It is the middle of winter, raining and cold (for Queensland, anyway!). But I still managed a sweat session on my JetBlack rollers this evening on my parts bin special built around a Cycling Deal track/fixie frame TF.
Sweat session on my Jet Black rollers using my Cycling Deal track/fixie frame TF parts bin special bike
I have finally built up my Cycling Deal fixie/track frame TF-56W.
I originally purchased this frame for a bike build project that I lost interest in when I purchased a Wabi Special. I was then going to build up the frame as a rain bike. I then realised that I had enough parts lying around to put together a bike to use to train on my rollers.
The bike, as shown in the photos, with no brakes, but with pedals and heavy wheels and tires, weighs in at 9.0 kg. I am yet to cut down the fork steerer, and the handlebars and saddle need to be dialed in.
The 56 cm frame/fork/headset was advertised as being 2.4 kg; by my kitchen scales, the frame is 1752 grams and forks are 882 grams — a total of 2.634 kg. That is a bare weight without the seat post or headset supplied with the frame.
The Cell Bikes wheels came from my first fixie. I have weighed them (with rim tape, but no tubes/tyres/cog) on my kitchen scales at 1.361 kg for the front wheel and 1.433 kg for the rear wheel. They are not lightweight wheels, but they have withstood a good flogging, and are still lighter than many other cheap wheels on the market. The Maxxis Xenith tyres are also not light, but I was unable to weigh them. Investing in a half decent set of wheels and tyres should see a similar build using this frame down around 8 kg, which is not too bad.
For more information on this bike, explore here and here.
I had a dig around my parts bin on the weekend to see whether I could find another bike in there somewhere. It seems I could! I am just missing some handlebar tape and bottom bracket bolts (I have a sprocket and stem not shown too).
The frame is a Cycling Deal fixie/track frame TF-56W. I bought it for another project, but then lost interest in building it when I got my Wabi Special. Being an aluminium frame, I thought about building it up as a rain bike, but really could not be bothered. When I realized that I had enough parts to almost build a bike to use to train on my rollers, I finally built it up.
The wheels are from my first Cell Bikes fixie. I used them on my second Cell fixie for a while before replacing them. I have pulled them out of the shed to complete this bike.
For more information on the bike, explore the Project Beetlejuice tag on this blog, and here and here.
Two singlespeeds at the Hyde Out restaurant in Yeronga
Cell Bikes fixie/singlespeed at Nudgee Beach — a beautiful day for a roll. According to Strava, 73.4 km at an average speed of 28.1 km/h.
I love a late morning roll down to a local café for a long black coffee. I was riding my Cell Bikes fixie/singlespeed, Wonder Woman. Perfect weather, sweet bike and great coffee. What is there not to love?
Cell Bikes fixie at Anesis in Yeronga
I have had this bike for a while — see the Wonder Woman tag. I built the bike up from a Cell Bikes fixie frame along with many parts that I had in a box from other bike projects. The intent of the bike was to use it around town to run down to the shops, post office and local cafes. The bike was a parts bin special that I had built for less than $200 that I could happily leave at the front of a store without worrying too much if it was stolen.
The bike has a 46 tooth chainring and a 17 tooth freewheel — that actually makes it a singlespeed, not a fixie. In this configuration — but with Shimano SPD pedals, not the flats in the following photo — I have riden the bike around the Brisbane River Loop at an average speed of more than 29 km/h.
With the next Brisbane Style Over Speed ride fast approaching, I decided it was time to modify the bike to make it more of a sit-up bike — a bit more style and a little less speed. The main change was the Velo Orange Milan handlebars. I decided the deep V rim wheels of the original build did not go with the stylish look, so purchased a set of Marvinator wheels from Gear Shop Brisbane. The final change was a set of VP Components VP-X92 double sided SPD-compatible/platform pedals. I reused the handlebar grips, brake levers, freewheel, tubes and tyres from the original bike build.
