Brrr! Take me back to the present

April 2 2004
Nice mail from Mark Sanders, who says "Thanks for the sprocket, Will" and goes on to describe his fix, which he has just ridden 70 miles across the Chilterns.

Mark writes: "The bike is a Mercian Track frame but with mudguard eyes. I bought it in 2000. I splashed out on a Campag Record Pista Chainset and, fitted now with mudguards, it's my bike of choice for Winter, Spring, Autumn, Audaxes etc etc. I have dismantled my Audax bike as there is no need to have both. I prefer the fixed, even for hilly rides."

April 6 2004
Unexpected message from Scott of LeVeL Components, who has come up with a new fixed hub concept--bolt-on sprockets. Those of you who read Jason Millington's piece on converting disk hubs to fixed use will already have got the idea, but Scott's product design is pretty slick. (Poor Scott has had to deal with a mini-tsunami of 63xc.com stalwarts demanding custom 3/16" sprockets.) Hubjub will become the first UK dealer if I can get some funds for expansion together.

April 12 2004
A special order from singlespeeder Tom gave us a chance to place a first real order with IroCycle, and now a small shipment of Iro Mark Vs is on its way. I've been looking for something like the Mark V for some time: it's a neat steel frame with track ends on a 120mm rear end, having crisp geometry but room for mudguards. A nice commuter, in other words. More as I get it...

April 20 2004
Tuomo of Finnish outfit StringySpit sends photos of his new Soma Rush, perhaps the definitive courier fix. This was a particularly nice job involving as it did a frame from the completely excellent Sorted Cycles and components (Phil hubs, Nitto bars etc) from the Hubjub range. I have a great fondness for the Soma and Sara and Duncan may be the nicest people in the world to deal with. (Disappointingly, Duncan turns out to look nothing like the pimp on their website.)

April 25 2004
A hard week boxing up the first orders of Nitto Moustache bars, now our biggest-selling item and an outstandingly awkward shape. After much experimentation I discover how to cut a reinforced fruit box across the base to create a square section box of just the right size. Murder on the wrists, tho'.

April 27 2004
Interesting news from, of all people, Sturmey-Archer. Devotees of UK business news may know that the famous S-A base in Nottingham was asset-stripped and the name and intellectual properties bought out by SunRace of Taiwan. SunRace have now started selling new S-A branded compnents: apart from hub gears which I won't be selling here, there are some surprisingly nice singlespeed-y bits and pieces which might find a use outside their original design concept. Watch this space.

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