The rain has kept me from getting any preliminary photos, but the Brass Knuckle is ready for racing. The biggest problem now, of course, is that I still need to take my class to get approved to race there. The rain has kept me from doing so once, and they're predicting more rain for this weekend... Let's hope for the best.
In the meantime, here are some preliminary cellphone camera shots I took in the garage. The only thing I have yet to mount are the Continental Grand Prix 4000 tires, but otherwise I'm ready to start lapping.
I had the fine folks at RBM fit me Monday night by setting the seat position, stem length & height and pedal position.
Right now here's how the bike is equipped:
2007 EAI Brass Knuckle frame & fork (Aluminum)
Chris King headset
Deda Newton 100mm stem
3TTT Pista bars
Profile Design bar wrap
Look PP 246 pedals
(I have Look Keo Carbon pedals waiting for install)
Full Speed Ahead (FSA) Carbon Pro track crankset (165mm)
FSA Chainring (48 & 49 tooth)
Dura-Ace Cog (14 & 15 tooth)
FSA 290 aluminum seat post
Sella Italia SLR saddle
Veulta XRP fixed flip-flop wheelset
KMC 1/8" BMX chain
Custom vinyl graphics
I know this pales in comparison to what has happened in other parts of the country, but this is the worst flooding I have ever personally experienced. I have been unable to commute to work on the fixie this week because the rain just has not stopped falling. The bike trail I use for part of my journey (Campion Trail) is almost entirely under the Trinity River now, and numerous other intersections and side streets on my trip are also impassable.
Here's a teaser photo, and a link
to the rest of what I took this morning while driving in to the office.
My fixie commuter is
live on the Fixed Gear Gallery. Details are in the email I sent, which is on the posted page. Link is to the right as well.
Rain.
I'm hoping to do the Development Class at the Superdrome tomorrow, but with 80% chance of rain slated for today and tomorrow I won't be surprised if it is cancelled. I'll be depressed, but I won't be surprised. Still, you never know how the clouds will flow and it could be completely dry for the three hour class. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
On a related note, the
Brass Knuckle is progressing nicely. I installed the
FSA cranks and slipped in the rear wheel to check the chain line, but my vision is poor and I can't tell if its right or not. Its adjustable, so I mess with it once I have a chain to install and a proper 1/8"
cog. Once that is completed I can make an appointment to get fitted and finish the bike off with a stem. In the mail right now are a
Sella Italia seat an aluminum
FSA post.
Weather Update: Its supposed to rain with severe thunderstorms all day long today, and it is currently doing nothing. It rained earlier and then cleared, and now I'm just sitting here watching overcastness. All I can do is hope...
Fixie Pics
I'll post the link to FixedGearGallery once my little post goes live, but in the meantime here are some photos of my fixed gear commuter. Total cost to build was about $300.00, which includes lots of parts-bin-special pieces and on sale items. I'm averaging 180 miles per week on the fixie, plus additional miles on the
Pinarello and will soon be logging more miles on the
Brass Knuckle once I get it completed for the track. So, without further delay...
Feel free to "vote" on your favorite pic by leaving a comment.
I'll be taking my Development Class at the Superdrome this weekend. The class is 3 hours long and provides the ground work for riding and racing on the track. The 44 degree banking seems a little daunting, even compared to dragging knee at 100+, but I think I'll be able to get the hang of it! What started as a fun way to train became a great way to commute... and will now be progressing into racing. At the beginning of the year I swore I wouldn't get back into racing, but that only lasted 5 months (ok, maybe 6). Now my goal is to develop some monster quads so I can crush some egos and slaughter the field on Friday nights. That, of course, will take quite a bit of time. I know I'm going to be slow for quite awhile, but it looks like a lot of fun and I won't mind getting my ass handed to me for a
little while.
I'll post pics of the
Brass Knuckle as well. I took delivery on Thursday and it felt a lot like bringing a new race chassis into a shop for development work. Starting from a bare frame and building up necessary parts and equipment is fun! It isn't cheap, but it is incredibly rewarding and really makes me proud of what I have been working on for the last month and a half. Pics soon.
