FixedGearLondon – Patrick

Patrick doing what he does Best on his mean Cannondale Track! More projects coming soon!!

Cadence UK

It is no longer hard or expensive to get yourself Cadence products over here (London) – because now they’ve got a UK website!

I’ve tried their new skyline shorts on and off the bike and to be honest, the only time I’ve taken them off is when I’m in bed! They are comfy riding shorts that have loops to hook your keys onto, belt loops to keep your shorts up and well sized back pockets to keep your stuff in. The stretchy material is awesome and it will stand the test of time.

•  Photo by Monwar Hussain

I’ve used them in and around the city and on long distance rides. I also combined them with the Keta Jersey and with bib shorts underneath.

 Photo by Richard Vinluan

Moving onto the Keta jersey – it’s lightweight, race fitted and has back pockets to fit what you need in! Great for hot summer rides and it’s well ventilated, so it lets air in and it doesn’t make you feel too hot. The design is on point and looks good!

LFGSS Track day X – ThunderTrack at Herne Hill

Photo Credit: @the_nltcbmbc

Yesterday was the LFGSS track day. Usually I (Duke A – hi, how are you?) would spectate but this time I had been sitting on the fence about entering. I decided there and then that I would enter, which turned out to be the right decision! What also persuaded me to race was seeing my new team mates of @fulldenimjacket at Herne Hill. I didnt want to let them down!

Photo Credit: Roboto Muerto

The day kicked off with a 10 lap scratch race which would later determine the two groups – Cat A and Cat B. As soon as the whistle was blown i immediately felt uncomfortable! As I hadn’t ridden on the track for a while it all felt a little unfamiliar. As the pace picked up I could see ahead of me that the group was beginning to split. Because I wasn’t feeling very comfortable I hesitated to overtake the rider in front of me which led to me being placed in Category B – which wasnt a bad thing!

HI LANER!  Photo Credit: Roboto Muerto

Next up was the mens point race. This consists of 15 laps and every 3rd lap, the first 3 riders to cross the line gain points. Still feeling a little unsure in my abilities I decided to sit in on the Pole line rather than be aggressive. However on the 9th lap the feeling of familiarity came rushing in! With this and my confidence returning to me i managed to cross the finish line 3rd and gain some points! However it was a little too late and i didn’t place very well.

Photo Credit: Caroline Pulford

Up next was the mens devil (my new favorite!) This race consists of the last rider to cross the line being eliminated! WIth my confidence back I came into the race with a new attitude. As soon as the race commenced i knew I had to sit in along the pole line but i had to be careful not to be boxed in. Every opportunity I had to move up to No Mans Land I took – so that I could move forward and pass other riders. I kept being aggressive and trying to lead the pack out. Before I knew it there was only four riders left! I had made it to the final lap. Sitting in third place the rider behind me (fourth place) decided to attack and pass me. However in his attempt he managed to graze my rear wheel which then forced me onto the Cote D’Azure with him passing me. Determined to place third I put the power down and caught up to him. Leading up to the finish line I decided to outsprint him on the outside. It hurt but i managed to pass him and place third!

Third place Devil!
Photo Credit: Dan Coops

Next up was the Hare & Hound which was cut short due to a crash – Heal up Chris and Barrington!! With the track out of use for the time being the race organisers came up with an awesome idea – a trackstand competition in the polo court! Indra of Fixedgearlondon (representing!) ended up winning in style with his Chris King cup in hand during the whole trackstand comp!

Chris King Cup Style!
Photo Credit: Ho Ke

The mens finals then commenced with Atiba absolutely going H.A.M! Congrats on your multiple wins dude!

Way to go Atiba!
Photo Credit: Roboto Muerto

In the end it was such a rad day! I would like to say thank you to NLTCBMBC, those of LFGSS and all those who helped organise the day. I also would like to say thank you to my team mates of @FullDenimJacket for the support. One last BIG thank you to Cadence Collection and Continental for the support!

Black and white!
Photo Crdit: Dan Coops

Here’s to more track racing!!

Duke A
FIxedGearLondon

Cole Coatings

After a few weeks of planning I couldn’t decide on what I want my bike frame to look like, so I left it to Dan to come up with something awesome, and boy is  it AWESOME. A work of art i thought when I first saw it, I didn’t know it was mine! I had to have a two looks at it. The details on the paint is so good and the fade is nicely balanced. The brain freeze sparkle is the perfect amount for the frame, especially for its thin tubing. If you let the artist do what they want, the out come will be mind blowing a project – which is always a fun thing. I was so excited to see what he was going to do. It’s something that i’m not used to – different rather, instead of seeing the same stuff over and over again on bikes.

About Daniel, he has been doing this for 10 years and he used to restore and repair cars in North London, painting old classic, retro VW’s and also high end modern cars too. Changing the colours on them and crash repairs was his daily routine. And then on one winter evening and after a few beers with the lads at Seabass Cycles an idea came up for an in house painter, then three months later they found a free space and set to work to build a workshop! It was Seabass Cycles second business venture off the bat of their successful flag ship store in Camberwell, South London. With their great reputation and rad ethos it was a power move!

