Even Kids Can Do It Now: The Mini-Me Fixie

You know how some today's 30-something parents who decline to grow up can get bit weird with their kids? The so-called Mini-Me Syndrome typical of aging hipsters? Some people probably consider me one of those people, BTW. 

Anyhow, look at the picture, it tells more than 1000 words. A kids' fixed gear bike, with Tokyo-style chopped track dropbars and a toptube pad, color coordinated chain and everything. The only thing that's missing is the trispoke front wheel and I really wonder why, 'cos those bmx mag wheels actually are very easy and cheap to score from Ebay. 

I'm just waiting for my baby daughter to grow up a little bit still, not this summer but maybe next year...  

Want A Real Keirin NJS Bike? Here's a Kiyo Miyazawa For You

Blogging about stuff on Ebay is bit boring but this is so perfect that I just need to post it here. 

I wrote about Ocean bikes already but this would be so much better: a complete all NJS Kiyo Miyazawa Keirin bike. Everything, every part, and even the size is (no, would be) perfect (FOR ME!). Lovely. Aaaaaahhhh!

* * * 

Kiyo Miyazawa Keirin Professional Pista. Serial number 97107. 

NOS custom professional keirin cycle built by Kiyo Miyazawa. Built for Japanese keirin professional. Not raced or ridden. Tires unglued. Flawless condition. Will pass keirin race certification. ALL components are NJS stamped and certified (see specifications).

About the builder:

Kiyo Miyazawa is one of the most highly revered of the Japanese keirin framebuilders. He learned much of his craft studying under Rossin and other Italiam framebuilders, and employs many Italianesque details in his frame designs, including lugs (similar to early Colnago), frame geometry, and finish. His current waiting list is in excess of two years for a custom built, fully equipped keirin cycle.

Specifications:
Seat tube: c-c 53.5 cm
Top tube: c-c 54 cm
Rear Spacing: 120 mm
F-C: 57 cm
C-R: 39.5 cm
Standover: 80.5 cm

Crankset Sugino 75 Grand Mighty １67.5 mm　NJS　
Chainring Sugino 75 Grand Mighty 47t NJS　　
Bottom Bracket Sugino 75 Professional NJS　　　　　
Chain HKK NJS　　　　
Handlebar NITTO B125 AA 380mm NEW NJS
Stem NITTO Jaguar steel stem 105 mm NJS
Grips SOYO Professional Keirin
Saddle Kashimax Five Gold NJS
Seat Post NITTO Jaguar W44 27.2 mm NJS　　　　
Hubs Campagnolo C Record Sheriff Star 36H NJS
Rims ARAYA Titanium World Champion “TitaAce” NJS
Spokes HOSHI 2.0/ 1.8mm NJS
Tires SOYO GOLD STAR 120g NJS
Cog DURA ACE 16T NJS – Machine polished and honed
Tensioners MKS NJS
Lockring DURA ACE NJS NEW
Pedals MKS Custom Nuevo NJS
Toe Clips MIKASHIMA S SIZE NJS
Straps Toshi NJS

Seen In Helsinki

You know how Fixed Gear Gallery sometimes has those "Seen In XXX" posts where someone has seen a fixed gear or a single speed bike (wooohooo! who very exciting...) locked up somewhere and taken a crappy mobilecameraphone photo of it and then went thru all the hassle of emailing it to The Fixed Gear Wizard AKA Dennis? It's stupid and boring, right. 

Well, this evening as I was cycling along Pohjoisranta, my regular way to home from the city centre, a saw this bike and * just had to stop, turn back and * take a photo with my crappy mobilecameraphone. It was so nice & idyllic, with the harbor and the sailing boats, and even those big ice-breakers in the background. 

And the bike, so lovely & very retro and simply beautiful. In that setting this is probably the nicest bike I've ever seen in Helsinki. And it wasn't actually even fixed gear but a single speed bike with a coaster brake instead. 

Edit. 

You know what? Yesterday evening I should have - maybe - written this way instead (place this between the asterisks * is in the text above):

"... I just pulled this super long skid with my Tarck Bike and finished it into a trackstand, then I pulled a wheelie on the spot and bunny hopped 180 degrees turn and wheelied back to the spot where that bike was standing and..."

But why? I dunno. This though somehow just occurred to me when I passed a middle-aged roadie in full spandex riding gear this morning on my way to work.  

