Specs:
PANASONIC 42X16!
This is an old Tange steel lugged frame, 52cm. Makes for a nice ride. Longer rear triangle than I'd like, but that's okay as it seems a bit more stable.
Currently [4-09-05] this thing is 42x16, w/ road tires. Recently installed a sweet Tektro front brake; had to widen the hole int he rear fo the fork crown for the allen bolt to fit thru -- it was designed for countersunk forks. Folks at the fixed forum [www.fixedgeargallery.com] have assured my this doesn't damage the strength of the fork, so I'm set. Also took new pics today so they'll be up in a few days... Rides darn good and the new brake helps, tho I still don't use it as much. This bike was 44x16 but that gearing proven a lil' steep for resistance braking tho it was workable. I also took off the single sided SPD/platforms and installed Shimano M520 SPD clipless pedals, which this bike had originally. I changed the brake setup -- a 'cross brake instead of the road lever -- and real grip tape instead of the mtb grips. I had to file some off the Specialized 'cross lever tho so it'd fit tight -- the new road bars are thicker than the old ones I got.
Also threw the Incredibell from my folding bike onto this thing... mounted it on the stem, nice and outa the way but still reachable from the flats of the bars.
Installed a an old drilled out Sugino 43t to replace the 44t CNC Salsa chainring. 48x18 -- the old gearing -- is about the same as 42x16, no? And 44x16 is even faster, but 43x16 was a nice medium for local hills. However, going over the mountain into Chatham it was way too hard on the knees so I brought it down to 42x16t. With the 16t cog, and new rims [the one with the Surly double-sided fixed hub] and the 42 toother, the bike feels faster now. The cross lever looks sweet, less like a road bike, more like what it it -- a fixed gear, a road ride with a track bike drivetrain. Get plenty of stares on this thing's morning rides as it was snowin' quite a bit lately but now it's alright and the sun is shinin' warm.
Oh, swapped out the San Marco seat for a Coda. The Coda is thinner but somehow more comfortable... go figure.
Had lotsa questions. "Where's the rear brake?" [took it off, I tell 'em]; "Why is it so light?" ['cause I removed all the excess parts I explain]; "Why do you ride such a contraption?" [because it's fun I say, and they look at me like maybe they should call Mulder and Scully!].
Rides good, very good! I may eventually ad a cyclocomputer but not sure; I like it's utilitarian look, berift of electronics... and I'm flat broke anyhoo so it's an excuse not to spend $30!
[this is how it looked earlier...]
THE BIKE: This bike began life as a 1980's Panasonic DX-1000. The DX-1000 was their entry level road machine, as i understand it. Awesome metallic aqua-fade-to-white paint scheme is "custom painted for Panasonic" according to script on the seat tube end of the top tube. The frame presents with Tange 900 double-butted steel tubing, smooth, simple sweeping lug work, and was originally equipped with Shimano indexed downtube [clamp-on] shifters and a Shimano Light Action rear derailieur with a 12 speed drivetrain; front chainrings were 52 and 40 teeth, respectively, with SR 170mm cranks. The cranks, interestingly enough, are capable of accepting a third, or triple, gear on their underside, for steeper hills. Brakes were Dia-compe sidepulls, tho the Dia-compe currently fitted is not original to the bike, nor was the road lever I used before switching to the cross lever on 3-9-05.
As seen below, I've tinkered with various gear/cog combos before findign the "right" gearing. I may eventually go to 44x18, or just keep the 42 and throw on a smaller rear cog. We shall see.
As of [12-04] this was my 48x18 fixed.
So far, this is my favorite fixed gear. It began life as a 1980's Panasonic roadbike, with a cool aqua to white paint scheme and 12-speed indexed downtube shifters.
On September 6, I put on a 48t 'ring to get more speed on the flats. Then dropped it to 43 for cruising 'round. I haven't ridden it in a while and wanting to get back to killing the hills [the hilly roads are the most fun, if trying] I dropped it down to 39x16t December 2nd. But since I have rebuilt my Trek 1000 fixie with 43x18 for hills this became my new "cool" ride, set up track style with drop bars and now brakes. Gearing is 48x18 which still lets me go pretty much anywhere within 10-20 miles tho some hills are much slower to climb than with a smaller front ring.
It was first converted to fixed gear this past summer... built up July 2004 as a 40x18 fixed gear bicycle, as seen here... 
but on July 24 I went to 40x16. On August 1, I removed the drop bars and added "cowhorns".
The CONVERSION:
Originally this bike entered fixed gear service running 40x18, which is almost the perfect 2-1 gear ratio for hilly climbs! It was a hillkiller and climbed like Spiderman, even with my aged legs turning the cranks. Unfortunately, it would leave me spinning like crazy down the other side, and on the flats. I went to a 16 tooth rear cog, which has helped immeasurably although it isn't quite sooo easy to climb hills, now. I initially kept the stock bars and stem, and both brake hoods, though I removed the actual lever from the rear brake lever mechanism as described in my fixed gear page, "how to build yer own" section. With drop bars it's good to have both brake hoods for hand positions on climbs. The front lever i hooked up to the front brake, a nice enough Dia-compe sidepull; i took off the rear brake calipers.
[pictures of bike in previous configuration...] 40t 'ring] 
.... On August 1, the bike changed. I installed a new bar stem, with a removable face plate attached by 2 bolts. This makes any change to the handlebar set-up easier, no need to strip off the grip tape, brake hoods, etc., and slide the handlebar out. I then added the old cowhorn bars that had been on my Centurion back when it ran 48x18 gearing. These have been great, and the bike also looks really cool, too -- nothing else like it, looks fast standing still and definately won't be confused with a beat-up ten-speed. But more practical, the new old bars allow a forward position akin to riding with your hands in the drops of standard road bars, without being as hunched over -- which is a godsend on longer rides. They also provide an excellent hand position during climbs or out-of-the-saddle acceleration, not that I ride fast -- fastest I got up to on the thing is about 30mph. But then, it has a small gear for all around riding hilly and flat land, not the bigger gear, like 48 and up, I would use if the idea was to make a "fast" bike...
I used a Shimano 105 brake lever hooked up to same front brake caliper, and finished it off with the same sort of black Profile grip tape on the cowhorns as i used for the original drop bars. I saved the entire drop handlebar setup, bars, bar stem, brakelever and cable/cable housing, as i'm sure I'll need it for something sooner or later...
PEDALS: Shimano M520 SPD clipless, the "new" SDP pedal -- the entry and exit of these is so much better than the old ones, I don't know whether it is because the old ones needed adjustment and came too tight from the LBS, or what, but the shape of the pedal and mechanism is definately different -- and looks better, also, in my opinion.
At first I was using the 40t front chainring and 16t rear cog at first. On August 5, I replaced the 40t ring with a 42t ring [BMX], giving the same gearing I had on my first fixed gear bike: 42x16. After a few days I went back to the 40t 'ring. 2.5 revs of the rear wheel per pedal rotation is about the magic number for me with the hills in the area. Chain salvaged from another bike but isn't too old. Will probably replace with sturdier singlespeed chain at some point... Used bolts off a BMX bike for chainring. Then in March of '05 I put it to 42x18.
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