Q&A: 3-speed cable; installing bottle cages on old steel frames

Q: Saw your site online,
I have what looks like a an old Raleigh 3-speed, which my wife likes very much. I just bought a basket for her and while putting it on decided to see if I could fix her shifter. The bike was only shifting to 2 instead of 3 gears. I tried adjusting the cable, which broke, naturally. Now I'm trying to find anywhere where I can buy a new one. Any help with this will be immensely appreciated and I will forever be indebted to you.
Imploringly yours,
John

A: Hi John,
First, you should call local bike shops as this is a relatively common replacement part if they do a lot of repairs. If the bike shops don't have one, you might next try a few departments stores, which often have bike sections and sometimes even stock replacement 3-speed cables. If both those ideas don't pan out, you can order one online from http://www.bicycletoolsetc.com/
Just use their search box up top and search on the word "Sturmey" and the cables should come right up.

Also, you didn't tell me how the cable broke, but if it broke in the middle, you can usually tie it back together, or add a piece between the broken ends, as a workaround until you get the new cable. Most British 3-speeds have clips on the frame that you can move down to essentially create slack in the cable so you can tie broken ends together. But this trick won't work if it broke at the head inside the lever.

And, to adjust the cable properly, the best way to do it is to shift the bike into the easiest gear, which is first. The lever will be all the way down. In this position there should be very little play in the cable. Also, before you attach the cable, be sure the indicator rod (the piece screwed into the Sturmey-Archer hub; photo by Sheldon Brown) is screwed all the way in and then backed off slightly if needed to align correctly with the cable. Also, it's a good idea to grease the cable where it runs inside housing and under or over pulleys. And, when the cable is adjusted correctly and the bike is shifting properly use 2 pairs of pliers to lock the cable adjustment by tightening the knurled lockring on the indicator against the end of the cable. That way you won't lose your adjustment over time.

You can learn lots more about adjusting Sturmey-Archer 3-speed on Sheldon Brown's awesome website here: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer.html

Hope this gets you going,
Jim
------------------------------

Q: Several of my friends and myself with old-school 70's steel frames(Reynolds 531 DB, etc) are thinking about getting water-bottle fittings installed. The local shops want to drill a hole in our frame tubes (down- or bottom-tube) and insert a pop-rivet nut. That meets our need but we're all worried about putting holes in our old, thin-wall tubing.

Any ideas, anecdotes?
...0ran....

A: Good question, Oran. If you look back at quality steel road bikes made before around 1970, you'll see that very few framebuilders ever installed braze-on water-bottle bosses on the frames. Instead they insisted that you put clamps on the tubes to hold your bottle cage on. This looked ugly, but the framebuilders said that if you drilled holes in the frame tubes it would cause them to break. (It's usually not a good idea to drill holes in structural frame members like bicycle tubes because the stresses of riding can gradually work on the edges of the hole and create shear points and over time you can have cracking or tube breaks that start at that hole, the weakest point in the tube.) It's important to understand that butted steel tubes are weakest in the center of the tubes, which is exactly where you drill the holes for the bottle braze-ons. Here, a quality steel frame tube could be less than .5mm thick.

Slowly the concern over the tubes breaking changed, though, and by the mid to late seventies most steel bikes came with bottle bosses brazed onto the frames, usually on the down tube only, but later on both the down and seat tubes, and then even later, also beneath the down tube on touring bikes (usually used to carry fuel for your stove). The reason this happened was because the braze-ons used and the installation of them addressed the issue of the holes weakening the thin-wall tubing.

The braze-ons were designed to reinforce the tube at the hole. Most were threaded inserts with a reinforcing rings or tabs that rested against the tube and when the braze-on was brass or silver soldered in place, it actually doubled, or more than doubled the thickness of the frame tubing at the hole making it plenty strong. This is the key reason they worked: they reinforced the tube and they were soldered in place.

That gives you some background. Rivet-type bottle bosses came along with aluminum bikes and they usually work fine on them, but I'm not sure I'd trust them on a nice old steel frame. I'm sure they would work for a while and maybe forever if you don't ride that far or all that hard. But, I'd worry that since they aren't actually brazed to the frame, that the holes in the frame could develop stress cracks over time, which could travel outward and into the tube. I've just seen too many broken steel frames from cracks like this, so I'd worry about it. If it was a heavy-duty steel frame it might work fine. But, a nice Reynolds double-butted frame has thin, thin tubing.

