Benotto Fixed Gear Bicycle

Dale

Coast to Coast
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Hey fellas. A good friend of mine is moving to Spain in December. His dad bought this bicycle new in 1979 (He thinks). It was then passed on to him about 20 years ago, and he used it for a few years. Then about 4 years ago he decided to make a fixie out of it. It never happened. Went mountain biking with him on Saturday afternoon, and in the trunk of his car was this bike with all the components in a box. He says, "I want you to have it - you'll do something with it." Now, I love all things 2 wheeled. I'm no lycra shorts, shaved leg kinda guy, but I love cycling. This is such an awesome gift. So another project to add to the list! :)

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So not entirely sure how I'm going to go about this. But here's some inspiration:

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http://www.benottobicycle.com/site/about



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I'm liking this direction quite a bit...

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3 Speed Fixed Gear hub

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That 3 speed fixed gear hub would be really nice! Wanting that for my Bianchi road bike... Such a great friend you have to get this. Keep this updated!
 
That frame is screaming for an old Campy Record Groupo! All ten speeds!

I see EVERYONE riding fixxy's or single-speeds these days. No thanks. Now that I'm old and fat, I need gears (and brakes) more than ever before.

Please post your progress though!

Todd
 
Popped in at my local cycle shop today and had a good long chat with one of the guys there.

He told me about this great site: http://www.fixiestudio.com/

You can use their super easy browser app to make up concepts.
I photoshop'd my frame roughly in afterwards. here are a few ideas for a direction:

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OK, did some final tweaks and I'm thinking this is my plan:

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Gonna run with front brake initially.
Hope I can pick up a second hand Areo spoke somewhere.
Not sure about what sprocket sizes to go with, but was thinking I would go for a ride on my road bike later today and find a good all round combo that works for my current fitness level.
 
Why oh why Dale am I looking at Bicycle parts when I am trying to spend cash on Motorcycle parts....LOL
man those wheels can get expensive. Even used
 
In my opinion what started as cost effectiveness because of the terribly high cost of the aero wheels has turned into a fashion statement with these fixies.
there is also the reduction in wind drag when using one on the front. The rear wheel is more likely to get "taco-ed" due to tricks, jumping, or slide stopping. So the less expensive wheel will usually be on the back. Which would be the inverse of Dale's model.
Your thoughts Dale?
 
I read that it started with messengers. They used aero front wheels so it's quicker and easier to slap a U-lock through it. Since hipsters regard messengers as the coolest of the cool when it comes to bicycles, they adopted the look.
 
You been watching Premium Rush DrJ? :)

Yeah, I'm falling victim to the superficial here I think guys. I love the assymetry, and S Majure, you make some valid points regarding the hammering the rear wheel is going to take, as its essentially your braking wheel.

I found out today that you get aluminum knockoffs at a fraction of the cost +-$350.00, so then it purely becomes a style excercise. I showed my friend who gave me the bike the concepts today, and he says, its like putting one shoe on with laces and the other shoe has velcro. So I'm looking objectively at this again....
 
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