Backwards Circle - Fixed Gear Steeze, HA!

This is how I be rockin' it yo.

Backwards Circle - Fixed Gear Steeze, HA! from FixedGearWales on Vimeo.

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Once You Go Black...

"Mourning Glory"

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Review - Cycling Caps

Let's not beat around the bush, I have a TINY head, it's shocking, even children's baseball caps are too big for me. There is only one brand that fits me ok but they just don't stay on when cycling, as soon as I lift my head up they are off. 

I bought myself a Campy cycling cap a while back thinking it wouldn't fit but they are so bloody cheap that it didn't really matter. It fitted ok and was soooooo good for riding, it did the lot, it stopped my stupid floppy hair from flapping about, it kept my head warm, it kept the rain and the sun out of my eyes, basically it did exactly what it was designed to do. People seem to think that they are hysterical looking and its true, a bit. How they look really doesn't matter though when they work so perfectly!

Campagnolo

I lost the Campagnolo one a couple of weeks ago and have been really missing it, today I bought myself an Assos one from Cyclopedia in Cardiff. This one is even better, its a bit smaller so fits me better and even has a mesh panel in the back for ventilation which actually seemed to work today on the uphill ride home.

Assos
Wikipedia tells me that "a traditional way to keep the head cool when cycling in hot conditions was to put a cabbage leaf under the casquette" so if you see me around and I look a bit like treebeard on a bike don't be alarmed, I'm just keeping it real, yo.

These hats cost anything from £6 to about £10 with more "classy" ones costing much more. Try and get them from your LBS but if you can't try prendas.co.uk or eBay. This is the best one ever:

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Stripped Thread, New Hub, My First Wheel Build, Swans

I got a new 20t (!!!) sprocket to try out a lower gear inch, I wanted to bring it down from 70 to mid 60's so that I could take on some more hills. I whipped the 18t off to find that the thread on my hub was completely stripped, I don't know why but it was and was unfixable so I had to spend out on a new rear hub. I got the System Ex from Schmoos cause it was all I could afford and gets good enough reviews. My first wheel build began. I used this article to learn how to lace it up and then this video to true the bugger, which took ages! It's still a little bit off but I'll get some help to get it spot on, every time it was practically perfect one tiny turn would throw it out again, I enjoyed though. Here is a photographic diary of the process...

Stripped Thread

System Ex 32 hole hub

All the bits

Don't copy this!
Or this!


Note that the spokes are coming from the inside out...

On both sides! :-(

They should be from the outside in

3rd of 4 groups done

Now some go from inside out

Turns out that brakes are actually useful for something
First build, DONE!
And now for something completely different, me with some swans...

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Riding in Traffic Video, Backwards Circle Success and Posing

Here we go, its a jumbo post! Tuesday I attached a video camera to my bike and filmed my ride into town, the footage came out ok but not great. I need to secure the camera a bit more rigidly to the frame next time and head out during rush hour cause the roads were quite quiet. Check out the video below, I've cut it down to the most 'exciting' bits but had to take others bits out because of the crazy shaking...

...Secondly, I FINALLY nailed some backwards circles today, after weeks and weeks of trying them, watching videos on YouTube for technique tips and even dreaming that I could do them (yes I am that sad) I got 8 in the bag. I didn't get any on video but I did get Nigel to confirm that they happened.

Lastly, just after the successful execution of 3 circles a young lady and her friend wanted to be photographed with my bike. She seemed to want me sat on the saddle with her straddling my top tube but I wasn't 100% so I just let them do whatever they wanted cause I was so chuffed with my new skillz.

Oh, and I managed my first leg over and through the frame to trackstand and back combo :-D

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More Ways To Calculate Gear Ratio and Skid Patches

Today I found another two ways for you to work out some stuff. The first one is a java based online gear ratio and skid patch calculator and the second is a Mac Widget for calculating only skid patches. Click on the pix below to go to the relevant pages.

I also spent all day failing miserably (AGAIN) at backwards circles, threw a big paddy, shot my bike into a wall then rode home, burned my food and threw the oven glove from the kitchen into the bath. WHY THE F*CK CAN'T I DO BACKWARDS BLOODY CIRCLES???

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Drop out with...

...my worn dropouts!

My chain has gone really lose and come off THREE times since Chrimbo, it's been driving me nuts and I've just been waiting for it to happen as I'm flying towards a red light. I went into Schmoos today to check out what they had in the way of botchable chaintugs but ended up buying a bangin' set of Schwalbe Stelvio tyres which have completed my bikes transition from "gay hipster chic" to "BLACK!"

When changing the tyres I decided to sand all the paint off the dropouts in the hope that it would stop the back wheel from slipping and discovered that they were pretty badly worn which may explain why the wheel keeps shifting. I'm assuming that they are badly worn at least, maybe it's normal. Anyway I need to start seriously thinking about whether to track down a nice old road frame or buy a new track frame...

Normal?

Surely not!?!
Now go and check this out.

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