TNL Bicycles Volume I: Wild And Wacky Action Bike

[Vasteel]

I got it. I'm pretty impressed with it.
I like it and the net can eat my butt.

Maintain this attitude. My friend found one of these once (honestly looked like the same exact bike, rotted tires and all) and I did a very quick and dirty setup on it for him. I liked it a bit. No, it's not the best bike you can get, but then again, you weren't in the market for an Allez or IF frame. Ride the shit out of it, and when you're ready, sink a few bones or some time into something better.

there is an insane amount of douchebaggery in the bike world. If you like it, ride it.
It not like you paid thousands for the thing.

I don't even want to start on "fixies"

This. You will drive yourself mad if you begin by listening to bike fetishists who are more interested in spending money and being snobs on the web than actually riding. Think of it as a parallel to our gaming forum- there is a lot you can learn, but you have to go into it knowing enough to separate wheat from chaff. And you get that from DOING it, not bitching on a forum.

I'm going to hit up the two bike shops in town to look for breaks. The ones on it squeak and scream. Yeah, they're gone. I'll probably bring the front tire with me so they give me an estimate.

What do you guys do to clean your bikes? Anything special I should do for the solid metal parts?

Bring the whole bike. Let a mechanic look it over. Clean your frame with Green Soap (they'll have it at the shop) and your rims with 50/50 alcohol and water. You can clean your drive train with dish soap and water, let it dry overnight and relube the chain in the morning.

And I clean my bike with rain.

No. Do not do this.

I don't really understand modern bikes. So many of them don't look fun. They look all big and stupid.

Stick with it. You'll get there. Although, I prefer '80's bikes too.

[Fe 26]

I blame walmart for not liking bikes with a large frame or frames that use large diameter tubing. I've gotten two "mountain" bikes from walmart in the past 10 years and they both turned to shit. In that regard I can understand why people go to fixies. It is really easy to get burned on a multi-speed bike from walmart. They get ghost shifting in a couple of months (if not weeks).

[Fe 26]

Oh, two questions:

1. What are some good online retailers for aftermarket parts? I don't mind paying more for something made in an industrialized non communist country. I'm looking for a front and back light. And a good helmet.

2. what is a good helmet brand?

[Vasteel]

Any helmet is fine. The cheapest one will protect your head as well as the most expensive. Get what will feel comfortable in hot weather. I prefer Bell Furio helmets.

As for safety lights, I'm in love with the Spok lights: http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3042_1.html. You can get the front and rear set for like 18 bucks in a brick and mortar shop. Hit me up if you can't find 'em locally, I can probably ship them for less than they'll cost online.

[MarkRyan]

I prefer Bell Furio helmets.

I got one of these. I like that it was relatively cheap ($60ish) and is very small, reducing the dork level of wearing a bicycle helmet.

[Finch]

Ebay is a great online bike shop.

I bought a chainwheel and a crank from http://www.treefortbikes.com/ and they had a great price, great communication, and fast shipping. I don't know what else they sell.

In defense of fixies; you either like them or you don't. If you haven't ridden one, you won't understand the appeal. It's not snobbery, it's that you really don't know how they ride.
The worst thing about fixies isn't the jack asses who ride them, there's plenty of those too, it's the tools that have never ridden one and think they know why no one else should.

[Finch]

Also Giant is a great brand.

[Fe 26]

Ebay is a great online bike shop.

I've been looking on ebay. I want an old chrome one.

[FuryFox]

it's the tools that have never ridden one and think they know why no one else should.

Riding around Vancouver, I've seen people walking their fixed gear bikes up hills because it's too hard and walking them down hills because they can't safely break. It also sounds like they require frequent tinkering and high-end parts to perform acceptably. I'm sure they can be fun (as can most any bike), but they're a tough sell in terms of practicality.

[Finch]

The people who can't ride up and down hills on fixies need exercise and a front brake or they need to take the bus and not ride fixies.
They don't require tinkering or high end parts. The only requirements fixies need beyond a "normal" bike is horizontal drop-outs (or some half-links and extreme patience), and a fixed hub with a fixed cog, which together you can get for around $45, and can get a full wheel for less than $100 if you look.
The Chris King headsets, Phil Woods hubs, Deep V's, and Sugino 75's are all as necessary on fixed gears as they are on any other bike. It's fun to have bike bling, but that's all they really are.
The tinkering is getting your chainline straight (which might require a $25 wheel adjustment), and the rest is regular maintenance you should be doing with any bike; watching your chainwheel teeth, keeping your chain oiled, replacing your chain every 1,000 miles or so, keeping mud off your bike. Besides that, there's no deraileurs to worry about, no stretching wires to replace, no shifters to wear out.
Fixies have an undeserved bad reputation because of the stereotype of people who ride them. I don't even see those people in Denver, because really, there aren't many flat roads around here.