Equipment
| Frame & Fork: | 61cm Centurion Lemans (steel frame) |
| Crankset: | Some cheapo road cranks from a used bin probably. |
| Chainring: | 44t Messenger style chainring (messenger because it says so!) |
| Stem & Handlebar: | Probably from the recycled cycles used bins |
| Seatpost: | It's silver |
| Chain: | It's yellow :) |
| Brakes: | Long reach brakes for 700c wheels |
| Saddle: | Not entirely sure, but this is another old saddle I got from Tacoma Bike back a few years ago. |
| Water Bottle Cages: | Cages strapped on with automotive hose clamps. |
Front Wheel:
| Rim: | Mavic Open Sport |
| Hub: | Surly |
| Tires: | Conti Ultra |
Rear Wheel:
| Rim: | Velocity Deep V |
| Hub: | Shimano XT Front Mountain Bike Disc Brake Hub |
| Cog: | Tommy Cog custom made 16t cog |
| Tires: | Specialized Roubaix |
Personal Stories about this bike
This is my super ultra-hip fixie bike. Actually, when I first bought it, it was this hunk of junk centurion with stem shifters and all. I did a little tour of Oregon with this bike wayyy back in 2007 and rode it all the way from Roseburg to Ashland and back (2 rides total) both in one day in a time when I didn't believe in using Chamois cream! That was painful.
Then I converted it to a fixie after buying an identical but maroon Centurion frame. All of the old parts were transferred to the maroon frame with the help of my friend Rodrick up in Seattle and the task to build it up commenced. I had won a pair of wheels for coming in 2nd at the Dead Baby Downhill Messenger Challenge that year and was gonna build it up to be a fixie because I felt like a bit of a loser competing in alleycats with a road bike, it just wasn't legit.
I first started out with this wheelset and was riding something like 84 gear inches. However, one day I was attempting to descend 15th Ave in Tacoma entirely brakeless all skidding and I was skidding so hard that the lockring popped out and I started coasting down the hill and stopped ironically right outside the Marcato! I had heard from my evil laser-building friend Robin that some people instead have bolt-on cogs for the rear that are a much stronger setup. So I went in and had Tacoma Bike build up a custom rear wheel as described.
The very first ride I did with the bolt-on cog I was heading down Pacific Ave past the courthouse. I could sense the Tacoma Streetcar traveling beside me. The streetcar is approaching it's special phase where it gets a green and everything else except the crosswalk from the Art Museum gets a red. I am approaching said crosswalk at speed and there are 3 women entering the crosswalk. I immediately go into a skid and make a 90 degree turn leveling out flush with the crosswalk where I proceed to bike up the ramp following the streetcar past the stop on 15th back to my office. I knew that it was a truly solid setup from then on. This bike has been on many a drunken evening ride and numerous alleycats, the last one of which was the Alleycat from last September put on by 2nd Cycle where I came in first!
I am honestly not sad to see this bike go. It is from a bygone era in my life where I was trying to be cool, but I am not such a purist because I believe in technology and thus freewheels and derailleurs. It's just hard on the knees riding this bike, but it was a fun ride.
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