Gold Finger

So the brake saga continues........

I would not recommend xposure MID levers unless you are after cheep and shiny. They looked good which was why I ordered a set but half the paint had already chipped off when I got them and during a partial fit to the bike I gave up put them back in the box and sent them back sans shiny paint job.

I would recommend however Diatech Gold Finger Levers, they still look good (white with black levers) and so far the paint is intact. I initially thought they would be a bit bulky by comparison to the xposure levers but I'm guessing that within that extra girth lies superior quality. After a test run this evening over to the gym I can say that having a lever on the top bar of a drop handle bar bike is much easier for when you are cruising and puts less strain on your arms and back during prolonged braking down hill. The power delivery through such a short stubby lever is surprisingly good but most importantly for some one as egotistical as my self-it looks the biz!

Check out the video below in addition to the preview above of my Fixie before I gave it the Gold Finger.

Oh, I bought my Gold Finger from Wiggle, Ace Service and free prompt delivery but get this-they even sent me a bag of Haribo for free in the parcel. Maybe they ran out of bubble wrap, I dunno. www.wiggle.co.uk check them out.

Finally Fixed

So like forever, I've been building a fixed gear racing bike. My first one and it's finally finished. A great little project to do and quite honestly anyone can. The appeal to these bikes first and foremost for me was the look. That probably makes me a fixie fag but I don't care because quite honestly, these bikes look cool. Next up you get to ride one of these things and initially they are not as easy as a conventional bike but that in itself holds a lot of charm. I felt like a kid again after learning to ride this style of bike.

My first outing was a 3 stage 30 mile trip. I couriered a parcel for my girlfriends business through to Darlington making me feel like a genuine bike messenger after which I stopped by my folks. Mum was not impressed by the out and out lack of brakes on the bike. Next stop was my g'friends parents to do some more show boating before finally braving the big hills back home.

30 miles aint a lot for a bike ride but with only one gear to get you up and down hills it gives you  a real work out. Without brakes you find yourself applying backwards pressure to the pedals when you are heading down hill to slow yourself down-so no rest there. Although I have since fitted a front brake for personal preservation the bike is still an exciting thing to ride and in these wet winter months I'm happy with less moving parts and only two gear cogs to clean instead of 24.

So if I haven't sold it to you yet, check out the video above and stay tuned for further development.

laters taters.

Stay Tuned

You're probably thinking that we haven't been up to much lately. Wrong! We have had a couple of retro racing bikes sent off to the spray shop for a complete strip with the sand blaster and powder coating with 'bling bling' paint jobs. You'll probably remember the frames, they appear in the video below titled 'Project Fixie'. Stay tuned because any day now we are commencing the rebuild and we'll stream it to you here on the site so you can see just how we build a 'f'ixie'

Laters!