I'd recommend having a local framebuilder braze some bottle bosses on for you instead, or going low-tech and just using boring old bottle-cage clamps. The only drawback to having bottle braze-ons installed is needing to repaint the frame at the braze-ons. (Some people just touch it up with primer and don't worry about the looks - or, if you're good with painting, you might be able to match the original paint finish pretty closely and almost make the bottle braze-ons disappear.) But, you'd at least have a permanent high-quality job that you could rely on - and your frame wouldn't break.

I hope this helps and thanks for keeping those classic bikes on the road, Jim
------------------------------

RECALL NOTICE: Cervelo Wolf SL fork

Folks - If you ride a Cervelo bicycle that's equipped with a Wolf SL fork
made by True Temper Sports (I do), please stop riding it immediately and
bring it to your bicycle dealer for replacement. The Wolf SL fork has been
recalled due to several reported failures leading to crashes and injuries.
Cervelo says, "The recalled forks have a clear coating over black-painted
carbon fiber, with the words "Wolf Superlite" and related logo just below
the crown on each fork leg, and the words "SL" on each leg above the fork
blade dropouts. There is a True Temper CRTMC logo on the inside of both fork
legs. The recalled forks could have been included on the following bicycle
models: R3, R3 SL, Soloist Carbon, Soloist Carbon SL, and certain P3 Carbon
framesets and complete bicycles."

Here's a link to Cervelo's recall page, which has photos and more:
http://www.cervelo.com/wolfslrecall/default.aspx?lang=en
Here's a link to the BikeBiz blog that has links to some examples of broken
Wolf forks with photos:
http://www.bikebiz.com/news/29731/Cervlo-alone-recalls-third-party-fork

NEWSWIRE: Crankset Transmissions

Most multi-speed bicycles rely on an elegantly simple and super-light device called a front derailleur that shifts the chain across the different size chainrings to provide a wide range of gearing. The primary disadvantage of this system is a different chainline for each chainring, which can result in dropped chains, chain suck and sloppy shifting. The need for several size chainrings can also cause clearance and suspension issues on certain mountain bikes. Recently, component maker TruVativ leaked news of its HammerSchmidt transmission, a crankset that solves all these issues by providing 2 gears from a single chainring crank that works with internal planetary gears, which is similar to how 3-speed hubs work. There's an excellent report on this ingenious new transmission, complete with videos, here. However, TruVativ isn't the first to invent something like this. There were front transmissions dating back to the turn of the century, and there's at least one other modern one, made by Schlumpf Innovations. Designed to work on road and mountain bikes, Schlumpf's Speed-Drive and Mountain-Drive have a clever shifting technique: you tap the crankarm cap with your heel to shift gears! Learn more on this cool crank here.

Q&A: strong wheel, finding old bike parts, fixing a foot brake

Q: Hi Jim,
I'm a large male - twenty stones (280 pounds) - and I use my cycle to
and from work about eight miles a day most along a cycle path. I also
use it for pleasure. But the problem I have is that in the past twelve
months I have buckled three rear wheels. I have been told it is
because of my weight and that I should get a reinforced wheel. Could
you give me any advice?

Many thanks
John

A: Hi John,
My recommendation is to bring your bicycle to a good local bike shop
that has a reputation for high quality wheelbuilding. If you ask other
cyclists you should be able to find out who builds great wheels at the
local bike shops. A good builder will look at what you've been riding
and listen to how you use your bike and design a custom wheel that
will hold up for you. There are many options from different spoke
gauges, to more spokes, to heavy-duty rims. A good custom builder will
pick just the right components, build a very nice and strong wheel and
then guarantee his/her work, too, so that if you have a problem in the
future you will get your wheel fixed for free.