How To Sell Fixed Gear Related Stuff

Ever wondered how you could get rid of those old Campagnolo Super Record Track pedals your uncle gave you long time ago and which you never used? Well, here's how to do it, on Craigslist:

* * * 

Campy Super Record Track Pedals - $75 (SLO)
Reply to: XXXXXXXXXXXX
Date: 2008-04-25, 5:41PM PDT

You're riding down Osos street on the way to Mitchel park, its a cool spring afternoon. You notice all the women aged 21-35 are standing along the sidewalk, all staring at you. As you stop for a red light, one approaches:

HER: Pardon me, are those Campagnolo Record Track Pedals?

YOU: Why yes... They Are.

HER: [blushes] Wow, you must be a man of true discernment... tell me big boy, do they strap on tight?

YOU: Oohhhhh yeah.

HER: [stammers, begins to twitch] Wha.. what era?

YOU: Super Record...

HER: [tearing off clothes] YOU TOTAL HUNK OF A MAN, TAKE ME NOW!!!!

YOU: [under your breath] Thanks, craigslist!!


Seriously dudes, it could happen to you. These pedals are the real deal!

More MASH SF Bike News: Emi's Bike Stolen

While I was checking out the MASH SF blog I just noticed that Emi's Leader bike has been stolen a week or so ago in SOMA, SF.

Very conveniently my homie Hennessy is currently in SF and he was going to bring a new bike home when he returns, I wonder if he knows anything about this.... just kidding, he's buying some Cannondale MTB which I don't really know anything about.

But I was a little surprised to notice that Emi's bike was actually a Leader. Those are very cost-effective aluminium track frames but nothing wrong with that, I guess. Except that maybe it's bit funny really that that HED3 frontwheel is probably worth more €€€ than the rest of the bike. 

Anyhow, it seems that the bikes from MASH movie are getting bit special, one being for sale, other stolen etc. I wonder where they will eventually all end up?

But here's one more nice outtake from the movie itself:

Ocean Custom Keirin / Street Fixed Gear Frames

Last week I wrote about the Kilo TT, a cheap-as-chips yet pretty nice track frame. Now it’s the time for something completely else.
 
I’m personally a big fan of Japanese Keirin track bikes. Hand made pieces of lugged steel art, always custom made by a master of the craft with years of experience in a small workshop. Built for speed and as simple as possible, yet always with super neat details and certain flair, and with respect for Italian tradition of pista bike building tradition. 
 
In Japan there are still today many NJS certified custom frame builders building custom ordered track bikes and sometimes also road bikes in their workshops. Many of these builders have apprenticed with previous generations’ masters before becoming a sensei themselves. Bit like that Samurai swordsmith, Hattori Hanzo, in Tarantino’s Kill Bill.   
 
If you want read more about Keirin bikes, click here to Keirinculture’s site and scroll down a bit to the ‘Why NJS?‘ Section, here’s a quote: 
 
“The (Keirin) frames, no matter what brand, are always of the highest quality. When you’re thinking about a used keirin frame, think about everything that went into it. The racer orders the frame according to his personal preferences, ones that he’s developed after racing for up to 30 years. Even with that status he will pay anywhere from $1000 to $2500 for a frame. There are no sponsorships in keirin racing. He chooses the frame tubing (now usually Kasei or Columbus), lugs, and paint, too. After that he waits, weeks or months for the builder to finish.”
 

Now, while in practice anyone could order a frame from these masters, the waiting times are often long and the language can often be bit of a barrier to a non-Japanese would-be-customer. And many builders will take orders only on personal appointment to discuss the order in person and measure the customer themselves, and accept only cash up front and so on. 
 
But there is an easier option. Rene and his NJS Super Market blog has a distribution deal with Kusaka-san. Mr. Kusaka used to make famous Vivalo keirin frames for more that 30 years in his workshop in Kansai, Japan, before quitting in last november after a nasty freak accident of a-fork-breaking-in-a-race and starting a completely new Ocean brand of street pisuto (read: fixed gear in Japanese) bikes with new business partners. 
 
I guess it suffices to say this about Mr. Kusaka;  it’s been estimated somewhere that during last few years up to a 30% of all Japanese Keirin Pros rode Vivalos. That tells you something about the quality and craftmanship the man possesses. Ok, you might’ve guessed it, I’m bit partial to Vivalo because I have one myself.  
 
