Soma Rush 57cm fixed gear

Along with the Volume Cutter, I built up this Soma Rush over the weekend.  The frame, while used, had only a few paint chips under all the stickers I had to remove from it.  The Soma Rush is an excellent fixed-gear / track frameset made from top quality Tange chro-mo steel, with a few concessions to street riding, like a rear brake bridge and water bottle mounts.  Soma is a well-known and respected manufacturer, and the Rush is a cut above typical “entry-level” fixed frames from IRO, Origin8, Mercier, and Bianchi.  It is a size 57cm, check out the frame geometry and dimensions here.

I paired it with a lovely Soma Hellyer track crankset and chainring, and it’s rolling on hand-laced Miche Pr1mato wheelset.   It’s sporting a brand new saddle, seatpost, chain, pedals, and tires.  The red anodized Nitto track bars look great against the brand new bar tape as well.  This is one classy ride!  More pictures after the jump…

Continue reading

Volume Cutter v4 59cm Fixed Gear Bike

This is a Volume Cutter, a popular frame for “trick track” with clearance for bar spins and welded gussets on the top tube and down tube that help strengthen it.  Size 59cm, frame dimensions can be found here.  I stripped and re-painted the frame, including a brand new chrome fork.  This is the first time I’ve made a careful, detailed effort to do a cool paint job and it worked out really well.

I added a hand-laced Surly wheelset with Mavic Open Pro / DT Swiss rims, and a lot of brand new parts: track crankset, tires, pedals, seatpost, chain, saddle, bars, and brake lever.  The stem is a Thomson look-alike, and the brake is a sweet vintage Campagnolo Victory caliper.   More pictures after the jump…

Continue reading

59cm IRO Mark V

Another IRO Mark V rebuild / repaint project.  I love building up and selling these bikes, as they are one of the most solid, no-nonsense urban single-speed / fixed gear bikes out there.  They have the perfect geometry for city streets, and use high-quality steel in the frame construction.  For a fixed-gear under $500, it beats all challengers.

I got this frame as part of a trade, and I overhauled and refinished it.  Dismantled, cleaned out, and re-packed the headset and bottom bracket, added some shiny new silver deep-V’s, a Fuji Feather saddle, and a new cockpit with front & rear brakes with nifty pink housing.  Crankset is a Sugino RD 170mm with a 48-tooth Rocket chain ring, 16 tooth Dura Ace cog, KMC K710 chain, and MKS Stream track pedals.

More pics after the jump…

Continue reading

53cm IRO Mark V Pro

This is the third IRO I have built and I am always pleased with the results.  These bikes are perfect for urban environments like NYC, which is no surprise since IRO got their start as an New York-based company.  This frame is a IRO Mark V Pro in black that I have re-painted, overhauled, and built up with a mix of new and used parts:

  • Miche Pr1mato hubs laced to Mavic clinchers
  • new Continental road tires 700×19
  • Riser bars with Oury grips
  • new front brake, Cane Creek cross lever
  • new Origin8 track chainring, 48 tooth
  • new Origin8 bottom bracket
  • 48 x16 gearing, perfect for the streets of NYC
  • Shimano 600  tri-color crankset, 175mm
  • KKT track pedals
  • new KMC track chain
  • Size 53cm: seat tube center-center 49cm, top tube ctc 54cm, 30 inch stand-over.

More pictures after the jump: Continue reading

1983 Colnago Super Pista

It took about five months to complete, but I have finally finished restoring this gorgeous vintage Colnago Super Pista.  It’s a 57cm in original paint. My research points to it being a 1983 model – this guess is based off of looking at all the Colnago Pistas I could find online, and the one that had the exact matching decal set and paintjob was a 1983.  It has Columbus tubing and the fork is the flat crown model, chromed, with engraved Colnago “C” and clover.

The original story on how I got it is here, but since then I spent a lot of time collecting up the right parts and slowly cleaning and polishing it up.  While fixing up the Campy lockring with my Dremel tool, I got some steel in my eye that required three separate procedures to completely remove.  So there was definitely sweat and tears invested in this project!

Alan Tansey was kind enough to volunteer his awesome photo skills to take a great set of pictures of this beast.  Check out the full photo gallery and specs after the jump…

Continue reading

53cm Blue IRO track bike

RS_iro_DS

Here’s a new build I just threw together from some spare parts I had and a very nice frame.  It’s a blue IRO Mk.V track bike, sized 51cm.  Originally from the BikeForums group buy two years ago, it’s got a custom color scheme and is in fantastic shape.  It’s rolling on Suzue hubs I recently overhauled, laced to Araya rims – a very smooth and classy wheelset, completed with a Dura Ace cog and lockring.  Truvative Touro cranks, Wellgo track pedals, a Cane Creek front brake & cross lever set, Selle Italia Laser saddle, and some sweet risers finish off this build in style.

More pics after the jump…

Continue reading

56cm Black 2-Speed Snow Bike

Black2spd_DS1

This is my latest build, a 57cm touring frame converted into a tough snow bike with 700c x 32mm mountain bike tires and a rare Sachs Torpedo 2-speed coaster hub.  The hub has an automatic transmission!  When pedaling 0-10mph, it sits in a low gear.  When you break 10mph, it automatically (and very smoothly) switches into a higher gear.  No need for a shifter!  These hubs were made in the 50’s – 70’s and a relatively rare.  I had it overhauled at B’s Bikes in Greenpoint, and the mechanic wanted to buy it from me.

The frame is an un-branded lugged steel touring frame with lots of clearance for big tires.  Interestingly, it has an oil-port in the bottom bracket shell.  I added a pair of SR cranks with a 42T chainring and a brake up front for extra control.  Risers with BMX grips and Brooklyn Machine Works caps finish it off in style.  This bike handles great in any weather but is perfect for all the snow and ice we’ve been having.

More pictures after the jump…

Continue reading