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Hi there, I was thinking of uploading my bike on here a while back – I just wanted everything to be just right before clicking submit!
I built this single-speed from scratch over the course of a year and a half, saving here and there. I ride it everyday and couldn’t imagine being without it.
The gear ratio is 50/12, slightly high but just right for me.
Huni Prof 88 Frameset (w/ Cinelli bracket shells/lugs/drop outs)
ITM bars and stem
Campagnolo Veloce front brake caliper
Cane Creek Crosstop lever
Shimano 105 headset
Panaracer RiBMo PT tyres
KMC chain
Stronglite crankset
Mavic OpenSport Rims
Shimano 105 hubs
Selle San Marco Concor seat
Nitto S-65 seatpost
Sugino clamp bolt
Cambio Rino pedals
Thank you to Brick Lane Bikes and Tokyo Fixed Gear in London as well as Cyclopaedia and The Bike Shed in Cardiff for additional help on constructing my first build!
Submitted by Jack Bishop
34 Comments Received
February 20th, 2011 @4:36 pm
lower the seatpost a bit so you can level that ugly saddle.nice old frame.
February 20th, 2011 @4:38 pm
Beat me to it sloman. Other than the saddle angle, this is great.
February 20th, 2011 @10:53 pm
Very Nice I need a saddle like that!
February 21st, 2011 @1:18 am
nice
February 21st, 2011 @3:14 am
Lovely frame! Saddle positioning is indeed horrible but if he lowers the seatpost he loses precious hipster points…
Your gearing frightens me btw. Super bad-ass.
February 21st, 2011 @4:08 am
Nice frame. Same imput as the other kids, but I am voting on a rear brake as well. Singlespeed, not fixed, right? This has nothing to do with cool, or zen, or hipsters, or whatever. We all need to lay this stuff to rest. You need to have the ability to stop BOTH wheels on a bike. As bad as it is for posers to have no front brake riding fixed, it’s even more ridiculous for the SS team to have no method of slowing and stopping the back wheel. Come on, suck up the loss of rad points, and add a brake. You know it makes sense.
February 21st, 2011 @10:10 am
Hey guys, cheers for the comments.
It’s a shame the fixie and SS world has to be associated with hipster this or hipster that, it sucks to have that poser stigma. I hate that crap and I’m sure you guys do to.
My seat height and angle does the job. To each his/her own I guess.
@ aarcadian: I am considering adding a rear brake, you’re right it is a little strange and it does make sense.
Peace!
February 21st, 2011 @11:40 am
@ Aarcadian… does it really make sense? I know almost all singlespeeds have both but the front brake does all the work right? So squeeze it gently to stop slowly and squeeze harder for emergencies… Is a rear brake really necessary then?
February 21st, 2011 @2:50 pm
* too
February 21st, 2011 @3:04 pm
@ sloman: Hey man, do you know of the frame? It’s Huni (?) Wondering if you know any background info…
February 21st, 2011 @3:40 pm
new one to me Jack. Looks mid Eightys to me(no downtube shifter bosses=stem shifters) but slash seat stay look classier that department store grade.Google got nothing.
February 21st, 2011 @3:49 pm
Yeah Slo, google really has nothing. A mystery
February 21st, 2011 @7:14 pm
certainly looks to be a quality build.lots of shop built in-house frames(lugged frames are not terribly hard)-it’s the quality of the tubing that plugs into the lugs.Italy had hundreds of indie shed builders ranging from scary poor tonners to Colnago clones using Nervex qnd Columbus. Probably same in Croatia.Those seat stays are a good tip.How heavy is it?What level components came on it?enjoy
February 21st, 2011 @9:09 pm
man I thought my 50-16 ratio was intense. but 50-12 wow! I think my legs would have to be as big as my torso to handle that. nice looking bike, really digging the red white and blue.
February 21st, 2011 @9:38 pm
@Florian Hey brother, I really do believe in each to his own, and I guess this is no exception. Everytime I have ridden friends single speeds with no rear brake, I have just felt a little powerless, in the sense that I had no real control over what it was doing. Pedal, it goes, and that’s it. All well and good in most situations, but once in the rain I overshot an alley and nearly ran into people because the front wheel was locked but slid on polished stone. The back wheel was on bitumen, and would have stopped me, but alas.
I’m being pedantic, I know, but for the same reason I have a front brake on my bike, I need a rear brake if I ride a friends SS. Just in case.
Unrelated, but just had a friend borrow my bike for a quick 5 minute trip. 45 minutes later, and I was starting to wonder where he was. Hit by a car. He was fine, and so is the bike, apart from some minor cosmetic stuff, but riding home on it just now it felt different. Can’t really say why, maybe just paranoia. Anyone had similar?
Sorry for the hijack, Jack.
February 22nd, 2011 @2:01 am
@ russelr: Thanks man, don’t know why but thought I fancied the challenge! It’s great feeling when you can gain on cars when seated!
@ aarcadian: No worries, I have a back calliper, so will prob add it at some stage.
