2014 Fuji Single Speed/Fixed Gear

2014 Fuji bikes are beginning to be stocked by dealers in many places. I'm looking for a steel (non-hi-ten) single speed bike. Fuji has three models of single speed bikes: Feather (MSRP: $554), Declaration (MSRP: $489), and Track Classic (MSRP: $489). Please do not assume Feather is the best just because its MSRP is the highest.

So what's the benefits of each model? The Feather and Track Classic are made of 4130 cromoly steel making them lighter than the Declaration's frame which uses high tensil (hi-ten) steel good enough for kid bikes. Almost bomb proof if I'm not mistaken. Feather being expensive has the best looking pedals by far (alloy instead of plastic). The Feather and Declaration both come with flip flop hubs for versatility if you're into flipping wheels. Track Classic comes only with a fixed cog but I'm a full time fixed rider and the lack of free wheel and cog makes it lighter for me. Maybe the objective of Declaration is fixed gear free style (FGFS) because it comes with thicker tires (28mm) and made of the very strong hi-ten steel. Feather is by far the classiest in terms of stems. It comes with a quill stem instead of the more common stem + steerer.

	Feather	Declaration	Track Classic
Sizes (cm)	49, 52, 54, 56, 58, 61	49, 52, 54, 56, 58, 61	43, 49, 52, 54, 56, 58, 61
Colors	Black, Orange, Red	Black, Purple	Black, White
Main Frame	Custom Elios 2 (outer-butted seat tube)	Elios 1	Elios 2, custom-butted Cr-Mo
Rear Triangle	Elios 2	Elios 1	Elios 2, custom-butted Cr-Mo
Fork	Elios 2, crowned	Elios 1	Elios 2, custom-butted Cr-Mo
Crankset	Pavement, 44T	Pavement, 46T	Fuji alloy track, 46T
BB	Sealed bearing	Sealed bearing	FSA, sealed cartridge bearing
Pedals	Alloy w/ steel cages	Nylon platform w/ plastic cages	Aero Road platform w/ clips and straps
Cassette	16T fixed cog 16T freewheel	16T fixed cog 16T freewheel	16T fixed cog
Chain	F-410	F-410	KMC Z-510
Wheelset	Vera Corsa DPM27 rims 32h, alloy hubs, stainless spokes	Vera Corsa DPM27 rims 32h, alloy hubs, black spokes	Formula alloy hubs w/ 32H double-wall high-profile alloy rims
Tires	Vera Helios, 700 x 25c, 30tpi	Vera CityWide, 700 x 28c, 30 tpi	Vera Helios, 60 tpi, 700c x 25mm, wire bead, (XXS Vera Invictus 650c x 23mm)
Brakes	Tektro, road caliper, alloy (Silver)	Tektro, road caliper, alloy (Black)	Alloy dual pivot (Black)
Brake Levers	Alloy, 2-finger	Alloy, 2-finger	Alloy 2-finger
Headset	1" threaded, caged bearings	FSA, 1 1/8", caged bearings	FSA 1 1/8" threadless
Handlebar	Drop Bar, Pavement, alloy, 25.4mm	Straight Bar Oval Concepts, 6061 alloy, riser, 25.4mm, 6° sweep, 10mm rise	Drop Bar Fuji track, alloy 26.0mm
Stem	Pavement, quill, -18° rise	Oval Concepts, melt-forged alloy, 25.4mm, +/- 20°	Fuji 3D forged alloy w/ 7 degree rise
Tape/Grip	Pavement, keirin style	Oval Concepts 200, single density	Fuji cork wrap
Saddle	Pavement w/ steel rails	Oval Concepts P300 w/ steel rails	Oval R300
Seatpost	Pavement, alloy	Oval Concepts, alloy, 27.2mm, double-bolt micro-adjust	Fuji alloy, 27.2mm
Weight	22.572lbs / 10.26kgs	23.98lbs / 10.9kg	23.5 lbs / 10.68 kg

First thing to note is the frame material, i.e. Elios 1 and Elios 2. These are two types of custom steel. Elios 1 is a "straight-gauge steel tubing, made with high-grade, high-tensile steel. This frame material offers a superior strength-to-weight ratio for bikes that are built to last." Elios 2 is a "certified CrMo (chromium molybdenum) blend that is cold-drawn and custom-butted. Two wall thicknesses provide strength in high-stress areas and allow for decreased weight in other parts of the frame."

