FIXEDBEARFTL Bike blog!

Gay Pride, and Wesboro Babtist Church!

2009-04-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know that is this a bike blog, but check this shit out.

So I went to the Fort Lauderdale Gay Pride, and as we were pulling in, GUESS WHO was greating us as we were coming in? The "GOD HATES FAGS" assholes from the Wesboro Baptist Church. Now, if non you out there have ever heard of these loonies, you would be discusted to know what these people do and say.

Not just to people from the G.L.B.T. community, but to pretty much everyone.

These people are so fucking sick, that it really is like looking into the eyes of evil when you see how these people act.

I have been out and proud for most of my life. I could care less if you approve of my life or not. But it makes me so sick to know that these assholes can go to these events that are all about celebrating, and attempt to fuck it all up, and hurt people the way they do.

When it comes to these people, even if you dont approve of gay life, one cannot help but to feel something for the people that are being so verbally abused by these people.

For me, and by crew, this didnt phase me at all. But things like this actually makes WANT to by a Hummer.......So I could mow these motherfuckers DOWN!!!!

Project: Schwinn Le Tour 3

2009-04-05T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is by far the fastest build I have ever done. I bought this bike in a yard sale this morning for $30.00. By 3pm, the bike is almost done as you can see in the pictures. I still need to do some final touches like the pedals, and a good cleaning.

So here are some pics from the build, hope you like it!

New and Old Projects

2009-02-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

So I know I havent posted in some time. But I have been so busy with things that believe it or not, the internet has been something that I simply didnt have time for......arg. But, I would like to give some news when it comes to the bikes I have been working on.

Currently, I handed away the Chubei to a nice girl that wanted a project to work on. The bike was sized to fit her perfectly, and she was very happy with it. I wish her the best of luck on her new project.

I did in the other hand, come across a lucky find. Now, If you read this blog, you will know that Hybrid bikes are one of the types I like to work with simply because for me, the ride is much better. So while out and about, I came across a Peugeot US Express hybrid frame in a dumpster new where I hang out for java. I quickly pulled the frame out, and ran home with my coffee buzz and started to strip it. Its not in bad shape, and it will be a fun project to work on. For some reason, I really enjoy building up Hybrid2FIX.

Project consideration: Chubei

2009-01-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine gave me this bike, because he was too swamped with projects as well. So not sure if I should work on it right away, or just put it on the side for later on. The bike is about a 56cm, so it is too bike for me to ride. So gonna have to think about it, or find a but that would like it as a finished project.

New Project Vista Carrera 7!

2009-01-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

Funny, the same day I finished the Schwinn Mesa Runner, I went out to find a couple of things at the local Flea Market. I came across this Vista Carrera 7 for sale ( what is it with me a red bikes? ). I was able get this bike for a simple $20.00. So keep in touch for more details!

Schwinn Mesa Runner Completed!

2009-01-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

Bike Hipsters suck!

2008-12-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

So I was getting ready to take the train from work when I happen to come across this chick with straight black hair sitting on the bench waiting for the bus. Obviously, the chick was not what interested me, it was the fixed gear she had.
I didnt get a chance to take a pic of it to post on here, and actually glad I didnt, even though it was a very nice, shiny, clean, not a scratch, probably wiped with a diaper daily ride.
I approached her and said " That one nice fixed gear", her response was " I know".......at that point I already knew what the response was going to be to my next question. I asked her " Listen, do you mind if I take a picture of your bike to put on my bike blog?"........She looked at me, up and down, and said the following " uh, like, I dont think so, besides, looking at you, you look like you dont need a picture of a bike, you like, you need to get on one, and drop the donuts."
I was not surprised at all about the attitude, but I happened to notice something as I moved closer at the back wheel. So......I responded back.
" Oh thank you for your wonderful observation, do you mind if I make one or two of my own? Just because you have a bike that looks like a fixie, BUT PACKING A COASTER BRAKE, or hell, even if you were riding a fixie, doesnt justify your attitude you stupid bitch. And OH by the way, love the msgr bag, especially when it matches your hardcore bike scene FLIP FLOPS!
I seriously cant stand the fact that Bike Hipster wanna make themselves to be soooooooooo fucking hot shit. And they feel that they have such a rebellious attitude to the world just because they ride a fixed gear bike...or...... in this stupid bitches case....a coaster brake road bike. Now, im not saying there is anything wrong with a road bike with a coaster brake. But I am saying, it IS wrong with this bitch and her fucking attitude.
I seriously think that those of us out there, that TRULY love to ride these bike and are not doing it for IMAGE reasons, really need to step up to the plate and deal with these knock offs. Because frankly, im getting REALLY tired of this bullshit. This is ONE of the reasons I dont do bike gatherings anymore, done with the "one up" attitude of the bikes, and the " cooler than you, look at my fixie" retards that end up going to them.

