Thruster Fixie Finished! And under budget as well.

Hello and Welcome,
Things have been hectic around here these past few weeks. We are having one bath-room fixed-up and another completely remodeled. And in the midst of all this my wife's car broke-down. So between cleaning-up after the tradesmen and dealing with the car, there has been little time for this project. So after the first bath was finished the builder needed a week to line-up the tradesmen. And we decided to park the car for a while. This gave me most of this week to take care of some other things.

I have been very eager to see what the new Origin 8 1/8 Single Crank-Set would look like on the Thruster. So let us pick it up the project there.

Above: First step is to loosen the rear axle so we can move it forward.

Above: After removing the dust cap I remove the crank retaining bolt. I do not use an extension on the ratchet. And I use the smaller ratchet. For me this makes it easier to keep the socket snug on the bolt head. I don`t want to round off the bolt head by letting the socket slide off while putting torque to the ratchet. It is equally important that the socket have the same number of points as the retaining bolt head.

Above: Here after removing the retaining bolt I have threaded the crank puller tool into the crank. I am very careful not to cross thread this. To avoid cross threading I start screwing it into place by hand. I put this in snug but not over-tightened.

Above: Now I have moved the wrench handle out to the nut on the threaded post. As I thread this in using the wrench handle it will contact the end of the bracket axle or spline. As I tighten the post, it will pull the crank off the spline. I also have a Park tool crank puller. But on the Park the handle is fixed so it can not be used to screw the tool into to crank. And you can not remove the wrench handle and change the position to get better torque on the wrench. I would say "in my opinion" the Park tool is very well built. But the Sun-lite wrench again "in my opinion" is a better design. UPDATE: Removing a badly frozen crank set on another bike I damaged the Sun Lite crank puller. I had to hit it (crank puller handle) with a hammer to break the crank loose from the spindle. I do not think any puller would have stood up to that much abuse. It does still work but with the threaded spindle now slightly bent, it does not thread in easily. As I mentioned I was able to remove the frozen crank. The Sun Lite crank puller "took one for the team."

Above: When I installed the new Single crank. it went on a little too easy for my liking. So I removed the Crank. I then took it out to the shop to check the bottom bracket splines I had on hand for a match. I found one I liked so I went back in and removed the bottom bracket spindle or axle. I compared the two for length then checked the bearings to see that they rode on the spline the same. After I re-assembled the bottom bracket it was actually smoother than the original. So I went ahead and installed the new crank. The arm on the left side removes exactly the same way as the drive side. I did not expect I would find such a perfect spline or bracket-axle match. Sometimes it`s better to be lucky than smart.

Above: A close-up of the new Origin 8 crank and a look at the new Avenir ultralight pedals with old style toe-clips and straps. I think the new crank looks great! And I still think the Avenir pedals are the most bang for your buck you will find anywhere.

Above: I have chosen to re-use the stock saddle. I like the narrow nose and the over-all design. But of course the real test will be the feel after a decent ride. Not that I am planning any extended fixed gear rides. But you never know. Also you can see the micro adjust seat post is installed. As those of you who have followed this blog for a while already know. A micro adjust seat post is one of the best "inexpensive" up-grades you will ever make. Not only better "performance wise" but it looks 100% better too. And I`m not even going to say "in my opinion" It is simply "better".

Above: Being that I have no brake levers to tape around, I used these extra pieces of cork handlebar tape to create a little more padding. I have used these type bars on about three or four bikes now. So I know this lack of padding has been a problem area for me in the past. I have also done this on the flats of drop handlebars and found it works fairly well. In this pic the front brake is mounted "just to check for fit". I will remove it and give it the full treatment latter.

Above: I taped the bars in the modern way, from the bar end towards the center or stem. Usually the end of a flop and chop handlebar is not perfectly round. So be prepared to work a little bit to get the plugs in place. You might even want to go to a smaller pronged plug. In this case I was able to use the plugs that came with the tape. But I did have to snip off a few burs on the prong side of one of the plugs.

