London Fixed-gear and Single-speed SJS Cycles

So i am at my Mrs parents place in Normandy at the mo, and have spent the last couple of days scouring the local Brocantes for some bargains, and today i picked up this beauty. Its a Mercier 300 from the early 70's, specced up very nicely, with an awesome Violet/Chrome finish. It runs beautifully, and is in great nick apart from needing some new tyres. The place i got it from had about 10 bikes worth a punt, including 4 Peaugot and a couple of Motobecane Mixte's for 15 Euros each! The mercier was a bit more, but not much . . its running Stronglight 93 chainset, and simplex prestige gears, and some nice Campag hubs

Anyway i was wondering if any of you lot can help me out identifying the Campag hubs?

Which gruppo?

Haha it's absolutely fine to use it as an example for making a particular point but just to clarify it was a tongue in cheek response to the post above it.

That is all :)

Look like Chorus Record usally have a little black band.

campagnolo centaur alloy.

nearly there, just got to weld it all up.

interesting

Why do you need the original downtube?

Possibly the ugliest bike I have ever seen, but looks like it would be awesome to ride.

for the BB?

Is this what your trying to achieve!?

Yeah but everything has a purpose. It's well thought out and designed so if you don't like the appearance of it, you have to admire the practicality and purpose of the machine.

You can't just say it looks ugly.....wtf.

@ VV nice score dude. New project?

not really no more tubes,etc to add.

The guy I'm buying the frame off is sorting me out with a gates carbon belt drive kit, at a smidge over cost. Its being shipped with the frame and the cost may mistakenly be omitted from the declaration to get it past Mrs Smallfurry (I mean customs of course).

This bike should be a blast to ride.

- handbuilt steel frame with 29er geometry from from some of the most experianced guys in the world of single speed and big wheel off-roading.

- Rigid carbon fork for light weight and predictable handling.

- Hope pro II singlespeed hubs for strong dishless wheels, laced 3x with DT revolution spokes to NoTubes ZTR 355 rims, wearing tubeless tyres (Crow rear, Raven front).

- Gates carbon belt drive.

I'm seriously excited about this one!
Mines a small and has a metal flaked white paint job, but the finished bike should'nt be a million miles from this one.

i'd love one of those ^

^ looks like a blast to ride.

What if he really thinks it´s ugly? why is he not allowed?

because it's Scott's bike! ;)

Of course I can. I could call it pengy if I wished. This is no slight on Scott or the practicality of the bike.

I can confirm that Scott's brooklyn is beautiful, hideous, practical and ridiculous in equal and liberal measures.

On his lights: I remember commenting as we flew through the suffolk countryside at 4am with him a few metres behind me, that it was like being followed by a car.

Where aesthetics are concerned you can say what you want. Scott said himself that he's not going to argue with opinions.

in contrast, this was my DD setup:

I thought you meant cos i was going "BBBBRRRMMMMMM" the whole time? :)

that was you? I thought it was tricity's hill-climbing noise :-)

Don't forget though, i was planning to ride back too had my Garmin not died...and i was carrying some stuff for two people also. :)

yeah right, those linda mccartney sausages took up about 4 litres of space at least

Does people not used map that made from trees anymore??

Scott I must says, don't you think you have taken too much stuff? granted I has yet to do the DD, but you seemed to be the only one I saw going OTT with luggage!

Tree Murderer!

no map, just a route sheet.

I was carrying:
front light
2 cheese and pickle sandwiches (brown bread)
half a fruit cake
3 gel packs (one exploding one)
2 large energy bars
tools, tubes, patches, spare batteries etc
2 rear lights
2 bananas
1.5 litres of water
arm warmers
leg warmers
gilet / waterproof
swimming trunks
pump + 2 CO2 cartridges
spare light bracket
phone / cash / cigarettes / keys

I like your bike Fred.

job done


:/

@Fred,

Yours is the only bike with White Tyres I like .... I didn't think that was possible.

:)

you should see it when it's clean!

i bet it's reet easy to wheelie with all that weight over the back :)

Like i said...i was supposed to be riding back too and i was carrying some stuff for two people.
I used every bit of clothing i had after Rosie and I got soaked on the beach and needed to wear dry, warm clothes for the return journey.
The saddle bag had all the clothes, flask, wet wipes, spare energy drink powder....the frame bags had energy gels, energy bars, spare tubes for two people, full tool kit.
I also really wanted to test these bags properly...having done the DD before, and knowing how i burn calories and how cold i get, i wasn't about to run out of food or dry clothes again like i did in 2007.
I'd rather carry too much stuff than not enough every time.

What was the weather like for it this year?

( i'm in Gloucestershire )

awesome until right near the end when it pissed it down....the main part at night was beautiful....so warm.
Compared to 2 yrs ago it couldn't have been more different.

I'd like to ride next years Dynamo I think.

I did the Exmouth Exodus this year ( shocking rain - proper monsoon, then cold from 4am ). It was hell... but I got a taste for night riding.

Let hope there'll be another heat wave next year, especially on the DD!

What did you use to attach the bottle holder on that katana's down tube?

Looks like a clamp-on cage. You can buy them from wiggle.

yep clamp-on cage mount - also available in condor.

the reason i really like the post mounted rack / bag is that i can attach / detach the whole affair - and keep it ready for the next time I plan* to do a long ride

* i don't plan long rides, I decide at the last minute....

where did you get the seatpost mounted rack fred? does it come with the bag?

quite a handful of LBS stock them, like Evans for instance, they're usually designed for MTB I think.

cool.. I've got a carradice on the way and I'll see how that works out before I consider going down the seatpost rack route

Fred, I just need to ask . . . Swimming trunks!??

to swim in the sea, dunwhich is on the coast!

Not true, I saw fred using them to entertain the feed stop queue with a saucy dance routine.

little more welding.