That's what I recommend and I'm sure you'll get a dependable, nice riding wheel,
Jim
---------------------------------------------------

Q: Jim,
I have a 1936-7 Roadmaster classic cruiser bicycle that I reacquired a
couple years ago after my Mom passed away. I am trying to restore it
to it's condition at my boyhood. My step Father did some changes to
it a several years back
discarding the fenders and apparently misassembled the coaster brake. I
have downloaded the exploded diagram of the brake and find that the clutch
retaining ring part# 110B1/2 is missing. I either need a replacement ring
or the specifications for it so I can make a replacement. Also I would like
to purchase replacement fenders.I hope that you can help me with these items.
Sincerely,
Richard

A: Hi Richard,
Morrow hubs and parts for classic old cruisers are getting a little
hard to find. I think your best bet would be to search eBay.com for
Morrow hubs or wheels with Morrow hubs or a complete bike with a
Morrow hub that you could buy and rob parts from. Similarly, you might
find a bike with the right fenders, too, if you're lucky. You might
also try contacting the guys on the www.thecabe.com website and see if
any of them can help you out. Maybe they have an old hub or some
spare parts. Another way to find vintage parts is at bike/car
swapmeets if you're lucky enough to have one in your area or are
willing to travel to one. One of the biggest is the Hershey swap meet,
which takes place in April each year. It's primarily for antique car
buffs, but is known for having loads of two-wheel deals, too, since so
many car collectors love bicycles, too. But, any car meet might have
vintage bicycle stuff, too, so they're all worth checking out when
you're hunting for parts. You might also try the folks that run the
Copake bicycle auction each year: http://www.copakeauction.com/

I think one of these things will get you going with just a little luck and
persistence. Good luck!
Jim
---------------------------------------------------

Q: Hello Jim,
Maybe you will have a possible answer that I just can't find on the internet.

I'm having a problem with a Shimano CB E110 coaster brake hub that
came with a single speed bike I purchased about a year ago. I've been
working on bikes as an enthusiast for about 30 years, but not much on
coaster brake (foot brake) bikes.

The Shimano CB worked fine until recently, when it developed a 'clunk'
and 'release' sort of response to pedaling backwards to engage the
brake. It brakes just fine however. Mostly annoying, but probably not
a safety problem. I hope. That's why I'm asking around as to what it
might be.

I've had it apart, put in a new spring, new bearings, new grease (high
temp), and adjusted it perfectly. No play, no binding!

But, now it's starting again, just a little bit though. I can't get it
to 'clunk' and 'release' on the bike repair stand, only in operation.
My LBS owner and friend suggested possibly the front ashtabula
chainwheel was moving a bit because of looseness (NOPE), or that the
rear cog was worn and chain was catching and releasing (NOPE - all
brand new and not that many miles on them). Any ideas?

Thanks much,
Phil

A: Hi Phil,
It sounds like you've checked the right things. I would have checked
the ashtabula sprocket, too, that was a good suggestion. Did you check
that the rear cog is not damaged? It attaches to the hub with small
tabs on the inside hole in the sprocket. These tabs can get worn and
if so the cog can slip under pressure and then release as the damaged
tabs refind their respective slots in the driver in the hub. You'd see
this on the cog but only if you look closely. There can also be
snapring problems that allow the cog to move and can cause problems.
You might check those things - that the tabs aren't worn and that the
cog is sitting securely and stays put on the hub driver. A new cog
would fix these issues, maybe a new snapring, too.

The other things that you didn't mention are the brake shoes and the
hub shell. These hubs are pretty basic and not too terribly tough. The
brake shoes can wear funny and that can make them jam a bit. You could
compare yours to new ones and see how they compare and put in new ones
if yours look worn or shaped funny. And, you should check the inside
and the bearing surfaces of the hub shell to see if you can spot any
small cracks or bearing wear marks and even scoring inside that could
be caused by lack of lubrication or bad, worn brake shoes or grit,
etc.

Oh, one basic thing some people don't realize: you should lube all the
parts up with a decent bicycle grease. If you run it dry or nearly
dry, it's sure to jam. You need to lube it good.

Maybe something here will help. Good luck!
Jim
--------------------------------------------------

NEWSWIRE: Albany Highwheel Event A Hit

Last weekend was the Albany, California (near Berkeley) Criterium and since it was the city's centennial, the promoters decided to hold a special highwheel bicycle event as part of the festivities. I brought my 1886 Victor Light Roadster and had a blast getting schooled by the other riders in the skill events, the slalom, the slow race (the last to cross the finish line wins; "ready - set - slow!") and the straight-and-narrow, where you have to ride down a decreasing-width lane formed by tape on the road. The person who makes it the furthest without touching the tape with his tire wins.

