Just Derrik is a tumblelog.

Single speed: update #1

The last few weeks I’ve spend a couple of hours removing the unnecessary parts from my bike and brushing up and cleaning the metal parts with steel wool and Autosol. The brushing up and cleaning part is quite contagious to be honest. You put some love and labour into it, and it ends up looking as good as new. But don’t overdo it, you might end up with a case of tendinitis in one of your shoulders.

This is what the bike frame looks like all cleaned up and stripped. At first I wanted to repaint the bike, but after removing alI the damaged decals with thinner, I decided to keep it in its original state. The paint job on this bike is quite good and there are only a few rusty spots that needed taking care of. The paint has a nice metallic base, and it looks shiny as hell when sun shines on it.

I’ve already fitted Nitto RB-018 bullhorn bars on the original quill stem. They came from a British company called Hubjub. If you ever consider buying parts online I seriously recommend these guys. They’re fast and they don’t mind answering questions from a newbie.

At the moment I’m still waiting for the following parts to come in:

• Dia Compe 131 road levers
• Alu Silver seatpost
• Black Leader “Mordecai” Seat
• VO Black Leather Toe Straps
• VO Black Elkhide Chainstay Protecto
• Black Velox Rubber Screw-in Bar End Plugs

After that I’m putting the remaining parts and the wheels back on my bike and then I will convert it to a single speed. Looking forward to taking it for a spin!

Introducing: Project single speed

Lately I’ve been thinking of things to do that don’t involve a computer. I spend way to much time behind a computer trying to be “social” and “up to date” but it seems to have the opposite effect on me. Sometimes it just makes me feel a bit out of touch with reality. So I decided to take on a project that doesn’t actively involve a computer. I’m going to build a single speed bike.

Meet my new bicycle. I bought it a few weeks ago on a Dutch auction website. It’s a Koga Miyata vintage road bicycle. This bicycle was build somewhere in the eighties, a time when bicycle manufactures build bikes out of steel and steel alloys instead of using light materials like carbon. This bike was build with longevity in mind and it’s ideal for a single speed conversion.

I’m going to turn this bike into a minimal looking single speed. It’s apparently quite easy if you know what to do, and luckily there’s loads of information about single and fixed gear conversions on message boards and community sites. I might even learn a thing or two about bicycle maintenance, which might come in handy since bicycles are my means of transport on a daily basis.

I’m currently busy removing all the unnecessary stuff from the frame. I’ll show you the progress I’ve made in my next post about my little project.