Image by: Animajor Fun!

Pussy ass motherfuckers!!!

2008-12-29T20:51:00.000-08:00

So my hubby was sleeping and I was in the mood for some coffee. Here in Fort Lauderdale there is a neighborhood called Wilton Manors. Wilton Manors is one of the top Gay populated cities in the country per square mile under New York and San Francisco. The main gay strip is Wilton Drive, where all the gay bars and businesses are at. I live just a couple of blocks in from the main strip. There is very heavy bike activity on the strip, and its very bike friendly.

I decided to head out to my favorite coffee shop on the strip called Java Boys. Just before getting to the strip, 4 black guys in a beige Crown Victoria, drives up behind me with the lights off. About 20 feet behind me, they turn on their lights, and hit the gas. They pull up beside me and start yelling "DIE FAGGOT!", turns the wheel, hits me on the side of the bike to the point I almost landed on the roof of the car, and made me head on to the side of an SUV the was in a bar parking lot.

My head hit dead on to the glass of the SUV and got banged up, thank god I have some Vicadines here in the house to help me out with the hurt. They drove off, and I had a group of guys come up and helped me out. Security called it in to the Wilton Manors cops which has "0" Tolerance to hate crimes in Wilton Manors. Luckily for me, there was very little done to the bike, luckily I build the bike to be tuff as nails, and can take one hell of a beating if need be.

All in all, tonight didnt bring me down at all, im not built like that. If anything, I wish those pussy ass motherfuckers would have gotten out of the car. I would have loved to have shown them fucking getto rats what this "fag" built to take a beating from pavement and steel can do to them. Im fucking latino, and we latinos dont let shit like that slide.

Im going to keep riding, and im going to keep and eye open for that Crown Vic. And if, and when I do see them again, they are going to get one hell of a surprise.

The modern day ECO Rat Rods!

2008-12-29T05:28:00.000-08:00

Nowadays in the Fixed Gear scene, it seems that alot of people are trying their hardest to get the best track frames, the best wheels, the best parts, and ride around looking like they broke. Why spend so much money to express your individuality and style a bike?
To me, the best bikes are the ones with the cheapest parts, some parts, sometimes handmade. And bikes that dont have a fresh coat of pain on it, but decorated in other ways. For example, I once saw a bike, that the frame was covered in recycled brown bags. The best thing about these types of bikes I found, truly express the individuality of the rider. It can tell a story, express a point of view, and sometimes just be flat out weird. It would be great to see people take this form of bike expression into consideration when building. Because I know that a bike that is creative and built in an inexpensive way, catches my eye faster than a high end shiny fixed gear thats cleaned everyday after riding.

Vintage Cycling Poster

2008-12-28T22:31:00.000-08:00

Road Bike Fitting

2008-12-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

Alot of people are not aware just how important it is to properly fit your bike. Here is a quick video on how to do it.

Top 11 most bike friendly cities in the world.

2008-12-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

1. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, a.k.a. the bike capital of the world, has 40% of all traffic movements by bicycle. They have created a bicycle friendly city that promotes a healthier, more active lifestyle for its residents. An extensive network of safe, fast and comfortable bicycle routes has been developed, the road safety of cyclists has been increased, a
theft-prevention program was set up as well as the number of bicycle sheds increased.

2. Portland, Oregon, USA
Portland has a varied bicycle network that connects all parts of the city. This network has proven successful in dramatically increasing bicycle use. Portland also has a strong bicycle culture where all types of cyclists can find opportunities to enjoy riding a bicycle. Portland's Create-a-Commuter program is the first project in the United States that provides low-income adults with commuter bicycles as well as a session on commuter safety. The bikes come outfitted with lights, a lock, a helmet, a pump, tool kits, maps and rainwear.

3. Copenhagen, Denmark
The city with the sixth-highest quality of life in the world is also home to the world's most successful community bicycle program. In Denmark practically everybody has a bike, and for many years Copenhagen has been known as 'the city of bikes'. The city of Copenhagen plans to double its spending on biking infrastructure over the next three years.