A customer at the bike shop I work at brought in his Fuji Track Classic. The red decal on the top tube is really noticeable. The bottom tube actually comes with eyelets for a water bottle cage. Although the rear hub comes with a single cog, the other side of the hub is threaded. This implies one can attach a free wheel and Fuji just didn't bother with "flip-flop" hub to keep the cost down.

Wheels for a Fixie

Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR ($2000???) (20 Bladed Spokes)
• Front: 725g
• Rear: 870g

Mavic Ellipse ($550) (20 Bladed Spokes)
• Front: 905g
• Rear: 990g

Forte Titan (16 Bladed Spokes)
• Front: 755g (MSRP $130 -> $39)
• Rear: 1000g (not for fixie)

OR build my own
Front: Shimano Dura-Ace Track 28H Hub (203g), Mavic Open Pro Black Rim (435g), DT Swiss Competition (311g for a set of 64 spokes at 264mm)
Rear: Shimano Dura-Ace Track 32H Hub (298g), Mavic Open Pro Black Rim (435g), spokes

H Plus Son Formation Face Rim (615g) $80
Velocity Deep V Rim (580g) $79

Front: Phil Wood High Flange Hub (225g)
Rear: Phil Wood High Flange Hub (389g)

Front: Phil Wood Low Flange Hub (185g)
Rear: Phil Wood Low Flange Hub (349g)

Thoughts on deep dish rims and durability: Jaime shared some ideas with me about durability of deep dish rims after I went on about trade offs between aerodynamics vs durability vs weight concerning wheels. He confirmed that I am correct when I say deep dish rims + high flange hubs are more durable by shortening the spokes. The side effect of using the combination is the spokes have less play and therefore stresses the rims more, decreasing durability of the rim itself.

In track racing the priority of the three issues described above would be prioritized as: aerodynamics > weight > durability. Deep dish rims weren't designed for the purpose of durability but for the advantage of aerodynamics. Then what's important for the poor street riders, whom includes me, where hills are involved? I would order them like so: durability > weight > aerodynamics. This prioritizing can be further complicated by adding aesthetics and cost.

Premium Rush Bicycle

Recently, I rewatched Premium Rush and became curious about the bike Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) rode in the movie. I stumbled upon a blog entry at FixieFamous.com regarding the components used on the bike. They broke it down, but I decided to expand on it by adding links to the manufacturers of the components.

Frame	Affinity Metropolitan
Crank	Sugino 75
Chainring	FSA 46t
Cog	All City
Hubs	Phil Wood
Rear Rim	H Plus Son
Front Rim	Velocity deep V
Saddle	Fizik Arione
Seat Post	Thomson
Stem	Thomson
Headset	Chris King
Handlebar	Nitto Bullhorn

Source: http://fixiefamous.com/2012/08/23/affinity-rush-an-inside-look-at-joseph-gordan-levitts-fixed-gear-from-premium-rush/

Skid Spots

The top row of the table below is the number of teeth on the chainring. The leftmost column of the table below is the number of teeth on the cog.

Table: Skid Spots


I believe it is easier to access multiple cogs than multiple chainrings. So I recommend having a good sized chainring. If the chainring's teeth count is a prime number, then you'll maximize skid spots to the number of teeth on the cog, i.e. 53, 47, 43, 41, and 37.

Light Source: 2013 Magicshine MJ-808U

So I finally broke down and purchased a Magicshine light. One of my cycling friends owned one and it was super bright. He received complaints from drivers of cars like, "That's stupid!!" It's super bright to say the least. It's rated by the company at 1100 lumens. But in reality, I'm sure it's 1000 lumen tops.

I ordered the Magicshine MJ-808U. The "U" is for Ultimate Edition, according to the packaging. Waiting for it to arrive.

