Fixed resurrection begun

[Teuchter]

Finally got around to getting my fixed frame powder coated and this is the result (picked it up at the weekend):


It's been off the road for about 18 months while I've been riding other (geared) bikes and getting around to doing something with it. First step was to braze on some mudguard mounts to replace the ones I originally chopped off in a fit of stupidity some years ago. I've now grown up and accepted that I live on the Wet Coast of Scotland.

It previously looked like this but the old spray can (and hand painted lugs) paint job was beginning to look worse for wear:


Parts are on the way for the rebuild, starting with a new headset and tyres to get it standing on its own two wheels again. I've also bought an old Shimano 600 crankset that I plan to use with a single chainring, figuring this would be better quality than an equivalently priced, new and cheap single speed crankset.

It's my intention to go back to a two brake setup as well (to give me the option of running it single speed on longer / hillier rides) and I'll be upgrading the old Weinmanns to modern dual pivot brakes while I'm at it.

Proper mudguards will also be fitted, now I've gone to the hassle of brazing on mounts for them.

 

[cuberider]

I'm liking the colour

It'll certainly stand out

 

[young Ed]

nice will keep an eye on this thread
good job brazing on those lugs i don't think i would have the goolies!

I'm liking the colour

It'll certainly stand out

help it stand out in the very sad circumstance it were to get nicked might even deter the teives!
Cheers Ed

 

[Teuchter]

good job brazing on those lugs i don't think i would have the goolies!

I was learning as I went along but if it had been a "nice" frame, don't think I'd have done it either. This is an old Reynolds 501 frame so nothing special. It's taller than should fit me but thanks to a relatively short top tube, it actually fits me well so figured it was worth having a bash.

There were a couple of small dings on the top tube that I'd previously filled with JB Weld before I sprayed it last time. If it were to be powder coated, the JB Weld would have to go so that was the deciding factor. I used silver solder and a MAPP gas torch, first filling the dings then after a bit of practice, brazing on the nuts. I had one or two false starts before I got it right.

These were before I cleaned off remains of the flux and filed down the edges of the nuts.




Would I do it again? Probably though I will say that the guys you see doing brazing and silver soldering on YouTube make it look a lot easier than I found it to be! Maybe I just shouldn't have cut the old ones off in the first place!

 

[Andrew1971]

Hi All
You have a good project going here and it's looking good.
i'll be keeping an eye this thread

 

[Teuchter]

Well it took longer than planned but finally got the fixed gear back together and on the road this week. Enjoying being back on fixed gear after almost two years!

Parts used:
Frame is an 80s Falcon Oxford in Reynolds 501 tubing, powder coated earlier this year.

Cranks are used Shimano 600 with the inner 42T ring moved to the outer position (using shorter chainring nuts). Running a 16T rear track cog.

Single Shimano R451 deep drop dual pivot front brake caliper (drilled the back of the fork to take the allen nut fastening) using the old Dia-Compe BMX lever that served me fine on this bike with its Weinmann caliper in the past.

New Shimano 105 headset.

Original (80s vintage) alloy bars, stem and seat post.

Same cheap fixed wheelset as before with cleaned and greased bearings.

Mad coloured Vittoria Rubino tyres.

Saddle is my 7 year old, chopped, saggy and a bit past it but oh-so-comfortable Brooks B17.

 

[uphillstruggler]

that looks pretty good to me.

 

[jazzkat]

Looks like a great job to me too.

 

[young Ed]

!!! looks incredible to me. love the colour
might comment that i'm not sure on the angle of the saddle or it just the photo?
Cheers Ed

 

[fossyant]

Love it.

 

[Dan87]

very nice

 

[Teuchter]

might comment that i'm not sure on the angle of the saddle or it just the photo?

You're not the first to comment on that and I had been thinking about it myself. The angle of the photo makes it look more extreme than it is but it is still angled upwards quite a bit. This is mainly because of the very saggy old Brooks saddle. Due to the sag in the saddle, in order to get the rear part of the saddle level, the front part has to be pointing upwards like that. You'd think that would make it really uncomfortable on certain parts of the male anatomy but that isn't the case.

I've dropped the angle down one notch on the clamp and it now looks more normal. No comfort issues on the 10 miles in this morning so I may get away with it. I really should replace the saddle but it is very comfortable - it was the one I used on another bike last year to ride my century with no complaints from that region!

 

[raleighnut]

That's a heavily chopped B17

 

[jazzkat]

That's a heavily chopped B17

Looks like a swallow to me.
I found the swallow I had was too flexy and needed tightening.
@Teuchter, try tweaking the tension bolt at the front a little bit and see if it makes a difference, it may take a bit of sag out.
Most brooks seem to end up being a bit nose up. Doesn't look great, but if it's comfy, who cares?

 

[raleighnut]

Looks like a swallow to me.
I found the swallow I had was too flexy and needed tightening.
@Teuchter, try tweaking the tension bolt at the front a little bit and see if it makes a difference, it may take a bit of sag out.
Most brooks seem to end up being a bit nose up. Doesn't look great, but if it's comfy, who cares?

The Swallow is based on the B17n but has a plate to prevent flex in the saddle. If the OP says its a chopped B17 I believe him, there are page after page on t'internet on blocking and chopping Brooks.
Also be very careful if you have a Swallow of overtensioning them, when it gets wet its a good idea to release the tension (on that model only!) then retension when dry. See comments on Brooks testimonial sections.
I'm proud to ride a 2005 limited edition re-issue Swallow Titanium but they then came back into general production a lot cheaper, we did not know this would happen at the time so jumped in quick to have one of these iconic saddles,