Fuji Track Pro – major upgrades!

new FTP

I originally built this custom Fuji Track Pro frame up with cheap Bontrager parts from a Trek Soho S, but over the last few months I have been upgrading it to a serious beast.  The crankset is a Dura Ace 7710 “hollow tech” crankset & matching octalink bottom bracket, which feature hollow-forged duraluminum arms for the stiffest and lightest non-carbon cranks available.  It’s matched to Dura Ace 7600 high-flange track hubs laced to a Velocity deep-v wheelset on Continental Gatorskin tires.  The front chainring is a Sugino 75 46T while the cog is a 16T Dura Ace.  I also added a Dura Ace AX seatpost and a rare gray-colored Brooks B17 Pro saddle.  The pedals are MKS Custom Nuevo with MKS Alpha leather double-straps & Christophe clips.  Finally, I swapped the 130mm Cinelli Groove stem for a 120mm, and I might drop it down to 100mm soon.

I’ve been riding this bike as a fixed-gear since December, although I have retained the front and rear brakes for safety, and also so I can switch back to freewheel easily if I wanted.  However, it is a joy to ride fixed and I’m loving every minute on this bike.  Total value is around $1800, so it’s not your average coffee-getter, but I do ride it daily in NYC despite the grit and grime (which you can see in the pics after the jump.)

Lots more pics after the jump!

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FBM Sword / EAI Bareknuckle build

FBM Sword

Here’s a custom bike build I completed recently for my friend Jason.  The frame is a 55cm FBM Sword, hand made in the USA, with an EAI Bareknuckle fork.  Rear wheel is a Velocity deep-v on a Formula flip-flop hub, and the front is a deep-v with a Campagnolo hub.  I put together the crankset using a pair of vintage Sugino VP crank arms matched to a no-name black 46t chainring, an SRAM PC-1 chain, 18t Dicta freewheel, and black Wellgo BMX platforms.  The handlebars are Bontrager Crowbar from my Trek Soho S, with custom leather grips, Tektro cross lever and side-pull brake caliper.

More info & pics after the jump…

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My first custom single-speed bike build

side view

This bike started out as a rusty old Royce Union 10-speed, a steel frame Japanese bike from the early 1970’s.  I picked it up on Craigslist as a project to learn how to work on bikes.

I joined Time’s Up, an environmental action bike co-op in NYC, who offer free lessons and a workspace with tools and instructors.  Over the course of 2 months, I put a lot of sweat and even some blood into this build.  I learned a lot (thank you Mark, Luke, and Izumi) and now the finished product rides like a dream!  The steel frame is pretty forgiving of the rough NYC streets, and the mountain-bike style handlebars give it great handling in traffic.

Full story and pics after the jump…

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