new bike - fixed gear road cruiser

One of the reasons I haven't been blogging a lot is that I've been building a new bike, bit-by-bit. It's an alloy beach cruiser frame, with just about everything else new on it.



My old singlespeed bike, (The DR06, 2004-2007, RIP) got nicked, and I wanted to build a fixed gear bike. But the whole vintage road track frame things wasn't for me, so I decided to get a cheap US cruiser frame and make it into a usable every day commuter.

It looks "different" in the same way teachers in school told me my paintings were "different", and I like the way it rolls around. Riding brakeless is good fun too - you actually do feel a bit more "at one" with the ride.

So all the bits are now finally in place - next stage is a re-spray, and adding diamond spokey dokeys.

frame: Schwinn Alloy Cruiser
front fork: Kona project 2
wheels: white Velocity rims 36H, System-ex hub back, Shimano disc brake hub front
seat: brookes, unknown alloy seat post
bars and stem: unknown
drivetrain: seguino messenger 44T, 165mm cranks, back cog unknown
pedals: unknown with clips

my new zen blog

I wasn't sure whether to put this here or not, but people were really nice about the Zen Snacking article I wrote, so here is a link to a new blog I've started.

http://everythingsjustalright.blogspot.com/

It's just a collection of notes and ideas on how to not get so stressed and how to try and get more joy out of life, drawing on ideas from various religions, philosophies, and kung fu movies. I'd really welcome any feedback or ideas for contributions.

Bus Depot Fire, Hackney Wick

Fire in London, originally uploaded by qwghlm.

BREAKING, London 12:59 - the Warehouse behind the bus depot on Waterden Road, E9, is on fire. If you've looked east from central london, you can see the smoke rising. It's just behind my house, in the Hackney Wick area, near to Stratford. There are lots of firetrucks there already. More at Sky News.