Progression of the Riparato fixed gear bike

After grinding off all the braze-ons, the bike is assembled to check everything is going to work before the primer goes on



The Carlton 'Corsa' stripped to bare metal ready to be primed.


Then we spray with a high build primer.



Then the top coat goes on. For this bike, 10 coats of colour went on and then left to harden for about a week. The colour is 'shock green light' by Montana.



Time to start the rebuild. Here you can see the headset cups fitted, ready to take the forks.



And the build is complete. Because of the simplicity of these bikes, it really doesn't take long to put it all together and get it on the road.

Riparato project number two

Hi there. It's been a while since we finished our last project, and we have really enjoyed riding what we created. Now we are really getting the ball rolling with Riparato and have found a great source of second hand bikes that we can convert to fixed gear ready to sell to the public online. The first bike which will be on sale here is this classic peugeot! We got it back to the workshop and wasted no time in stripping it back to get an idea of what it may look like when we are done.



Above is the bike stripped of the components that aren't needed for this project. We are aiming for a classic looking build for this project.



And here it is with all components removed. The cable guides have been ground away, along with the gear shifter mounts. Next job to do is strip the old paint, and clean up the areas where the braze ons once were. Then it's into the spray booth for some primer.

Blat around the block

This is a ride on the bike we built. It was taken out by Paul, who converted it and built it up to what you see on these pages. It was an experiment on where best to put a camera whilst riding. Music by Foreign Exchange, 'Take off the Blues' featuring Darien Brockington'. Special thanks to Em of www.studioscratches.com for editing.

very nice promo by MACAFRAMA!

Such a sweet film promo by MACAFRAMA.

Velo Orange 1" threaded headset with sealed bearings

We were after a retro looking headset for this build, something sleek and classic, and we think we found it in this 'Velo Orange' headset. Available from Fresh Tripe (see links) it's easy to fit, and pretty much a doddle to set up. Smooth sealed bearings provide the glide, and its nice finish and weight give it a quality feel out the box. The logo is etched on, and it really is just a nice bit of kit for under £30.

Riparato build spec

Here is a brief overview of the parts used in on the bike below.

Frame: Carlton Corsa

Forks: Not entirely sure, but tange tubing

Bottom Bracket: Sugino 103mm cartridge

Cranks: Sugino 165mm 'Messenger'

Chainring: Sugino 44tooth 'Messenger'

Crankbolts: Stainless steel

Pedals: MKS 'Sylvan Track'

Toeclips: Fides

Straps: Zefal 'Mt Christophe'

Chain: Izumi Track

Rear sprocket: Miche 18tooth

Hubs: Miche 'Primato' 120mm rear spacing

Spokes: DT Swiss

Rims: Mavic 'Open Sport' 700c

Tyres: Continental 'Sport Contact' with continental tubes

Headset: Velo Orange 1" threaded. Sealed bearings

Stem: Cinelli

Bars: 'Polo' risers (can be found at fresh tripe) nice shape!!

Grips: Oury's but may change to 'Champ'.

another view

quick shot from another angle