2009 SE Premium Ale

This post will be for my '09 Premium Ale, which I purchased for $375 from Nashbar.com on June 17th, 2013.

Geometry

• Size: 47cm
• Top Tube Length: 525 mm
• Head Tube Angle: 70°
• Seat Tube Angle: 73°
• Bottom Bracket Height: 270mm
• Chain Stays: 410mm

Specifications

• Frame: 100% Cr-Mo, Double Butted, Lugged, Chain Tensioner
• Fork: 100% Cr-Mo with Lugged Crown
• Headset: Tange Sealed Alloy 1" Threaded
• Stem: 6061 Alloy, two Bolt Quill with 17° Drop 25.4mm internal diameter
• Handlebar: Pazzaz Alloy Double Butted Track Bar, 420mm, 25.4mm center diameter
• Brake Lever: Tektro RL-570, 2 Finger Alloy (Front & Rear) [note: the lever has RL570 printed but has RL720 embossed]
• Brake Cable: Jagwire [probably]
• Brake Cable Housing: Jagwire White
• Brakes: Tektro R320 Dual Pivot Caliper (Front & Rear) [old R540, I think]
• Seat: SE Dragon Print with Bottle Opener
• Seat Post: SE Micro Adjust Alloy 27.2
• Crank: Sugino RD2 Alloy, 165mm
• Bottom Bracket: Euro BB [What's a Euro BB?]
• Chain ring: Messenger 46T Alloy, Blue
• Chain: KMC Z410NP, Master Link 1/8" Z410-CL
• Pedals: Wellgo R025, Machine Alloy Cage, 9/16" Cr-Mo Axle, Sealed Bearing, Blue Anodized
• Toe Clips: Wellgo Chrome Medium
• Toe Straps: Unbranded [Probably Wellgo]
• Rim: Alex Crostini R1.1, 36H, Double Wall, 32 Hole, Blue Anodized, Stainless Steel Spokes
• Front Hub: SE High Flange Alloy, 32H, Hollow Axle, Sealed Bearing, Nutted
• Rear Hub: SE High Flange Fixed Free Alloy, 32H, Hollow Axle, Sealed Bearing, Nutted
• Tires: Continental Ultra Sport, 700x23C
• Extras: Dragon Top Tube Pad, Alloy Axle Nuts (wheels???), Removable SE Brake Cable Clips, White Track Grip
• Color: Blue Dragon

Questions

• Is it safe to use inline/top-mount brake levers by themselves? Answer
• 
  

Stretches and Exercises for Cyclists

About a week ago, I injured my back when I went into a full sprint up an incline. I looked and tried various lower back pain relief videos on youtube. I found two that relieves my pain: hip flexor and piriformis muscle stretches. The following video shows three but the last two is what helped me:

Handle Bar and Brakes

Today there are many styles of handle bars being used on fixies from traditional drop bars and bullhorn bars to free-style riser bars and slip-between-buses, sawed-off straight bars. Even brake levers are manufactured to accommodate different types of bars, e.g. Æro, tt/tri/bar end/inverse, inline/cross/interrupter. The three setups I am considering are:

1. Drop Bar with Inline Brake Lever (see fig. 1),
2. Drop Bar with Æro Brake Lever (see fig. 2), and
3. Bullhorn / Pursuit Bar with Bar End Brake Lever (see fig. 3).

Figure 1. 2009 SE Premium Ale with drop handlebar and inline brake levers.


Figure 2. 2008 SE Premium Ale with drop handlebar and Æro brake levers.


Figure 3. 2008 SE Lager with pursuit handlebar and bar end brake levers.

Setup 1 (see fig. 1) is actually the stock setup of my Premium Ale, which implies no change. Setup 2 (see fig. 2) requires the purchase of an Æro brake lever and a set of brake cables [sample]. But, it wouldn't look right without bar tape. Setup 3 (see fig. 3) requires the purchase of a pursuit bar, bar end brake lever, and a set of brake cables. So the list above is arranged in increasing cost order for me.

