I still feel that varable gears are only for people over
forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength
of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We
are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!
--Henri Desgrange, L'Équipe article of 1902
I had always wanted a fixed-gear bike. I built my first fixie in early 1998 using a Raleigh cyclocross frame. Later, I traded the Raleigh 'cross bike for a 1981 Raleigh Gran Sport road bike frame and some parts. I built this up into a nicer fixed-gear bike, but still wasn't completely happy with it. I eventually sold the bike in late 1998 or early 1999.
But I still had the bug. About this time, Bianchi had introduced the Pista, an entry-level track bike. My brother could get me one at a decent price, so in February 1999 I bought one. This was the first complete bike I had bought (other than a used bike I bought at auction for $36) since I had started biking again. I quickly discovered that I enjoyed the tinkering involved with building up a bike myself, so I soon began replacing most of the parts on the bike.
The wheels and hubs were OK, but I prided myself on only riding on wheels I had built, so I sold the original wheels (Mavic CXP-21 rims laced to Suzue Pro Max hubs), and built new ones. I used Mavic CXP-30 rims, a Dura Ace rear hub and Suzue front track hub modified to use a quick release.
Bianchi had kept the price down by using non track-specific parts. The original crank was black and looked very mountain-bikey. It used 110mm bolt circle chain rings, and since I was trying to avoid keeping multiple sets of chain rings around, I switched to a Shimano RSX crank that used 130mm BCD rings. I had several 42-tooth rings around, so I went with a 42/15 gear combo. At this point, the only original parts left on the bike are the frame, headset, bottom bracket, seatpost, chain, and 15-tooth cog. Photos of the bike in its current configuration are below.
| Frame/Fork | Bianchi Pista (Reynolds 520 steel) |
| Front Wheel | 32-spoke Suzue track hub, Mavic CXP-30 rim |
| Rear Wheel | 32-spoke Dura Ace track double-sided track hub, Mavic CXP-30 rim |
| Tires | Vittoria Twin-Tread Techno |
| Drive train | RSX crank, 42-tooth chainring, 16 and 17-tooth cogs |
| Pedals | Ultegra Look-style pedals |
| Brake | Suntour Blaze caliper (front only), generic levers |
| Bars / Stem | Nitto steel track bars, Nitto Technomic stem |
| Saddle | Brooks B17 Standard |
| Bag | Carradice Lowsaddle Longflap |
At the time, the largest size the Pista came in was a 59cm, which is
2-3cm too small for me. There was plenty of seatpost so saddle
height wasn't a problem, but getting the bars to reasonable height
took some doing. I ended up using a
Nitto Technomic stem which gave me a
couple of extra inches to play with. When I changed the stem I also
changed the bars, which had a shallow drop that never fit my hands. I
use Nitto steel track bars, which are
strong, and give the front of the bike the proper "track" look, even
with brake levers. (The right lever is just to rest my right hand on.
It isn't connected to anything.) The year after I bought it, Bianchi
added a 61cm frame to Pista line. Oh well.
When the weather is nice, I enjoy commuting on this bike. (Bad
weather calls for the commuting bike.)
To carry my stuff, I use a
Carridice saddle bag. The seatpost-
mounted mini rack/fender isn't required, but it makes the bag a little
easier to load, and keeps some of the road grime off the bag if it is
raining.
Purists will be angered at the front brake. I find that riding down
hills and in and out of city traffic makes a brake a good thing to
have. Since 1994 I've snapped 3 pedal axles, 3 chains, and a crank.
Any of those failures would have prevented me from stopping a bike
that only uses the drivetrain for braking. In addition, I find using
the brake eases the strain on my knees. But because a good connection
to the drivetrain is important, I like using clipless pedals.
Back to my Bike Page
Back to my Home Page