Well we have a website, we have an opinion and now Diana has kicked my arse into writing something. So I will start with something short and simple - these are photos of our bikes outside the fabulous Nunhead cemetery; well known haunt of - only joking! Anyway here they are……..
(Diana guest writing for Fixed Friends because Jay can’t be arsed no matter how much money popular blogs get from affiliates)
After weeks of waiting my new Condor Pista has finally arrived. It is my first fixed gear bike and I love it. I opted for the flip flop hub so I could get used to the bike on single speed before flipping over to fixed, which also means I have two gear ratios so (in theory) can flop the wheel round and ride up massive mountains as well (I have managed one tree hill so far).
So what are the difference does it make riding my new Condor to work compared to my old Kona mountain bike?
1. even though I now have no gears, the Condor is much quicker. I think that you can put more power down through the pedals to the wheels as it’s more direct not having lots of gear cogs.
2. I look cooler (very important)
3. When Jay and I ride together, I am demonstrating the younger (prettier) model of his vintage Condor
4. It’s just indescribably sweeter and more fun!
Already I am feeling the need for a few tweaks and upgrades. First off, pedals. I am going to stick with the flat pedals plus half toe clips as I don’t want to have to carry spare shoes around if I move over to clips and cleats. I would also like a white tire for the front and a white saddle as the one I ordered isn’t very comfortable and white will match nicely. I toyed with getting a front tri-spoke aero wheel but having talked to lots of different people decided against it for the two main reasons; they are like sails in strong winds and they’re bloody expensive.
Pictures will follow…
By way of an introduction my name is Jay and this is the story of my recent bicycle obsession. Bike riding has been both a practical necessity and one of life’s joys from an early age. One of my fondest memories is being taught to ride without stabilisers by my granddad. My ‘ride’ at this time was a Raleigh Mini Burner and the lesson consisted of a covert detachment of the stabilisers and a shove in the right direction. Hey Presto! I had started the first of many, many cycle rides.
I have enjoyed many different styles of riding over the years- commuting to school and then college, riding off road and BMX at the local skate park. Now I commute to work and occasionally for leisure and have become completely fixated on fixed gear riding. Unfortunately I have never ridden fixed and do not own a fixed bike…..yet. At the moment my commuter is a Marin Novato, I ride it through the heart of London a round trip of twenty miles. It is not that I am unhappy with my bike; it has served me well over the last two years but now I want something more; partly because I strayed onto www.fixedgeargallery.com and became hooked on bike porn. It wasn’t long before the porn was not enough and I needed the real thing.
I toyed with idea of buying a tricked on-one pompino from a friend however I relented on decision at the last moment. I wanted something with class, I wanted something I could call my own, I wanted a fixed gear conversion. After weeks of sore eyes and late nights on ebay bidding for Holdsworth Monsoons, Mercian and other bikes with ornate lugs I found a Condor allegedly from the 50’s on Gumtree mine for £260.00. A bargain or a bump off? I have no idea the parts are all original Brooks saddle, campagnalo, stronglight, weinmann.
