The Friday Fix: Back to School Special Fixed

Here is my Fuji Dynamic 10 looked like when it came into my possession. Front wheel missing, rear hub was frozen, rusty chain and components all over. While taking it apart I was able to show my daughter how various things on the bike should work.

Here is what the Fuji Dynamic 1 looks like now. A sleek, fixed gear conversion bike. It's a little small on me, 58 cm seat tube but that angled back head tube and shortened Nitto stem makes for a really cramped cockpit.

I think the cranks, from Sugino, are 171 mm long. There is a stamp of 171 on the inside of the crank, so I am assuming that is the length of the crank. Riding it around the drive way, it reminds me of my Raleigh.

Gearing is pretty tall, 50:14, or 96.4 gear inches, that's 22 gear inches more than the Stinson! This is not a bike for climbing in the Litchfield Hills. Even the Stinson is probably borderline for this area, as well, but the little squish upfront makes up for the crappy roads that is also synonomous with this area as well. The rear 14t cog was pretty unforgiving when it came to my existing selection of chains, so I had to get a colorful KMC chain.

I stopped by the Goodie Shop to see if they had any yellow Ourys but they didn't and it looks like you can only get yellow in mount grips and not road. If they come in I will have to pull these reds one off and replace them with yellow.

With all my fixed gear conversions, I like to ride these bikes for awhile before selling them on Craigslist. I put this one up just to see what the market is like and whether someone might be interested in it. If I am going to ride it, I will have to put on a longer stem, which I have, and I might go with a softer, gel saddle.

While I was taking these pictures, my son Elliot insisted on being photographed with bike. Who could resist a kid as cute as him?

With all my rebuilds, I always include at least one hand brake for safety. Riding in the Litchfield Hills, you need it because you never know when you will need it while decending some of these hills we have around here.