The Flandria Fixed Gear (Fixie) Conversion Project - Custom Leather Handlebars

In an effort to make the bike look completely custom. I used the same leather from the seat to also cover the handlebars. This was actually much easier than I thought. I am not going to do much of a detailed write-up because this is much easier to learn by watching a video. And this is the one I recommend:

Here are the main things to remember:

• Start at the end of the bar and work to the middle. (This prevents tape slipping)
• Do not use tape with a sticky side or add glue to the tape because you will need to constantly be re-adjusting (the leather needs a lot of stretching and re-positioning to avoid wrinkles)
• Leave a 1/2" - 1/4" hanging off the end. You may need to trim some excess so it will fit in the bar end.
• Use electrical tape to finish and make sure to keep good tension will wrapping.

Step 1 - Background, Disassemble

Step 2 - Frame Painting

Step 3 - Handlebar & Fork Assembly

Step 4 - Gearing (Gear Ratio)

Step 5 - Wheels and Hubs

Step 6 - Custom Leather Saddle

Step 7 - Custom Leather Handlebars

The Flandria Fixed Gear (Fixie) Conversion Project - Custom Leather Saddle

The bike had the original Italian leather saddle that had seen much better days. Plus the rest of the bike is custom-made so I can't just put on a purchased bike saddle. So I decided to recover the old seat. I did a good internet search and found quite a few resources. It looked easy enough so I went for it.








A great site about custom handlebar tape and bike saddles - has some great ideas here.
An Instructables Guide about re-covering leather bike saddles. I basically followed dead on 9make sure to read the comments for some extra tips)
Another Instructable Guide about bicycle saddles and equally helpful

So here are some pictures and tips that I picked up while making mine.

1. The best place to get leather is an Upholstry store. They have a great selection and often a bunch of scrap pieces that will be big enough for a bicylce saddle. I originally was going to just go straight black leather, but once I saw this distressed leather with paisleys I was sold.

2. It is best to use the old cover as a template. If not, just trace around the saddle and error on the side of too much material. You will probably need to trim as you go anyways.

3. All bike saddles are built a bit different. You want to start by securing the leather to the nose of the saddle. I used staples right into the hard plastic case. This seemed to work well. The trick is to keep folding and stretching the leather till it looks smooth around the front. Then put in a couple more staples into the nose to hold down the folds.

4. Sand off any glue that is left on the cushion part of the saddle. Then clean it well and apply spray adhesive to the whole seat. Follow the directions on the can (you have to wait 30 seconds for it to get sticky)


5. Starting at the nose, stretch and smooth the leather as you work towards the back of the saddle. Pull the leather around the sides and trim. You want about a 1/2" of over hang so that you have enough of a surface to glue but not too much or it will create big folds.

6. Using contact cement, work your way front to back gluing the leather to the underside of the saddle. This worked pretty well for the sides, but the rear area needed staples.

7. The most difficult part are the corners, you will need to fold, stretch and then staple the leather. Work your way from each side and finish at the center. Try several times and keep checking that the top of the saddle looks smooth.

8. Let the saddle dry for a few days.

Coming up next....Custom handle bar tape from the same leather.

Step 1 - Background, Disassemble

Step 2 - Frame Painting

Step 3 - Handlebar & Fork Assembly

Step 4 - Gearing (Gear Ratio)

Step 5 - Wheels and Hubs

Step 6 - Custom Leather Saddle

Step 7 - Custom Leather Handlebars

The Flandria Fixed Gear (Fixie) Conversion Project - Gearing

The proper gearing is the biggest decision that you are going to have to make when making a fixed gear bike. And the best way to make this decision is on a multi-speed bike. Go ride where you plan to ride your fixed gear and try to ride around in different gear combinations till you find the one you like the best. Once you agree on the gear ratio you liked the best write it down (# of teeth on front crank - # of teeth on rear sprocket).

The other way to figure out what gears you want in the front and back is to use a specific Gear Ratio or Gain Ratio (good article by The Sheldon Brown).

Gear Ratio (old way, common, not universal but close enough) is pretty simple : # of teeth on front crank / # of teeth on rear sprocket. This measurement requires that when comparing bikes with the same Gear Ratio they also have to have the same wheel and crank size. And this is not always true. So then came along the Gain Ratio (more accurate, but not really needed since the change is usually only a few percent difference between bikes)


EX: 52 teeth on chain ring, 19 teeth on rear sprocket = 52/19 = 2.75 Gear Ratio.

