I sold my old fixed wheel bike last year and have wanted another one ever since. So, last week on a day off work and with nothing better to do, I had a little rummage around my garage (my garage resembles a junk shop of old bikes...). I found an old fixed rear wheel and pulled my Dawes Shadow frame down, and started to build up a fixie bike. I built it with a flat bar just to ride it to work (a bike shop!). While at work I picked up a lovely set of drop bars which I fitted. So far this bike has cost me nothing. It really was built from parts I had laying around in the garage! Of course with fitting drop bars, I needed to find some bar tape. With the only rule I set myself was that the bike should cost me nothing, so I now needed to find some bar tape for free. I'm all for re-using old bar tape, but we didn't have any to hand. I searched around to see what I could use to tape the bars....then I figured out an answer - Cut the valve out from an old inner tube, then cut along the length, Voila, free bar tape! By the way, I have found that skinny racing bike tubes work best. Two wraps of that is enough to provide a comfortable handlebar, suitably hardwearing, waterproof and best of all, free!
Before anyone asks, no there are no brake levers fitted at the moment. As the bike is fixed, I slow my pedaling and the the bike slows, I stop pedaling the bike stops.... And here is the bike in all her glory. I'm going to build another front wheel for her as she needs something a bit prettier than the scrap front wheel fitted. I think this calls for a snowflake wheel or something....hmmmm....
I'm a 35 year old grumpy man, and as a bike mechanic and home owner, don't always have the money to keep up with my ever growing wish list of bikes. There's always room for one more bike in the garage though....