He had painted a few bikes for friends at his previous workshop along side with his day to day work but it was primarily automotive based. Painting is painting no matter the canvas but what he does to bikes is so much more creative and now with his vinyl cutter he can get to work creating real colourful and technical schemes as well as old school retro.

The painting process of every bike that they do:

Acid Drip

Frame gets sent to the acid dippers to take it back to bare metal 

Blasting

Each frame is then sand blasted to get into all the tight spots and remove any acid that is left on the frame but also to blast out any remaining paint and rust

Etch

Frames are then repaired if needed and  prepped for etch primer 

Prime

2-3 coats of primer are then applied and then baked

Paint

Frames are then prepped and ready for the fun bit. Painting! 

Painting bikes is a lot of fun. So much choice and the possibility are really endless! 

He likes working with customers that give him their ideas and who offer great input but at the same time it’s also good to play around and create something new and out of the box.

Dan has done an amazing job on my frame and forks. I’m so happy with the result that I would recommend him to anybody that wants their frame done! Anything that he put his spray on is super creative and finished to an excellent standard. As a person – himself and his crew are RAD!!!!

Please check his work:

Instagram: colecoatingsworkshop

Website: www.colecoatingsworkshop.co.uk

Colecoatings@gmail.com for all enquires.

Here’s what the paint work looks like. Mind you – this is a temporary set up. Photos by Monwar Hussain.

#FGL10YR!!!

Yesterday our 10th anniversary party went down at Cycle PS in Camberwell! We had a load of photos taken by Dan Coops at the party, during the checkpoint race and finally at the skid and trackstand comps!

We would like to say special thanks to Cycle PS, Cadence Collection UK, Levi’s Commuter, Curve, Continental, London Velo, Joss Dakin and the Patterson’s of WATF for supporting this event!

As soon as the racers arrived they had details registered and were given a manifest envelope and a raw egg which they needed to protect. We had a total of 37 people compete in our checkpoint race, a number we did not expect.

They then set off to London Velo where they received a package which would need to be delivered to Curve on the other end of Deptford High Street.

Some packages were larger than others…

Once their packages were delivered the racers had to eat a cake provided by Matt and Cat from Curve before moving on!

They then raced on to another two checkpoints, the Cutty Sark in Greenwhich and the Tea Hut on Blackheath, throughout the race they also had to take a picture of an emergency services vehicle when they could before returning to Cycle PS where they would hand in their Eggs and Manifests.

Once everyone had returned and the results had been tallied up prizes were given out, including a hand made trophy for first place mens and womens; congrats Michael and Uma! Then once first second and third place prizes from Cadence UK were given out the racers were able to pick an item off the table of prizes in their finishing order, meaning everyone was a winner in the end (awww).

Once prizes were given out the party moved around the corner for the skid and trackstand contests and more prize giving!

The evening ended outside Camberwell Courthouse with a very large trackstand contest, the final few ending with no hands and one foot off their bike. We had a great evening and it was good to see so many people compete and come out to show support for our birthday. Within the next week our limited edition #FGL10YR shirts will be for sale online just in time for payday.

To see the rest of the photos taken by Dan find the album on his Flickr

Paint Job

After my crash I went on finding a new bike, wanted to stay with a steel frame and a 14 bike co make. I came across with my mates frame, and it was black and I knew one day I would change that colour as all of my other bikes has been colourful in the pass. So Ian from cycle Ps, battersea told me a guy that’s doing awesome paint work on bikes and not many people know about him. So we went down to his work shop and checked out his stuff. Daniel is a rad dude, and if you see his work it’s so good. Go and check his web site out or go to his Instagrame, Colecoatings work shop. Keep your eyes open for more photos and bike detials. 

  

STAY ALIVE NYC X FIXED GEAR LONDON

Cordell the amazing photographer who runs @stayalivenyc Instagram was in London for a weekend and caught up with Kamal, Duke and a load of other local riders, below are the photos which he took of us while here. Be sure to follow him if you’re not already!

Seabase x Gran Canaria

As I’m counting down my holiday with my family to Gran Canaria, I saw this new video by Patrick. After watching this, I won’t sleep till that date comes. His riding videos is always one of the best to me, you always see him challenging himself. 

Ride In The Sun

Today had to be the best day to be on your bike!

Met the guys (Indra and Kamal) at Cycle PS in Battersea, chilled for abit. And went for a ride with our mate Ian, road was busy in this awesome weather. People on their bikes, went around looking for a place to get my new frame painted. Bumped into Levi as we got to high street Ken, beging of the ride. Yeah, it was a fun day around London.

      

Chas / Oakley / London

Chas of MASH fame, visited us in London a few weeks ago…  Well here is one of the reasons why, watch and enjoy.