Above: I have borrowed some of the bits (small parts) off the original side pull caliper brake to dress-up this old caliper brake a little. I am using the acorn nuts and barrel adjuster and the shoes. I will now remove the brake and take it apart and polish the whole thing.

Above: Every original part of the brake caliper has been cleaned-up. As always I used Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish on the cast alloy arms and Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover on the steel. And the small pieces were brass brushed with a fine brass wheel brush on the low-speed drill. I only did the assembly in the house, the brass brushing and polishing was done in the shop.

Above: Here the caliper brake is re-mounted on the bike, complete with smudge marks from my greasy hands. Now it is time to run the Jag Wire Basics brake cable and cut the cable housing.

Above: The barrel shaped end of the cable fits into the corresponding hole in the inner ARTEK brake lever. If you look closely you can see I have not lined up the grooves or slots in the barrel adjuster and nipple.

Above: Here with the slots lined up I am able to swing the brake cable into place. Once in place I screw the barrel adjuster in so the slots no longer line up. You always want the adjusters screwed in all the way when you install the cables. This is so you will have plenty of adjustment to work with latter on when the cable stretches or your Jag Wire brake shoes wear down.

Above: After I have cut a piece of cable housing to length, I check the cut end for obstructions with a small nail or wire. In this case I did have to cut off a little bur with my diagonal cutting pliers. And before running the new cable through I gave the inner housing one drop of cable oil. (one drop because it is a very short cable)

Above: Here with the cable properly connected at the lever, I route the cable through the housing. Then down through the caliper adjuster and through the cable clamp or anchor. I hold the brake caliper closed with one hand then pull the slack out of the cable. Before I tighten the cable anchor, I check to see that my cable is inserted into the barrel adjusters at both ends. If it all looks good, I just tighten the anchor bolt. Then test the brake. There are cable pullers available that will make this job easier for you. (if needed)

Above: Once I have tested the brake and checked both ends of the cable and I am satisfied with the amount lever pull. It is time to trim off the excess cable. I like to use this particular pair of pliers / side cutters. You will probably want to use bicycle cable cutters.

Above: After trimming off the excess cable length you will want to use a Jag Wire Cable End Crimps right away. If you are a beginner, you might want to leave a little extra length, just in case you have to make an adjustment latter. Then when you are 100% positive all is well, you can cut-off some more excess cable.

Above: Because I like the cable routing better, I chose to install my front "and only" brake lever on the right side. If you are accustomed to it being on the left side you might want to just go with that. Even if you have to relocate the lever position to do so. NOTE: Rear Breaking is done by skidding the rear tire. Check-out the "Video(s) of the Week" section to see how to properly skid your fixed gear bike.

Above: Finally the Greenfield kick stand. I know some do not like them. But for my needs it works out fine. If your friends tease you, you can always remove it latter. Personally, I almost never worry about what other people think. I have seen people really stress-out over what other people will think of them. That is no way to go through life.

Above: Drive side view. All finished and on budget. CORRECTION I make it to be $191.50 not including taxes and delivery. But there is one other thing to consider and I will get to that in a minute.

Above: A view from the front left side. I can`t wait to get some pics of this bike outside.

Left: A view from the front. I`m thinking about removing or modifying the graphics.

Above: Here is the other thing to consider. What is the value of these take-offs? I will use most of this stuff eventually. Except for the plastic grips that I cut-off with a Stanley Quick Slide utility knife. And there is also a good set of handlebars that no doubt have some value. So all things considered, I would say a conservative value of the take-offs is 30.00 . Subtracting the 30.00 the build Total Cost is $161.50 (not including taxes and shipping). (Take-Offs : New parts removed for upgrade or personal preference)

Above: Just before the Holidays I picked-up this rolling tool box. I thought it would be handy when I need to take some tools on the road with me. It has already worked-out well for bringing tools in the house. That's when I have some "not so dirty work" that I can do indoors. BELOW: The bike as new from the store

I was so bloody tired when I wrote this, that I forgot to close. So Until Next Time, Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE RESTORE & RECYCLE!
Cheers, Hugh

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Cheers, Hugh