My Weird & Wonderful Fixed Gear Bike Check 2023 In Excruciating Detail

[@pressaltf4495]

the fact that he gets excited about telling the details makes it even better

[@sonymicronin]

Same, I need to make a video on this about my bikes. One of them in particular has so much history and details behind it it’s like I can write a whole essay on it

[@PhenomGaming909]

I’d Love to share that my biking passion didn’t really start until I came across your channel . I rode fixies in HS but didn’t know the vast amount of intricacies that come with this hobby . You explain everything so well and helped me unlock a joy I never knew I had 🤞🏻

[@event4216]

Super Toughness is a track chain. Tracks typically are closed so no worries about rust. What's good for track not always is good for regular use on streets.

[@B_COOPER]

Zack, it’s hard to take criticism from kids that are having trouble understanding why their expensive track-specific components are failing so often.

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

Love it 🙌🏽

[@Primifluous]

Cup/cone bottom bracket installation tips: 1. Install greased fixed cup with park tool wrench pretty damn hard. 2. Using un-caged bearings (they run smoother and will deal with imperfections better), place greased spindle into place into fixed cup. 3. Install adjustable cup and locknut, fully, but intentionally loosely. As in don't bother really torquing down. 4. Install drive-side crank. You will use this crank as a lever to test the bottom bracket's adjustment. 5. Using a 2-prong pin spanner, tighten adjustable cup until you feel the bearings bind. Back off. 6. Holding the adjustable cup in place using the 2-prong pin spanner, use lockring spanner and torque down bottom bracket. Do not let the adjustable cup tighten. 7. Using the drive side crank, test for knocking. If there's play, untorque lockring and tighten adjustable cup slightly. Re-torque lockring. Keep increasing the adjustable cup pre-load in small increments until you'd removed all play. If you immediately go from having play in the pre-load to not having any play in the pre-load just in your second torquing of the lockring, you've probably gone too far. Undo and back off the adjustable cup. 8. If during the initial 1st torquing of the lockring there is no play, loosen adjustable cup until there is. Then slowly increase pre-load. as described in step 7. Essentially, use the drive crank to check for play. Purposefully install w/ play, and increase very slowly until there is no play. If you torque down the lockring properly you will not be able to change the adjustable cup with the 2-prong pin spanner without also loosening the lockring. Do not finish off the preload on the adjustable cup by simply tightening down the lockring without holding the adjustable cup in place w/ the 2-prong pin spanner. You will not get the lockring and adjustable cup properly snugged up against each other and things will move.

[@OliverPickard]

The bars are Major Taylor levels off old school and I'm here for it. I also have a brooks swift and I've used cider bottle corks as bar ends for years 👌🏼

[@GeekonaBike]

Chrome Lugs are All That! PS The trick to painting chrome dipped frames is to do the masking with vasoline, spray, then wipe the grease away after the paint dries, but before curing the paint.

[@brumb_]

I've been searching for some slight drop flare bars, but those look dope, gonna try em out.

[@Tommyhearnsrighthand]

If you have plastic bar tape ends you trim the middle part of the plug and the fit nittos

[@ScottHoffman-v4j]

Cool! How about some stories getting up hills better? With hot weather, I have a hard time getting up the local hills without feeling halfway dead.

[@williamstanton7847]

Purple is my favorite color! I like the dark purple, not the lavender you call purple!

[@christopherwebb3517]

I really like that handlebar. I had thought about getting something similar and putting on some of the bar-end break levers you'd usually see on bullhorn bars.

[@sonymicronin]

I wanted one until he told me it would be sketchy to skid on and now imma have to pass lol

[@R.W.Wiley77]

Love the look of that Wabi! I'm new to fixies but I love them. I've got an old steel SE Draft fixie with a similar handlebar. Similar in that its a swept back model, but mine doesn't have a negative drop, but a raised, I'll bet you can flip it around for a more dramatic drop that your current ones though, the Sora Arrow. With two back surgeries and a spinal fusion, drop positions are no longer in my wheelhouse. Keep living dangerously and ride what you want!

[@Tamagumo]

Hey, I don't mean any disrespect or anything, but SE's suck. To each their own of course, but look into better stuff out there, trust me.

[@electrocit673]

you can get the sealed version of loose/caged Bering bottom bracket.

[@donntrotter]

Ayyy I’m also 47:17! Origin8 chain ring and Phil wood cog

[@VoidRockSteady]

I switched to the Continental Grand Prix 5000s a couple years ago and I concur, they are fantastic.

