Took my winter fixie out for a short ride in the rain. What a great winter bike! This is the bike that's been evolving since 1976 and is steadily getting better. It's on frame #5 and this one's a keeper. (1983 Trek 420 with its suspect seatstay/seattube joint brazed for keeps and the ultimate paint job for winter riding - powder coat. Everything on it works really well (except it is in line for new toestraps). I just put new Eagle pads on the front brakes and they are ready for another winter. Wheels are true, rubber is good. (Mavic Sport/Campy Tipo high flange front, Velocity Aero/Miche Pista rear laces 36X4 front and 32X43 rear with DT butted spokes. 28c Paselas.)
Fit on this bike is almost sublime. A touch forward, enough that upwind fixed isn't totally a drag, but easy enough that I can ride this bike all day. I never think that anything should be different when I ride it. Nothing special SR (?) widish bars with that truly sweet old TTT almost "V" shaped bend (looking from the side; old Cinellis are almost "U"s by comparison). A slightly aggressive 175 quill stem. Tektro levers. A Specialized Gel seat on a Campy Chorus (?) post. A workhorse Sugino 130 BCD 175 crankset on a Shimano BB. 44t 1/8" ring, 17t cog, Izumi chain. Shimano 105/600 semi platform pedals.
Being my winter fixie and not a "pretty bike", I can go for my 20 miles out in the county, then stop at the store, do my shopping and carry 20 pounds of food home in my Ortlieb lowriders. (And treat myself to some dry clothes for those last two miles.) Oh, and securely lock this beast with the U-lock that just quietly accompanied me on its bracket.
What a great bike! (I try not to say this within earshot of it, but it is the bike I would hold on to if I had to give all but one away. Even though it did an unheard of low of 1600 miles this year while Jessica J did 4000+.)
Ben
