Red tires, baby

No big deal, but I got red tires, and even red cable ends for my fixed gear bike. Click to view this photo at a size large enough actually see the red tires and general fine-a-tude of the bike.
I'm starting to like it this fixed thing. I think. I swapped the 18 tooth rear cog for a 17, which feels more natural.
Today I rode it 22 miles with Tricia and a group from Bike Forums. I don't know that I'll ever become a fixed gear zen guy, but I am feeling more comfortable all the time.

Fixed gear conversion

It used to a Gitane Tour de France from the early '70s. I got in '75 and used it as a road bike for years.

Over time it went through many changes. The fork wrecked, so I replaced it with a Columbus steel fork. And had it repainted too.

I got new wheels, pedals, headset, seatpost, saddle, stem, brakes and handlebars along the way.

But over the past years it just sat.

Now it has a new rear wheel -- A flip flop rear wheel. So I'm not sure what it is now.

The derailleur and freewheel are gone, as is the 52-tooth chainring. I'm a fixed gear hipster now. Kinda.

So far, after seven miles, I can report that riding fixed is weird. The riding is fine (the old steel bike feels great), but the the stopping is just odd. And I haven't been bucked off, I have been kicked a couple of times when I foolishly tried to coast.

I'm going to try commuting a bit on it and see if I learn to embrace it, as so many have. I'm may find that I'll fine my knees are too old, and I'm too set in my gear changing ways to adapt. Or maybe I'll just become super cool.

Gitane FrankenBike

Perhaps inspired by my friend Taxi777s new Fixed gear/SS he posted about on bikeForums.net, I dragged my oldie out of the garage and cleaned it up.

It was my almost-first real roadie. I got it used in 1976 and, like a kid, thought I could turn it into the bike I wish I had by changing parts one at a time as the years passed.

Here's the spec:

• Mid-70s Gitane Tour de FranceHad it painted and had braze on shifter and water bottle bosses added
• Fork had problems, so I added a new one, but Columbus instead of Reynolds steel, and a Shimano 600 headset
• New brakes (Old Weinmans were awful)
• New seatpost and seat
• New bars and stem ( I really don't know why)
• Campy high flange hub new wheels (36 spokes, dude!)
• Replaced bar end shifters with real carbon downtube shifters
• I just ordered new brake levers. What's on there now is an old Diacomp tandem lever that pulls both brakes (Don't ask why). I never liked it.

See a Flickr slideshow of all the exciting parts.

It really is a FrankenBike. It has no historic value. But It's kinda cool and I had a ton of miles on it in the olden days. Plus, I think I can't sell it for much, so I should have some fun, right?

But what to do? Whatever it is, it has to be cheap.
Commuter? But the downtube friction shifters are so....

• Tour bike? But then I'd want a lot of expensive changes....
• Single speed? I think all I need is a single speed BMX style freewheel.
• Fixie? But then don't I need a new rear wheel, or at least hub?

What should I do that's cheap and fun?