, i'd probably chose the same bike. or pearson touche. one of these two. bullhorns are the best for city/commuter bike

 

[eldudino]

I used some old rubber tubing from a track pump as spacers for mudguards on my MTB, it’s large enough to get a bolt through and doesn’t compress too much but gives a bit of cushioning too. Previously I’d used some alloy tubing to space out past my disc brake but that’s no longer needed due to running hydro’s.




Did you bend the stays on the Bluemels to get the right distance from the wheel? I've always ground the ends of mine with an angle grinder to get the length in the right ballpark, then played around with the adjustment at the bolts to get them spot on.

 

[DrSquirrel]

I cut them on the rear, but bent the front a little bit... even cutting it down the angle of them might not position them as well/easy as I would hope.

I do intend to cut the front down slightly though, took ages with the rears and a hacksaw - forgot that we have an angle grinder at home!


Going to wrap the bars tonight using the black stuff off my drops - depending on how well it wraps because of the bends where it previously went around the brake levers.

 

[eldudino]

I had two runs of the saw blade, realised it was going to be pointless and got the angle grinder out. Quick and easy, plus you can de-burr the ends by putting the grinder on it's back and rolling the stays in your hand. I don't mind the bends in the stays, my front MTB ones still have it to get round the disc callipers, as long as it's done with a positive angle like you've shown it looks pretty tidy.

 

[DrSquirrel]

What I mind most is the odd bends between the two on the front

 

[fossyant]

Looks good.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Put in new brake cables yesterday MTB ends strangely for these bar end brakes, and had a go at bar wrapping - using the old (well 3 weeks old) from the drops. Surprisingly easy, although the tape is stretched funny from where it went around the drop brakes previously - also no black electrical tape so I have just wrapped the excess and put it in place for now with masking tape!

 

[Peter10]

Sexy . How do you find the bull horns?