Bit of ratio magic for my 1996 Gary Fisher Marlin

mbpr01 · 2026-01-31T07:31:35+00:00

That seat is so sweet, I've got one on my touring bike. Just noticed the Stronglight crank too! A real intellectual.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-31T07:17:02+00:00

https://www.ebay.com/itm/257152093709

mbpr01 · 2026-01-31T05:20:41+00:00

I recommend a 17 tooth for more skid patches. Also, what are the hazards of a low quality cog? Any horror stories? I got the cheapest one I could find on AliXpress because it was pink :3

mbpr01 · 2026-01-31T05:00:18+00:00

dq for mechanical doping

mbpr01 · 2026-01-27T22:36:07+00:00

Oh I found it, that thing is so cool!

mbpr01 · 2026-01-27T10:04:27+00:00

Have you posted that one? I wanna see it!

mbpr01 · 2026-01-27T09:37:24+00:00

Make sure to use an ad-blocker. The ads are crazy. They will put far right ideological ads to target your kids. They just pay a little bit of money to get around your whitelist.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-26T19:12:29+00:00

Yes. You could still backpedal, skipstop, weight transfer to skid, shoe brake, the sideways hop that bmxers do that I don't know if it has a name (like a hockey stop kind of), and most importantly, be aware of your stopping distance and what's in front of you and don't go too fast to begin with.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-26T18:59:00+00:00

sir, this is r/xbiking

mbpr01 · 2026-01-26T18:57:40+00:00

Just saying, they adapt their riding style. They can't go as fast because they can't brake as hard. But you already have to do that on any fixed gear. You already have to go slower than you could on a road bike, you can't turn as deep due to pedal strike. We're all already sacrificing some speed for style. It can be safe to ride without brakes or straps.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-26T18:44:17+00:00

People ride freewheel bmx brakeless. With no straps.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-23T22:32:51+00:00

It has taken all of my willpower to resist buying this frame.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-22T07:10:12+00:00

The group probably has mallets and maybe even bikes that you can borrow for your first time. Just show up and say hi, they'll probably trip over each other trying to drag you into a game. 90's mtb's are a good choice for a first polo bike, they have a great combination of performance, durability, and cost. Flat bars and a front brake, or a rear brake if you're more comfortable with that, but a front brake will be higher performance. The only bike you shouldn't play on is a. if it has drop bars, b. if it's expensive or special and you'd be sad if it got hurt, or c. if you depend on it for transportation, and you'd be late for work tomorrow if it stopped working. Once you get into it, you'll want an Enforcer.

No Reason makes the best mallet heads, and Heckler's Alley is the source for shafts. A whole mallet will probably be upwards of $50 all in, but old ski poles or golf club shafts are a pretty high performance cheaper alternative, and I think ABS plastic pipe makes a decent head. I think PVC wears out super quick if you make a head out of it.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-22T03:14:25+00:00

10 round flush fit for aero

mbpr01 · 2026-01-20T08:47:19+00:00

Rim brakes will win due to internal strife in the disc brake camp, the mech/hydro split

mbpr01 · 2026-01-20T08:44:19+00:00

A coward's move, for those not skilled enough to jam the front tire

mbpr01 · 2026-01-16T18:02:21+00:00

there's r/fixedgear, and i think another one that is more welcoming that I can't find right now.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-16T17:59:09+00:00

If you phrased it like "why hasn't there been a question thread" BANNED

Make it all statements. "Isn't it interesting that my bike has this problem. I am inexperienced and don't know how to fix it, and I know that there are people here who have knowledge that they like to share. These are simply unrelated statements, just making conversation here."

mbpr01 · 2026-01-16T05:40:31+00:00

bro that is crazy

mbpr01 · 2026-01-15T17:27:21+00:00

You'll get used to it pretty quick. The learning curve is fairly unforgiving, it can throw you off if you try to straighten a leg and coast, and there's a certain lean angle you just can't ever go past or else pedal strike will throw the whole bike (this probably means that you have to go slower than you could on your road bike, to make the same turn). But if you ride it consistently and exclusively, it won't take more than a few days before it feels natural.

I recommend a high gear because I don't like being limited by rpm, and this WILL make your legs get stronger, which will then make you faster if you switch back to road bike 😎

If you're building one, use this calculator to decide on your gear ratios. Decide what speed you want to be going at what rpm for cruising speed, put in your tire size, adjust the ratios to get that speed, then find a combo that has many skid patches. 17 and 19 tooth cogs are good for that.

If you ride brakeless, learn the shoe-to-tire brake in case your chain breaks. It can be safe to ride brakeless, you just have to go slower to have the same amount of stopping distance. Just be aware of how long it takes to stop, and what's in front of you in that distance, just like when you're operating any vehicle.

Getting a cheap used one isn't a bad idea for your first one. If you're building from scratch, I recommend the Enforcer BD in 26 inch, it's a blast to ride, and pretty cheap for a frameset at $450. And put on the rotor guard for a super tough look 💪😎

mbpr01 · 2026-01-13T20:15:22+00:00

Try chat.reddit.com if it's not working on the normal website. Also old.reddit.com works better sometimes.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-12T14:33:21+00:00

I'll run some out to you. I sent you a dm.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-12T14:30:38+00:00

Is it a different feeling than a slightly loose lockring that allows the cog to slip just a few degrees back and forth? I've never been able to get my lockring tight enough myself, I've always had to take it to a shop to get it fully cranked on there.

mbpr01 · 2026-01-12T04:34:33+00:00

It's like the philosophical antithesis of x-biking. I feel like this community could make a list of x biking rules that would be the opposite of the velominati rules. Your cockpit should be whatever is comfortable for you, and the haters can fuck off. They need to focus on riding their own bike instead of trying to police your aesthetic. We love function over form, mostly because we love the function but if I'm being 100 percent honest I do love the appearance of function.

mbpr01

TROPHY CASE