Then came something I'm good at, the mile race. Fourteen riders participated and we started together. To mount one of these antique bicycles (sometimes called an Ordinary, because it was the ordinary bike of the 1880s - or a Penny Farthing, a British term based on 2 coins that, when placed side by side, resemble the bikes), you put your left foot on a little step on the backbone (the frame). You then push with your right foot to get the bike rolling. Once the bike's got just enough speed to balance it, you push off with your right foot, push up on the step with your left foot, boost yourself into the seat and find the pedals with your feet at the same time. Getting off is the reverse - or, if you're brave, you can jump off.

With everyone safely underway, we tore around the course, the guys on the smallest wheels (equal to smaller gears) getting an early lead and keeping it all the way to the slight climb on the backside of the course. But, with my 56-inch wheel, I was able to gradually overtake the leaders and pull away around the last corner for the win. The photos show a "brace," a common 1880s crowd-pleaser, where we line up on our bikes by holding each other's handlebars for support, and me finishing the mile. For more on highwheeling:
http://www.jimlangley.net/spin/wheeling.html
http://www.jimlangley.net/ride/singerbritishchallenge.html
http://www.thewheelmen.com
http://www.hiwheel.com

Q&A: Speed wobble; mtb tire sizes,

Q: I have a Schwinn GS hybrid. It's equipped with what they call a carbon
"flex fork" that has very little rake as compared to my other bikes. I've
had 3 incidents where I got high speed wobble in the 35-40mph range. I
managed to get it whoa'd down before a crash, but it was very scary. I've
never had this problem on any other bike. I've checked the headset, wheels,
bearings, etc. and all seem fine. I've given it a lot of thought and it
seems to happen when I'm leaning to the right or off camber leaning to the
right. The fork looks like it "melted" during the wobble. I'm an old coot,
don't need to have a high speed crash. Got any ideas?

Regards,
Fritz

A:
Hi Fritz,
Speed wobble on bicycles and motorcycles is a fairly common problem so the
first thing is to have a plan for when/if it happens, and one thing you can
do that will usually get the bicycle under control immediately is to stop
pedaling and clamp your knees against the top tube. This will brace the top
tube and should stop the speed wobble right away. This is an old trick but a
good one to know because speed wobble can happen and sometimes even on bikes
that never wobbled before.

Finding the cause of a wobble and eliminating it can be more difficult. You
might start by replacing your wheels with someone else's and going down the
same hill where your bike wobbled and see if it does it with the different
wheels. If not, it might be that the spoke tension of your wheels is too low
or that you have a defective tire with an "S" in the casing from a stone
bruise to the casing.

It can be helpful to get a second opinion, too. If another person can't get
your bike to wobble on the same hill that it just wobbled on for you, you'd
have reason to suspect it could be how your bike is set up to fit you. For
example, if the seat is too high, your weight is too high and that can
affect how a bike handles. It sounds like you checked for the usual culprits
like a loose headset, warped wheels, loose wheel bearings. You might try
tightening your headset a bit. Usually there's a bit of tolerance and you
could try setting it a little tighter than it is and see if that helps damp
the front end and stop the wobble.

Hopefully one of these tips will help you solve the wobble, but I have seen
bikes that just wobbled under certain riders and under certain conditions. I
have a very nice road bike like this in my garage. It wobbles for me on
steep hills so it's reserved for people who weigh less and none have ever
got it to wobble. I believe the tubing in the frame is too light for my 170
pounds and where it's positioned on the bike when I ride it. Put a 160 pound
guy on it and it's fine.

And, I should add that I don't think the carbon fork is the issue. You could
certainly swap out the fork to see if a different one would stop the wobble.
But, my Litespeed has one of the lightest carbon forks made on it, an old
Look HSC, and even though it looks scary flexible on bumpy descents it has
never wobbled.

If you have a good mechanic you could have test ride your bike that would be
a good way to go, too, especially if he can experience the wobble.