[@jamesfiegel9675]

I like the mustache bars ….I have a old steel pair I want to put on a fixie :)

[@timlee3000]

Thanks!

[@suhdud4646]

Talking taillights.... Ive also got the MagicShine, deactivate the stupid stop feature went you slow down it automatically goes to full lumens in a solid state for a few seconds every time to replicate a car taillight. After turning it off, you should have no issues. A simple 5min wipe down after every ride goes a long way. I too ride my bike daily and I cant stand having mud splashed or build-up around the BB. Its probably my OCD but one the bright side, my bike is always on point. A dirty bike detracts all the attention from the important parts that are to be appreciated but as we are both "older" we dont care much for each others opinions and what Im sure we can both agree on is that as long as you are smiling while riding, to hell with opinions.

[@jacobatherton8339]

Those Albastache bars are pretty much just drops that have been bent outward. Nice hand position choices!

[@SweetTodd]

I’m going to be jealous of anyone having that frame.

[@sonymicronin]

That’s me with anyone with an NJS Samson.

[@gregmurphy8745]

It definitely looks different. Greg citrus heights I don't know if I like the handle bars. Still a beautiful build!

[@jamesfiegel9675]

It’s about comfort and its usefulness for U……its personnel :) And ur biking and NOT burning Fossil Fuels!!!!

[@J_Smith7]

@15:20 How about the Velosambas...best urban walk and clip in?

[@yugenfocus]

Zach! The bike is looking so sweet. One note: I think if you went with semi-permanent chrome fenders it would give the bike a really classy finishing touch. But in terms of the build and overall cohesion of the build it's actually a very similar setup to what I want my single-speed Kilo TT commuter setup to be. Ride on and ride safe!

[@BeastyBite]

he wants to take the fenders off and on. doesn't look perfect but it's lighter that way.

[@klitovalero]

Hi, nice video, please one video how to aling the chain?

[@IamSpiders]

So practical! What is the length of the cranks?

[@carlsportfolio9266]

Prepare for the liberation of souls Zach. The day of reckoning will consume us all.

[@myideologywgaf]

thanks psycho.

[@KillingTimewithStyle]

Are you talking about a group ride?

[@StanfordLeeStrong]

I"m loving my kickstand. Had Nitto bulllhorns clamped in reverse position, very similar to your bars. It was a nice ride. Felt like a super shallow drop bar

[@chiefscotthoffman5237]

Cool! It's good to see a real bike for once. What's the story on the ring? It's makes you look so rad!

[@stephanefraga2599]

good bike the only thing is that the brakes squeak to much while i brake.but amazing bike

[@acetylcholine3]

Fantastic bike check, Zach! Enjoy Taiwan and keep the videos coming! Thanks, man!

[@event4216]

Polished lugs? They are made of steel. Polished steel rusts, period. Unless it's purest form of stainless. I'm really not sure lugs these days are worth the hassle because main advantage of lugs is ability to replace damaged tubes in case of need to repair crashed frame. But then you have to have skilled frame builder - good luck finding one not too far from you.

[@sonymicronin]

It’s steel. If the manufacturer makes it right the first time and the owner doesn’t abuse tf out of the bike then it will last for decades without fail

[@event4216]

Sure, it's steel. I just don't get how it stays shiny-dandy if it's not stainless (which could create issue soldering it to regular steel, not sure about this).

[@sonymicronin]

@@event4216 Oh I meant lugged steel frames in general, when it comes to these chrome lugs not sure on how long they will last and stay shiny

[@johnsanchez9580]

he says in the video they're chrome

[@johnsanchez9580]

ah i see now that they're not chromed, apologies

[@rainbowhiker]

Tsunami has purple bikes. Ever going to test one of their frames? 🙂

[@chris8704]

I like it! 😁 Here in Europe, currently very many ride the beautiful old vintage racing bikes. French or Italian, simply refurbished again. They have so much charm, which is hard to find in new bikes. Is that also the case in the U.S. or Taiwan?

[@sonymicronin]

Yes in the USA same thing, bikes have lost their charm

[@mattc3370]

Gorgeus build, I struggle with the fenders, just not well aligned

[@Not_Sure_]

check out his Cravat. Very fashionable.

[@jamesfiegel9675]

I have been using Wine Corks for years :)

[@adamd8411]

Good. Just do you in life❤

[@DIY-DaddyO]

Sweet ride, cork is cool...