Now a lot of people will ask what ratio they should use. This is not easily answered because it is based on fitness level, riding terrain and style. (That is why I suggest my multi-speed test above). But here is a general guideline for Gear Ratios (The lower the Gear Ratio the easier to pedal):

• Hilly or Cruising (when you want more style than speed) - 2.5- Speed at 80 RPM = 16 MPH
• Average (some hills, some flat, cruising, BMX) - 2.75 - Speed at 80 RPM = 17 MPH
• Super Flat (or City Riding with big acceleration) - 3.00 - Speed at 80 RPM = 19 MPH

And if this is all too much math for you use the web program I use to calculate Gear Ratio - Rabbit

Once you choose your Gear Ratio then you have to decide what chain ring to use. Since 36/12 and 45/15 both give you a Gear Ratio of 3. But SIZE MATTERS. Big Chain Ring - Less wear on chain and sprocket, but a bit heavier than a Smaller Chain Ring.

I went with a 52 - 19 (Gear Ratio of 2.75) as this allows me to ride around downtown and still get up the hills to North Park.

Next Post will be about how to install the proper cog onto your rear wheel or hub.

Step 1 - Background, Disassemble

Step 2 - Frame Painting

Step 3 - Handlebar & Fork Assembly

Step 4 - Gearing (Gear Ratio)

Step 5 - Wheels and Hubs

Step 6 - Custom Leather Saddle

Step 7 - Custom Leather Handlebars

The Flandria Fixed Gear (Fixie) Conversion - Assembly

Assembly was much easier for this bike than in the past because I remembered to take a lot of pictures. And I kept each grouping of parts in their own bags so I don't get the small parts mixed up.

These older bikes have some great chrome and were easily cleaned. I used the Oxalic Acid (wood bleach in the hardware store) bath as I described in the Huffy Build.
The headset was pretty easy to install as long as you have everything in the right order. I'm liking the look of the raw steel, it gives the bike a nice vintage look.

My next goal was to cut the handlebars. I wanted to have a stripped down look to the bike. Plus there is no need to use the drop bars on a single speed. I'm using this bike strictly for cruising around downtown. I used a simple hacksaw and a vice. It gave me a pretty good cut and went through easily. I'm going to tape the ends so it doesn't need to be perfect.

This bike has a fixed cup bottom bracket. First, start with putting a healthy portion of grease in each cup and pressing in all the bearings. They should stick in there pretty firmly. Next make sure that you insert the spindle the correct way. See the picture below. There is one sire that is a bit longer than the other. This must go toward the crank side. Next, screw the cups on with a big adjustable wrench. That will not get it tight enough. And if you try you may ruin the wrench flats. The next part can be a pain unless you have some specific tools. There are three ways I know:
1. Buy the right tool from a shop.
2. Use a good vice and make sure the wrench flats are tightly secured. You need to keep the bike level or you will strip the flats. Do not over tighten, check to make sure the spindle turns freely but does not rock side to side. (My method)
3. You can make a Fixed Cup tool, described on Sheldon Brown's site.

The next tricky part is the cotter pin cranks. Refer to the original post for removal tips. To install push through and make sure to line up the flat side of the spindle with the flat side of the pin. Once in place give a nice firm tap with a hammer to set or use a press. Then screw on the cotter pin nut until tight. If the threads were damaged during removal you may be able to cut off the damaged part with a hacksaw and still have enough threads. The nut is not supposed to hold the crank on, the friction fit does that. It is just a safety measure so you your crank doesn't fall off. I also suggest after your first ride that you try to tight the cotter pin nut again.

 Next, I will be finishing the drive train. I asked for a 19 tooth fixed cog and chain for X Mas.

Step 1 - Background, Disassemble

Step 2 - Frame Painting

Step 3 - Handlebar & Fork Assembly

Step 4 - Gearing (Gear Ratio)

Step 5 - Wheels and Hubs

Step 6 - Custom Leather Saddle

Step 7 - Custom Leather Handlebars

The Flandria Fixed Gear (Fixie) Conversion Project - Frame and Fork

Alright so I have the bike completely disembled and it looks ugly. This frame started out white and is now a nice light brown. It also had some spots of bright orange. How you ask, it was in the crossfire of a paintball fight inside our house in college. This bike is all about style so it needed to be repainted. And I care nothing about the re-sale value or ruining a true vintage bike.