Good luck. Let me know if you figure out what's causing it,
Jim
--------------------------------------

Q: Jim - Will a 26 x 2-inch tubeless tire fit properly on a 26 x 1.75 wheel?
Also, what width range of tubeless tire will properly fit a 26 x 1.75 wheel?

Thanks,
Chuck

A: Hi Chuck,
26 x 1.75 is a standard size used on some mountain bikes, so pretty much any
26 inch "mountain-bike" tire will fit, including 26 x 2.0, 1.5, 1.9, 2.3,
etc. Tubeless tires usually come in the wider sizes, though, and any of
those should work fine on your wheel. There are also skinny (not tubeless)
tires meant for road use like 1.25 and even 1 inch that will work, too, as
long as that's a modern wheel you have, and not something very old without
rims that'll hang onto a skinny tire. And, if you go with a skinny road tire
it's best to replace the tube with one that fits, too, otherwise it can be
super hard to mount the tire.

Hope this helps,
Jim
--------------------------------------

Q&A: Sticky pedals, dry lube, new brake hoods, clickie fixie

Q: Jim, I am a bit of an addict - doing spinning classes about 5 times a week. I love my clipless pedals and shoes but have a hard time clipping out - even broke a shoe trying to clip out. Someone suggested spraying Pam or WD-40 on the clips - any advice on this? Just in case you're picturing a large woman, I am about 5' 6" and 120 lbs, so not a big brute : ) Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
Paula

A: I can relate, Paula. I'm an addict, too, and never miss my rides. You didn't mention what type of pedal system you have. If you have plastic cleats and pedal parts, like used on Look clipless pedals, you can certainly try spritzing your pedals and cleats with a cooking spray like Pam or you might try a furniture wax like Lemon Pledge or a car spray polish like Armor All, I'd be a little worried about using WD-40, though, as it's more a penetrating lubricant than a slippery wax and it might gum things up over time where the slippery sprays shouldn't too much. On clipless pedal systems that are all, or mostly metal, like Shimano SPDs or Speedplay, the lubricants like WD-40, should work fine, not gum things up too much, and also last longer than the waxy sprays. Just don't walk into your house with your cycling shoes on or you'll transfer the lube from your cleats to your floors.

If you do have a Shimano SPD system, keep in mind that one of the most likely causes of difficulty getting out of your pedals is cleat wear. Over time the little metal cams on the cleats that open the pedal jaws when you twist your feet to exit wear down. And, when they wear down enough, you twist your feet and the cleats can't spread the pedal jaws enough for you to get your feet out. Replacing the cleats will make the system work like new again. It takes me a few years to wear out a set of metal cleats, though, so if yours are new, that's probably not the problem. Note that this can happen on plastic cleats, too, which wear out from walking, and a lot faster than metal ones, if you walk a lot in your cycling shoes. You can look at plastic cleats and see the wear pretty easily. Look for too-thin edges at the front and rear and rough or chipped edges, all signs it's probably time for new cleats.

Keep in mind that most modern clipless pedals have adjustable release tension, too. Look for a small Allen screw on the backs of the pedals (photo). Turn these in 1/2-turn increments counterclockwise and you should feel a significant difference in how hard it is to get out of your pedals. You can hold your shoe in your hand and click it in and out of the pedal to feel how much easier you can make it. On Shimano pedals there's a lot of adjustment and you can make it much easier if it's at the hardest setting when you start. Also, on two-sided clipless pedals like Shimanos, you can also set one side loose and one side tighter if you wanted a choice, say for riding for fitness when you don't get off the bike much, versus riding off road where you get off a lot.

If you have plastic cleats (like Looks) and they're mounted on a small shoe, it's also possible that the cleats bent slightly when the cleat bolts were tightened down (to conform to the curved shoe soles). This can happen on a small size shoe and if it does, the curve placed in the cleats when you tighten them fully makes it harder to get out of the pedals. The solution is to loosen the cleats and place shims beneath them until the cleats can be fully tightened without changing shape (the bottoms should remain flat when the cleats are fully tightened on the shoes; the cleats shouldn't be curved at all).