[@brosettastone7520]

I don’t think an A23 aluminum rim is going to “last the rest of your life” just saying lol. But beautiful wheels. I am running A23 as well and they are definitely underrated. Better than the over-played Chinese H+Sons in my opinion.

[@chnyuk]

why not mask the parts that are intended to be chrome with decals before doing the paint job?

[@krishnan-resurrection714]

Aaah yeah homey ...

[@rainbowhiker]

Your bars look bent. Right side. Optical? Your stock cranks and sprocket look best.

[@tbz1551]

16:19 It is funny what logos you feel are ok to leave visible and which ones you remove ... don't pretend you don't like logos Zach. I would argue you're more about "brands" over substance than the average rider. You typically only mention the price of the parts that are significantly more expensive ... but you say it as if you're crazy for doing so. That's called a humble brag. That's all fine, but pretending you're not that comes off as fake.

[@notl33t]

wackier things? oooh . . . . future video teases

[@Tobia1506]

So right... why Bike Manufactures are not giving us the possibility to mount Kickstands on our bikes if we need or want them. It's so stupid watching out for a tree or anything to put your bike. I´m really annoyed. Paying a stupid amount of money for a bike, but hey if you want a Kickstand you have to go custom your bike. ;P

[@chnyuk]

AND i cannot believe kickstand is unironic

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Nice :)

[@anthonyhernandez2364]

Bike

[@frankbetancourt1814]

Cant wait for the geared version.

[@Toy1er]

Reeeee!

[@l3tk1ll]

Did I hear freewheel?

[@BeastyBite]

how dare you

[@sonymicronin]

Nah, no matter what Zach does to his bike he will continue to ride fixed gear. Drop bars with race bits, or cruiser bars with classy bits the main thing is that we ride fixed gear

[@joseph1084]

love your fixie its super cool, the handle bar looks dope tho. I use bullhorn

[@stevekelly6544]

Hell yeah, don’t be a trend follower, be trend setter…..

[@gur262]

Still brakeless ugh 😩. Challenge for you: make one with a hidden front brake. Perhaps take the fork from an aerobike with the v brake in between the forklegs. Hide cables. Now real challenge: invisible lever. I think using a motorcycle like throttle mechanism would be best for that. issues with leverage could be overcome by using th magura hydraulic one, but hiding all that is another challenge. Another probably more difficult solution would be a brake pushing on the tyre from above like some very old Bikes did. Perhaps could be activated by pulling on the handlebars.

[@captainkaibash7973]

Just got my Wabi yesterday. My first proper fixed. The previous owner was riding the freestyle side and the lock ring was not tightened down. WHY!??? Splines have been a thing forever. WHY is this not the standard. Zach, you should totally work with Wabi on a splined system and leverage your experience bringing a bike to market. Sacratomato in the house yo!!! Big ups Homeboy!!!

[@backtoids]

if a riv was fixed gear

[@markkubsch1257]

My opinion is that this bike is ridiculously over-perfectioned and contradictory to older videos, especially concerning components that he once praised. I liked that yellow bike much more, even if it was kind of an idle compilation of the most shimmering bike parts in the first place. Whatever happened to "keep it simple"?? Kickstand on fixed gear; what next?

[@brianmaldonado3723]

I. Will. Not. Put. Kickstand. On.

[@aquilonianace4791]

Nice helmet, dork! 😂

[@blacksamy777]

Tu sifle en tbk quand tu parle monhomme!

[@starwilkinson8020]

Now you know how adults have been feeling about this trendy bullshit.

[@event4216]

Nice to see Zach has moved away from fixie foo standard parts like drop bars (which 95% of fixie foos 95% of time never ride in drops) and alligator tires which are meant for pub bike to come home by streets covered by shattered bottles.

[@thatsright2352]

Sorry i ruined the 500 like with one more :/

[@B_COOPER]

I’ll bet you keep the kickstand when you come back to the US. It’s astonishing that Taiwan is a safe place to park a bike. In the US, the only two types of adult people on bikes are actual cyclists and meth heads. In the Netherlands, from what I understand, has SO MANY bikes per capita that bike theft to the Dutch is the equivalent to having your favorite ink pen stolen in the US, no exaggeration. Then there’s Taiwan, the humble nation that respects what is not theirs as if it was.

[@blountout6285]

fix gear, get hurt

[@domenbratun8751]

so cringe but first😅😂

[@juliancorona234]

Congrats on getting the first comment!

[@ikaros4203]

"chrome" lugs... dawg they just polished them. could have done it yourself basically for free lol