What I've always wanted when I thought about a fixie for myself is bullhorn bars. But I'm beginning to like the look of pursuit bars more. What's difficult about my fixie (see fig. 1) is the handle bar isn't covered by bar tape, implying I'd have to purchase a handle bar that looks similar to chrome. On top of that, I'd like for it to be a steel handle bar for a really comfortable ride. (Aluminum frame, carbon fiber fork, and aluminum drop bars doesn't absorb enough road shock for me on my Specialized Allez.) So the criteria is as follows: pursuit bar, chrome finish, and steel. The only product satsifying these criterias, I've found, is the El Toro from SOMA Fabrications, which is a chrome plated, Tange steel pursuit handlebar (see fig. 4). Review of the El Toro can be found here.

Figure 4. SOMA Fabrications' El Toro urban pursuit bar.

For the above, El Toro bar, I'll need to consider a set of compatible levers:

• Cane Creek 200TT Levers ($30 + free shipping at bike island)
• Tektro RX4.1 Levers in Silver (requires MTB type brake cable end) [matches El Toro's chrome finish better]
• SOMA Fabrications Urban Pursuit Levers in Silver
  

The problem with the El Toro is its dimensions: 26.0mm center and 20.9mm internal bar end diameter. SOMA Fabrications themselves had to introduce a pair of plugs that replaces the stock plugs of their very own Urban Pursuit Brake Lever to fit the El Toro. Another consideration: is my fixie's quill stem 25.4mm going to accept the 26.0mm center? [http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/335924-Can-25-4mm-clamps-be-used-with-26-0mm-bars]

Costs:
El Toro + Oversize Plug + Inverse Brake Lever = $43.99 + $3.99 + $31.99 = $79.97
need new stem with 26mm internal diameter
El Toro Brake Lever Options

El Toro would require swapping out the stem. So, maybe Fyxation's White Rodeo Pursuit Bullhorn bar available at Amazon, may work. Turns out the Rodeo Pursuit bar end has an internal diameter of 19.3mm

Nuts and Screws of the Premium Ale

I still haven't purchased a multi-tool. I seem to never have enough information to purchase the right thing. The couple I tried wasn't up to par in several ways. Most recently, I tried the Topeak Mini 9 which as of this date is discontinued. The problem with it is the tool came with eight bits. Turns out the 6mm hex tool came with an 8mm hex attachment bit, making it nine tools. According to some reviewers of the product, they ended up losing the 8mm bit. Topeak's web site even sells replacement bits for it. I interpret the sales of 8mm bits as Topeak's admittal of frequent loss of the bit.

Last year, I tried Crank Brother's m19, which was the "best" multi-tool that Sports Basement had to offer according to its employees. Since I already had a portable chain tool and spoke wrenches, 7 of the tools were useless for me. Torx T25 was also another tool I had no use for, since I believe it's used most commonly on disc brake systems.

The above led me to an idea on how I should choose a multi-tool. Let's eliminate all the tools I don't need and see what's left over. Rather, figure out exactly what tools I need. That'll give me a base to start at.

I'm going to analyze my SE Premium Ale.

Brake Lever (Hex 2mm)
Brake Lever to Handle Bar (Hex 4mm)
Handle Bar to Stem (Hex 5mm)
Stem to Fork (Hex 6mm)
Brake Caliper to Frame (Hex 5mm)
Brake Cable to Brake Caliper (Hex 5mm)
Brake Pad Adjustor (Hex 4mm)
Brake Caliper Adjustor (Hex 2mm)
Brake Quick Release Screw (Hex 3mm)
Brake Caliper Connector (Hex 3mm)
Brake Caliper Connector Spring Adjustor (Hex 3mm)
Saddle to Seat Post (Hex 5mm)
Seat Post to Frame (Hex 5mm)
Chainring to Crank (Hex 5mm)
Crank to Bottom Bracket (Hex 8mm)
Chain Tensioner (Hex 2mm)

For the Hex Tool, I'll need 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm sizes.

Pedal to Crank (Pedal Wrench 15mm)
Wheels to Frame (Wrench 17mm)

Maybe combine the two by using an adjustable wrench that's thin enough to tighten the pedals.

What else do I need to be able to ride home in case of an emergency? Do I want to carry a lock ring wrench?