4. Boulder, Colorado, USA
Great public programs that help promote safe biking and encourage its use such as Boulder Safe Routes to School pilot program. One school reported that 75 percent of their students walked or biked to school — a 620 percent increase from before the pilot. More than 4,000 people participate in Boulder’s Bike to Work Day.

5. Davis, California, USA
This small city of 65,000 people has over 100 miles of bike lanes and bike paths. 17% of Davis residents commute to work on bicycles.

6. Sandnes, Norway
In 1990 the government decided to start a 4-year pilot bicycle project in order to reduce car traffic and Sandnes was chosen to be one of two pilot towns. The two main goals of the project were to make the town more friendly for cyclists as well as to make more people use the bicycle. The campaign has continued well past the 4 year mark and Today Sandnes has the best facilities for cyclists in Norway.

7. Trondheim, Norway
Yes, Norway is 6th and 7th on the list! They have invented the worlds first Bicycle Lift (Trampe) which actually has become one of Trondheims most popular tourist attractions and has become a success.

8. San Francisco, California
San Francisco is the second most densely populated major city in the U.S, so a core bicycle system is key here and it also is consistently ranked by Bicycling Magazine as a top city for cycling. Bicycling is a popular mode of transportation in San Francisco, with about 40,000 residents commuting to work regularly by bicycle.

9. Berlin, Germany
Berlin is the country's largest city, and the second most populous city in the European Union. In Berlin where less than half of residents own a car, it has become downright common to ride a bike every day.

10. Barcelona, Spain
On March 22, 2007, Barcelona's City Council started the Bicing service, a bicycle service for public transport. Once the user has their card, they can take a bicycle from any of the 100 stations spread around the city and use it anywhere the urban area of the city, and then leave it at another station.

11. Basel, Switzerland
The City of Basel is surrounded by a rich agricultural region where fruit trees and grapevines are cultivated and cattle are raised making for beautiful countryside bike tours with clearly-marked networks of bicycle routes and paths that criss-cross both the city as well as the surrounding region.

How to save space and be practical with all your fixies.

2008-12-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a little tip that might help you in saving space for your multiple bikes. I`ll tell you right now, I had a shit load of bikes all over my place. From projects, to complete bikes, and it was getting to me bigtime. So I decided to do things a little different, and it saved me alot of money in the long run.
What I decided to do, was build all my bike using the same pair of wheels. The reason for this was so the bike frames already set up with the proper chain length, could be stacked away, and have the current bike im riding with the wheels. If I want to ride a differrent one, all I do is remove the wheels from the existing bike, pull the frame I wanna ride, place the wheels on them, and go.
I big advantage to this, is that you wont need to spend hundreds of dollars on wheels for so many bikes. And, it will save you ALOT of space. I would keep an extra pair around just in case a bud need a bike to ride. But I will say, this has been a HUGE help in saving me space, and keeping my place look good, and not a bike shop.

How to make your own single speed or fixie bike crank.

2008-12-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

Amazing concept bikes found online

2008-12-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

A picture of us.

2008-12-28T15:15:00.001-08:00

If some of you might be wondering what we look like, here we are at one of our watering holes. I am the one on the right, hubby ( Albert ) is on the right.

We have been together now going onto 18 years together. And I cannot imagine my life without him.

Great deals to be found at Flea Markets!

2008-12-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

I came across this deal yesterday when I hit a Flea Market that I have never been to. Found this 80`s Cannondale in near perfect condition for $15.00. I am not sure if this is going to be a project though. I have a good friend that is wanting a bike, and he is going through rough times due to the economy. The bike is just about right in size so, im just going to give it to him.

Vintage images of fixie riders.

2008-12-28T14:37:00.001-08:00

Vintage fixie!

2008-12-28T14:33:00.001-08:00

I think that I am going hunting for new project bike, and turn it into a vintage fixie like this one. There is just something about the look of these bikes that really make you apreciate them!

Current project: Schwinn Mesa Runner

2008-12-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

So I came across this Schwinn Mesa Runner at the Swap Shop in Sunrise Fl. I paid 10 bucks for the bike. Now I know that there are alot of people out there that are so about the track frames. But I tend to work with whatever I can find. Sometime they work, sometimes they don`t.

The frame is in near perfect condition. It was set up as a hybrid, so most of the parts did not work for what I was doing. I was able to get most everything off, except the dreaded STUCK STEM!!! AARRRGGGG!!! I fucking hate it when this happends!!!

I wasnt even going to try, this really is not the type of bike you would try to spend too much time working on. I am able to make the cranks work though, so lets see what happends.