Anyhow, now the workshop is busy at work again and the deal with Ocean is that if you want a custom-made frame you can now easily choose between three different and incredibly nice looking models with many special custom options from BB height to paint color and decals, and most importantly your own sizing, of course, with the starting price of meagre 1040 USD + S&H. 
 
Here’s all the infoa bout Ocean framesets.  
 
And I urge you also to look here and drool over the Flickr set of detailed pics of the frames. 
 
One more point is that used Keirin frames, when they pop up for sale in Ebay or in blogs, are often dented, rusty or just generally in bad condition, basically too expensive considering the condition. Keirin frames also tend to be pretty small, usually below 55cm. So if you are a taller guy or a gal, this is might be your only option to get a real handbuilt Keirin track bike. 
 
Keep in mind that Rene also sells some used Japanese frames and has always a nice selection of quite reasonably prices used and new hard-to-get NJS bike parts as well as made-for-order Panasonic keirin frames through his blog. And if you end up ordering something, remember to say Hi! to Rene from Jussi, ok?

Tarck Bike Trickz Galore! in MASH SF Outtake

You've seen the Mash SF movie already, haven't you? If not, it's still here for you.

And you noticed how Jonathan is selling his Cannondale, right? Which appears to be still unsold, BTW. 

Well, as often is the case, apparently many cuts didn't make it into the actual movie, the clip above is a really cool outtake, in which Mike (the movie maker Mike Martin, himself, maybe?) shows more bmx-style trickz on both the scooter and on a bike than all the riders combined in the the whole official cut of the film. Nice one there, mate!

PS. I also noticed that the MASH SF peeps threatened to get all unofficial MASH SF clips off Youtube soon so enjoy this while it still lasts. 

 

Play The Build-A-Fixie Game the IRO Way

Here's some more fixed gear bike related online waste of time for you, you know you like it...

IRO has just launched their brand new fancy flash-based website which features a real nice Build-A-Bike section where you can build a bike of your dreams from their selection of frames and parts and then you can very conveniently also buy it, just like that. It is kinda neat, really. The bike pictured above is what I came up with my first try - but it's not going to be the last. 

IRO is a small company operated by a dude named Tony, and his wife, and their bikes are known for a very good price to quality ratio and nowadays they have a nice selection of frames and parts to suit all your fixed gear needs. I'd personally wouldn't necessarily want to buy some of their components (like the seat, stems, headsets, tyres etc.) if I was buying a bike but generally it's all cool and my preferences veer more towards the retro stuff anyway.  

More Info On Kanye's New Toy Tarck Bike

Ok, some more information concerning Kanye's newly purchased totally rad and trendy as hell Tarck Bike has surfaced on teh webforumz. Here the pics as proof and some best bits from the discussion on bikeforums.net:

'Luke at BrooklynMachineWorks also told me that a friend had it build for Kanye. He custom ordered a color, just like everyone else can, and had to wait for his to be ready, just like everyone else. No special treatment, he had to wait just like you and me.'

'can kanye even ride?'

'Kanye has been spotted riding the BMW in NYC...'

'So I guess dressing up like Michael J. Fox circa Back to the Future is in right now.'

'isn't this the dude who always wore one of those girls leather backpacks? i hope he plans on tying his goddamn shoes when he rides though.'

'Man best roll up them jeans...and maybe his shirt lol.'

'You ever had your shoes come untied while riding? It generally leads to bad things. Not the least of which will be getting chain nastyness all over his $200 limited edition nikes.'

'Try $700 Lanvins...'

'do you guys think he rides his bike often? is it possible for he to ride on stage and accidentally fall over? the thought of him falling off the stage pleases me somehow.'

And here's one more time to Kanye's new hobby... 

If You See This Bike in Helsinki - It's Stolen

This fixed gear conversion was stolen last night in Helsinki, at the corner of Freda and Erikinkatu sometime between 01-02 am. 

It's an old Peugeot road frame painted plan black, British Hubs - track hubs, Mavic rims,  Nokian Skinwall 28 Roadie tyres, Nitto stem, Shimano 600 crankset, Specialites TA chainwheel, Campagnolo seatpost etc. 

Let's help the bikes owner out, if you see the bike, kill the rider in the head, ok?

This also marks the beginning of the cycling season in Helsinki in a not-so-nice-way as it is the first fixed gear or single speed bike reported stolen on local cycling forums this spring. I don't know what was the deal here but always remember to to lock your bike onto something when locking up, do not just lock the bike up, so no free locking, ok?