@ sloman: Interesting! When I bought the frameset the seller insisted it came from Bergamo, IT. I phoned him later to ask about the Cinelli details on the dropouts, etc. I was unsure – (couldn’t really decipher his accent!). The bike weighs roughly 9kg/19.8oz(?).
February 22nd, 2011 @6:11 am
50-12 .. god damn bro. Not climbin any hills with that!
Really like the bike man. I would say instead of putting that read brake on.. go fixed.
February 22nd, 2011 @11:00 am
i would LOVE this build if the seat was level and the stem wasn’t super short and stubby looking.
gear ratio is kind of ridiculous for street riding.
frame is cool. everything else is cool. level seat and a bit longer of a stem and i would be totally into it.
February 22nd, 2011 @3:52 pm
But I like my ridiculous gearing
February 22nd, 2011 @4:01 pm
What is the deal with the seat? Is it really too high and at a poor angle?
If I lower it there is less power.
If I level the seat a touch, my lower back feels the strain.
Tried it.
February 23rd, 2011 @1:46 am
Your ridiculous gearing is AWESOME!
February 23rd, 2011 @3:27 am
i could take him,and his silly gearing
February 23rd, 2011 @4:36 am
I dunno Arfer.. until you post some action shots my money is on Jack “The Seat Angle” Bishop.
February 25th, 2011 @1:39 pm
@Jack I am guessing you are tall and you stay in the drop position alot? I understand the seat angle,I havent had any of my seats at such an angle but many years ago when I rode with drops to work I had to angle the seat nose down for the same reason as it would be killer on my back with the seat at level position,I think its just because everyone has always been told to start with a level seat first and then adjust accordingly,it makes sence when you think about it if you have a chopper with angled back 40inch apehangers your seat will be tilted back to compansate for body position and vise versa if you are leaning forward steeply you need to tilt down the seat,each his/her own,a level seat makes for a better picture but why do it to please others if its not you,peace
February 26th, 2011 @7:19 am
Abwärts aggressives Gangverhältnis der Sattelpunkte. Klettern verboten!
February 26th, 2011 @1:19 pm
@RyanB: Yes I agree, thanks man. It takes time and trial and error to work out a bespoke fit.
February 26th, 2011 @11:33 pm
@jqnyc-kann nicht argumentieren damit, ich denke,
March 17th, 2011 @4:10 pm
My stem has snapped, so an update will follow shortly…
March 17th, 2011 @4:59 pm
About the seat angle: The reason for a leveled seat is that you don’t slide forward on it, which would put a lot of weight on your arms. Just look at the seat angles on pursuiter’s bikes. All leveled out. Maybe your loss of power when lowering the saddle results from the fact that it also moves forward a bit. Try moving it back on the post or get a post with some setback to get you in the right position to your bottom bracket. Regarding the drop, your frame is obviously too small for you, but I understand that you like a very compact position on the bike, as your muscles get prestressed a lot. I think it’s just a matter of adjusting your position on the bike. Sometimes it’s just a few millimeters that give you a boost in power.
About the rear brake: You should get one and you definitely should go fixed, but still get a rear brake. I ride 51-16 and skidding is possible, but nothing for emergency brakes. At 50-12 skidding would probably be impossible and stopping by pedaling slower would take a while.
About your bike: I absolutely love it. And I love the way you presented it. It’s clearly visible that you put a lot of thougt and effort in getting it just right for you. All the hipsters who try to “personalize” their bikes with an aerospoke in the front and colored oury grips can take a leaf out of your book.
Sorry about the stem. Hope you can replace it soon and ride that bike again.
March 17th, 2011 @5:03 pm
P.S.: Mine is the AestheTIc. Courious what you think about it.
May 13th, 2011 @2:48 pm
@Jack Bishop, I’m interested you say The Bike Shed, i’m living in Cardiff.
That gearing is intense I rode 52 16 SS around Cardiff and almost fainted cycling into the wind up the taff on occasion! When converted ‘Peugeot Singles’ to ‘Peugeot Singles Mark 2′ and thus fixed I dropped the gearing to 52 20. This is much more suited to me and my strength, ha! Anyway, beautiful bike, give fixed a go.
May 30th, 2011 @2:24 pm
@Epam. Man, thanks! I honestly chose the gearing like that because when I rode with gears I used to adjust it to the highest. I don’t know, I’m just partial to a fast ride.
These images are pretty out of date now as I’ve got a back brake, drop levers and longer stem. I’ll try and get some updated images uploaded soon.
Find me via Facebook, we should go for a ride if you live in Cardiff!? (http://www.facebook.com/#!/whaletip).
Best,
Jack
July 2nd, 2011 @11:23 pm
how is the bike standing in the last 2 pics? just wondering haha
nice build though
July 17th, 2011 @2:22 am
Hey Chris, ha I stuck a wooden wedge underneath the rear and balanced it. Then I photoshopped the wood out.
I like the front profile of road bikes!
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