For me, I love matte black paint on bicycles. You mix in even a bit of carbon fiber and I'm sold. I wanted to embrace the craftsmenship that is lugged steel frames. Actually I wanted to show off the lugged steel frame. I decided to strip all the paint (tubes and lugs). Once I had stripped all the paint with the angle grinder (look at previous post for more details), I really liked the look of the exposed steel. While I had the angle grinder out I decided I'd clean up the frame and remove all the cable guides since they are now obsolete.
Now that I have a completely striped down frame and fork. The tedious part came along. I needed to tape off all the steel lugs, and this bike has some nice features to the lugs. The easiest way is to use several small pieces of tape to help fit all the contours. Then go back with a razor blade or better an exacto knife and trim the excess from the frame.

On to Frame Painting, I painted this one the same as the 1970's Huffy. This is not the best way but it produces a decent product.  For my next project, I will buy a cheap spray gun and automotive paint. That way will produce a more durable paint coat. The other way is to go onto powder coating and without specialized equipment this is impossible. Although, others have figured out ways to do this at home (google it).

So quick RE-cap of my process:
1. Angle grinder to remove bulk of paint
2. Drill attachment/ sand paper to remove in crevices
3. Wipe down very well to remove oils with degreaser
4. Plug holes and hang with coat hangers
5. Spray 2 light coats of primer
6. After 24 hours, use 600 grit wet sand paper to smooth problem areas and give good surface adhesion
7. Spray 2 light coats of Base color
8. After 24 hours, use 600 grit wet sand paper
9. Spray 2 light coats of Base color
10. After 24 hours, use 600 grit wet sand paper
11. Spray 2 light coats of Base color
12. After 24 hours, use 600 grit wet sand paper
13. Spray 2 light coats of clear coat
14. Allow a week before reassembly

Just remember that surface prep and the more thin coats with prep between each is extremely important. Also a high quality clear coat makes all the difference. Finding a matte finish clear coat is tricky but I was able to find a decent quality one at Home Depot. But you may also have luck at a body shop if they are willing to fill an aerosol can.

Step 1 - Background, Disassemble

Step 2 - Frame Painting

Step 3 - Handlebar & Fork Assembly

Step 4 - Gearing (Gear Ratio)

Step 5 - Wheels and Hubs

Step 6 - Custom Leather Saddle

Step 7 - Custom Leather Handlebars

The Flandria Fixed Gear (Fixie) Conversion Project

I figured I needed a fixed gear bike. Because I don't have one. Well, really because they are great for training rides and they seem like a lot of fun. Plus I live downtown so I need to fit in.
I have had my mom's old steel bike that she used in college and I actually refurbished for my first triathlon. Well it was stored outdoors all through college and it did not weather all that well. It seemed like a great candidate for a fixed gear bicycle.

Remember from my first project that it is very important to take a lot of before pictures. And to also bag all of your parts. Well I actually started this project before Ash's Azuki Bike but I stopped because I wanted her to have a bike. I do have a few before pics but they are crap quality and finding the parts have made this process much more difficult.

I don't really even remember much of the dissemble process except for the cotter pins. Cotter pins are an interesting way that pedals used to be connected to the cranks. There are a few ways to remove these and it depends on what you have on hand.

Method #1: Use penetrating oil (PB Blaster or WD-40) and a punch. Let the parts soak, the longer the better (24 hours is good). And make sure your punch is smaller than the bolt, the whole point is t avoid ruining the threads(which I did not on my first try but I will show you how to fix that later)
Method #2: Preferred method. Use a cotter pin press. Here is the ultimate tool. But I have tried some interesting setups using a couple pieces of scrap metal and a vice or big c-clamp. I forgot to take a pic but if I do it again I will.

Step 1 - Background, Disassemble

Step 2 - Frame Painting

Step 3 - Handlebar & Fork Assembly

Step 4 - Gearing (Gear Ratio)

Step 5 - Wheels and Hubs

Step 6 - Custom Leather Saddle

Step 7 - Custom Leather Handlebars