Build Log : Fixed Gear

As a framebuilder, the fixed gear holds a lot of appeal. No extraneous brazeons and just a few essential considerations of compatibility make the frame and fork in the simplest form. It is a fun problem to solve.

At the end of 2024 I had built one frame all year with my own two hands, a far cry from the 30-40 I used to do in my framebuilding-as-a-job days. In most ways I do not miss this craft as a profession. I quit taking custom frame orders in 2020 to finish out my 2-year wait list and started moving the business towards the production bikes you see on this website now. As a product, the production bikes are far, far superior to anything I could have ever done on my own and I have not looked back. However, my connection to the craft has made this transition nice and smooth and all this to say I was feeling a little disconnected. A fixed gear felt like just the thing to keep the craft alive.

Some years ago I built myself another frame like this, in fact a frame with the exact same geometry. It was a quick weekend project, thrown together with some scrap bin tubing and randomly acquired parts. I had taken quite a few years off of fixed riding and was curious if I still liked it. To my surprise, I did! And that bike ended up becoming one of my most ridden bikes. During the dark days of covid I rode it all around the dirt roads where I was living in Montana. Those rolling farm roads were so fun fixed. I loved that bike so much, I thought, why not build the forever version?

This is an over-thought frameset. It features my homemade lugged fork crown as well as dropouts that I dreamed up and made myself. The rear dropouts are something that has been in my brain for a long time. Very inspired by NorCal builders, they are stainless steel with Chromo tubing. I like having some holes you can see through in a frame. Nothing is lighter than a hole. The font are just stainless but very BMX inspired and minimal. The Tubing is all Tange Prestige. I lightened up a SuperStemThing Stem and had it powdercoated to match. Of course I am running a PBJ bar and a Ti Seatpost as well. I am not sure I made the right choice on black, I normally have a no black bikes policy but I was going for mid-200's Hufnagel vibes and I think that came through. Oh and I can't forget the brazed on brass headbadge. Always a fun touch. The wheels are stans crest on PAUL hubs. It is also cool with the track bike that I can have made alllmost everything on here and the rest are from friends. So simple and nice.

I would love to do a small run of fixed gears, probably in Ti. Let me know if you are interested. Fixed is fun, framebuilding is fun. I am grateful for my foundation in the craft. It has taught me a lot. Building bikes is still fun.