It's here
It arrived on Saturday - the frame I'll be building up as a fixie.
1992 Schwinn Prologue:
Tange Prestige steel tubeset (crazy light, yet hopefully also durable).
Lugs (as if there's any other way to go!)
Sweet metallic silver-to-black fade paint job (which unfortunately doesn't come across well in my photos).
This thing looks like it's hardly been ridden at all. In fact several people at the shop were really curious how old it was since it has so little wear. Personally, I could do without the "Schwinn" and "Prologue" decals, but maybe I'll be able to remove them - although they seem to be under a really thin layer of clearcoat?
I originally planned to scrounge around at the Sibley Depot or One-on-One and see if I could find a suitable frame in something close to my size, but then this beaut showed up on Ebay, with dimensions (50cm seatpost, 52cm toptube) almost exactly the same as my road frame, so I snatched it up. I should fit perfectly. The threads on the deraileur hanger are slightly cross-threaded, but no matter, I won't be hanging a deraileur on this baby anyway.
Now the tough part - sourcing the components. I'll be making a trip to the Hub soon to see what used stuff I can scrounge up. Once I have all these, the assembly itself should be cake (since adjusting the derailleurs is always the most challenging part for me!)
The (hopefully) comprehensive list:
Oh, and I absolutely have to remember to treat the frame w/framesaver before I build it up! I want this baby to last!
I'm especially looking for headset and hub recommendations. A Chris King headset is out of my price league, by the way :-) Patrick at Freewheel was recommending a $55 FSA headset as a good alternative to the Chris King, but even that seems a little steep to me, unless it's also bombproof.
1992 Schwinn Prologue:
Tange Prestige steel tubeset (crazy light, yet hopefully also durable).
Lugs (as if there's any other way to go!)
Sweet metallic silver-to-black fade paint job (which unfortunately doesn't come across well in my photos).
This thing looks like it's hardly been ridden at all. In fact several people at the shop were really curious how old it was since it has so little wear. Personally, I could do without the "Schwinn" and "Prologue" decals, but maybe I'll be able to remove them - although they seem to be under a really thin layer of clearcoat?
I originally planned to scrounge around at the Sibley Depot or One-on-One and see if I could find a suitable frame in something close to my size, but then this beaut showed up on Ebay, with dimensions (50cm seatpost, 52cm toptube) almost exactly the same as my road frame, so I snatched it up. I should fit perfectly. The threads on the deraileur hanger are slightly cross-threaded, but no matter, I won't be hanging a deraileur on this baby anyway.
Now the tough part - sourcing the components. I'll be making a trip to the Hub soon to see what used stuff I can scrounge up. Once I have all these, the assembly itself should be cake (since adjusting the derailleurs is always the most challenging part for me!)
The (hopefully) comprehensive list:
- 1" threaded headset
- 1" quill stem
- handlebars - I have a Syntace bullhorn bar lying around at home (from a previous tri bike) that should work, provided I can find a 1" quill stem that works with them
- brake - scrounge one from somewhere
- brake lever - I have a DiaCompe bar-end lever that should do
- bottom bracket - I have a spare Ultegra cartridge BB that'll be perfect
- cranks - I want these to be interchangable with the cranks on my road bike, so I'll need to get either Shimano Ultegra or DuraAce cranks off Ebay
- wheelset - BIG question here - I want a fixed/fixed hub, I think w/sealed bearings since I'll hopefully ride this rig year round?
- chain - 1/8"
- cogs/chainring - need to figure out what ratio I want to start out with before getting these, have to check my mtn bike and see what ratio I ride in the most
- seatpost
- seat - I have a spare Terry Fly saddle lying around - I don't think it's super comfortable, but it'll do for now
- misc stuff - brake cable, chainring bolts, lockring, bar tape
Oh, and I absolutely have to remember to treat the frame w/framesaver before I build it up! I want this baby to last!
I'm especially looking for headset and hub recommendations. A Chris King headset is out of my price league, by the way :-) Patrick at Freewheel was recommending a $55 FSA headset as a good alternative to the Chris King, but even that seems a little steep to me, unless it's also bombproof.
posted by equipoise at 10:47 PM
5 Comments:
The hub has fix/fix Surly hubs laced to Mavic MA3s for $120, I think. Not the best thing in the world, but they do take a lot of abuse. Eventually you'll want something nicer, but that's what I'd recommend for the rear if it's your first fix. I think that they're spaced at 120mm, though, so you might need some spacers to fit the frame. And that might effect the chainline...
No technical comments from me. I really like the color.
Hmmm - one recommendation for the Surly as a starter hub, another says avoid it.
I'm stuck. The problem is that the Surly is the only fixed/fixed hub I'm aware of that's available with cartridge bearings.
DuraAce is cup/cone. The higher end Suzue that's available as fixed/fixed is cup/cone.
Can anyone comment on riding a hub w/traditional cup/cone bearings year round? Do they hold up in winter riding? Are certain hubs better suited for winter riding, or would I be constantly repacking bearings regardless what non-sealed fixed/fixed hub I choose?
jojo - the problem with the bottom bracket is that it seems "overfaced" - in other words, it's width is about 1.5-2mm too narrow. The diameter is fine, and it's standard English threads, but I'll need BB spacers to take up the extra space. At least I think they make BB spacers exist for a purpose like this?
Surly is still your best bet for a starter fix/fix - not the best hub out there, but it's only like $10 for the bearings when they go. Otherwise you're looking at something like a Phil or a Paul or something to get sealed and fixed both sides...
I rode last winter on cup/cone bearings on both hubs and the BB. I tore down the BB once (twice?) over the winter. I didn't do either hub all winter. The rear was pretty rough come Spring but, and I'm a little embarassed to say this, the front still turns smooth.
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