Hi there,
New here. I’m after some info on my fixie project frame, so i thought i’d ask, and also shed some light on my coming project!
Frame is a Bennett Super Sports, came from Alstar cycles (in chatswood?). Made in Japan, can’t see any indication of tube type. can someone shed some light if they own one, have owned, or know someone who has? I don’t expect it to be particularly good, but interesting to know all the same.
And so, the plan is…
Frame: Bennet Super Sports (to be shaved and resprayed pearl violet with gold or navy pinstriping around lugs)
Stem: Sakae high polished (is a little pitted but looks great)
Bars: Polished roadie bars (might get messenger bars eventually)
headset: Cheap Polished steel for now
Seatpost: 25.4 to be polished
Seat: Undecided. i have a tioga DH saddle (to retrim) and a SDG Bel Air ST i might use, but may buy otherwise
Cranks: Undecided
Wheelset: Velocity trackset cheap from work.
Tyres: I have an LHR, a Red rimmed Vittoria Topazio and a black Vittoria Rubino all 23c. combination unsure
Pedals: Flats for now, but clipped in in future probably
Gearing: 42:16 to start i suppose, but will probably up that
I don’t know what the actual name for the bars is but they are the ones that sweep upwards slightly, generally found on courier bikes, i just make up names for parts if i’m unsure.
yeah pretty ugly guides. lucky they’re going to the chop shop
I had one of these in the mid-70s, a black one. If memory serves me well (and it might not), it cost about $200 around 1974, had stem shifters and suntour running gear. It was a bit agricultural, but I lived in the country at the time.
I need cranks, but what can i do in the way of cranks? I don’t want to have to spend over 100 on track cranks at the moment. i’ve got some old shimano roadie cranks powdercoated gunpowder grey which are kinda lame, and i’m not sure they’ll get the right chain line, but if they will, i’ll be happy with them until i can afford otherwise. how do i tell whether they will work?
I also need a headset. i was going to order a shoddy steel jobbie from work, but realised how ghetto they were. what is a cheap option. realistically i only really want to spend 20 bucks wholesale on one, and will upgrade when funds permit. at the moment funds are going into the velocity wheelset. was just lookin at a cheap threadset like these, which one of out distributors can get in, but they’re outta stock
Last quizzestion is Pedals. i want flats, with pedal cages. was looking at some simple ones like these:
ttp://www.wellgo.com.tw/p-image/LU-C16.jpg
we’ve got some at work which look quite nice. anyone used them or got a suggestion for something a bit oldschool looking?
Lewis the best advise I got for building my bike/s was “Use what you’ve got now, then move up from there in time”.
What cranks are they? You should be generally be ok with most roadie cranks in the way of chainline, whack 'em on and see how you go. Who knows, one day you could be dispensing with your own advise gleened from personal experience!!!
Headset looks good to me (cause it’s shiney), as for the peddles then meh, you don’t look at them when your ridin :mrgreen:
get some paint stripper on the cranks (the really nasty stuff) will take 5 mins to bubble up, scrape it off, a light rub with steel wool will help.
the surface underneath will be ok, a light rub with wet and dry, then use autosol polish and they will look awesome. Run the chainring on the inside and should be ok.
HS looks fine or buy a cheap shimano, does the job
yeah, cheers guys, i’ll get the cranks off and give em a go. i’ve got paint stripper at home. i also just bought the other day, a skotchbrite wheel for the angle grinder which works perfectly at polishing stuff up. also have some autosol, so i just gotta get the wool grinder wheel and will polish away. might try to polish the lugs too, we’ll see how much work it’s going to be, and whether the grinder has “access all areas” so to speak
i discovered a Tange(OA) inscription on the forks, which is good news, but i’m yet to find evidence on the frame. i’ll continue searching. i’ve stripped the forks down ready for the crowns to be polished then the lowers painted. frame yet to be ground out.
another decision to make is flats with toeclips, or without
no idea atm of how it feels riding a fixie, so not sure how i’m going to be with pedals. I have been looking at these very lovely wellgo old style roadie extruded pedals (can’t find pic) we have in the shop, which should fit clips, but i’m unsure whether i want clips.
Just curious as to whether people find flats with no clips a nuisance on fixed, as i’ve found some lovely Odyssey BMX pedals that are the same lavender colour as my fixie will be painted. now if i do use flats, these would be the best option because of superior grip, but would not fit clips i would think, nor would be really period perfect (not that there really is a style i’m going for). Both will cost me about the same.
i suppose also important is riding in mind. I plan mainly on fun commuter runs around sydney city and local suburb, not actually relying on it for transport generally, however may eventually. I’d also like to try some trick riding, being a keen mtb and bmxer :-P, ie wheelies, fishtailing, fakie. would clips or no clips make this sort of riding difficult?
so hmm. bit of a ramble, not sure where that went
Sum up
Odysseys
Colour matched
Superior grip if not using clips
don’t fit clips
-don’t particularly look retro-style
Wellgos
Old roadie style
weak grip without clips
will fit clips
well, i hope thats all understandable. If someone could offer some advice about clips vs. no clips that’d be great
but they are the ones that sweep upwards slightly, generally found on courier bikes, i just make up names for parts if i’m unsure. 