Hope these tips help you solve the problem,
Jim

Q: Hi Jim, I'm wondering about "Sosmetal Slik & Kleen." It's a dry lube and I'm wondering if you can tell me is it any good for the bicycle chain? I've tried it and it seems to do well and without any dirt or dust getting stuck as when using a regular type oil. I appreciate in advance your answer.
Thank you,
Bob

A: Sorry, Bob, I've never heard of that lube. Is it made specifically for bicycles? There is a bicycle lube called White Lightning http://www.whitelightningco.com/ that's wax-based and pretty good for dry climates/areas. I've used that a lot and thought it worked nicely, though you do get a waxy build-up on your chain and cassette over time. But, it does lube okay and keeps your drivetrain relatively grime-free.

Q: Hi Jim,
I have a bicycle that I built in the late seventies with components from all sorts of places. The brakes are Zeus 2000 center pull and the gum rubber brake hoods are in need of replacement. I have not found Zeus replacement parts but have heard that the campy replacement hoods will fit. I am wondering what the best way to replace these hoods would be. I really don’t want to remove the levers from the handlebars since I have leather handlebar covers that are sewn onto the bar. Is it possible to replace these hoods by removing the brake cable and going at them from the front?

Thanks for your advice,
Rick

A: Hi Rick,
I can't remember Zeus brake levers as they were pretty rare and I didn't work on many over the years. But, in most cases, you can slip the rubber hoods off the levers once the cables have been released from the levers. Old hoods will probably tear off, too and you probably won't mind ruining them if it's time to replace them. Be sure to remove all the rubber if some pieces are left stuck to the brake lever hoods. Lighter fluid or rubbing alcohol will free rubber pieces really stuck to the lever.

To get the new hoods on, soak them in warm soapy water for awhile. This will make them softer and slippery and they should slip right over the brake levers with a little care. Be sure to protect your leather tape so the water doesn't stain it. You could wrap plastic around it until the hoods are on and dry.

If you run into tight, or older rubber hoods that simply won't go on without risk of ruining them, you should be able to remove the brake lever handles, too. On high-quality levers, like Campy, there's usually a set screw inside to loosen and then you can push out the main pivot pin that holds the lever handles in place. Once this pin is out, the handles will come out (the lever hoods stay attached to the handlebars) and you can simply slide the rubber hood onto the brake lever hood without having to stretch the rubber much at all. It's a little tricky putting the lever handles back in place but not too hard. You just need to hold the rubber hood out of the way to slide the pivot pin back in place. Don't forget to tighten the set screw.

If you can't get the lever handles out of the lever, you can also remove the levers from the bars without unwrapping the tape, but this is trickier. It's easy enough to remove the levers by unscrewing the main screw inside the levers. This will let you remove the levers from the bars (just pull). BUT, when you remove them, the clamp and pull-up nut remain behind on the handlebar. Also, the bar tape stays the way it was wrapped. Usually, the lever was installed BEFORE the tape was wrapped. This means that if you remove the lever this way, the tape stays in a position that makes it tricky to get the lever back in the little pocket it was in before (formed by the tape).

Also, getting the screw in the lever to find and tighten into the pull-up nut and clamp still on the bar is tricky. It can be done but it takes patience and a little luck. One trick is to put a cardboard shim behind the pull-up nut to "jam" it in place so it can't move as you try to find it with the main screw when you're trying to reattach the levers. You will also need to wiggle or pry the bar tap/leather back over the hood the way it was before slipping a screwdriver or something like that beneath to fit the lever and tape just right so everything is right again. I've done this, but it's easier, of course, if you can just slip the hood over, or remove the lever handles only and leave the brake hoods on the bars.

Actually, now that I explained all that, because you have leather, it's possible that your setup was designed for easier lever removal. You might loosen a lever and see if the leather is entirely beneath the lever body and the clamp and nut are easy to access. If so, it should be pretty easy to remove the levers, slip on the new hoods and reinstall the levers.

Hope these tips help you out. Let me know how it goes,
Jim

Q: Jim - Here is a photo of a bike I built from scratch. New steel frame, all new parts. I have several bikes. My multispeeds are solid and quiet, carbon and steel. My singlespeeds, both a Bianchi San Jose and this one, go tick, tick, tick as I pedal, especially under a load. I had the bottom brackets rebuilt three times, even used plumber's tape on the BB threads. New chains, adjusted both, found the tight spot and adjusted to compensate for it as told to do. Still that ticking sound. Lubed the pedals, checked the SPD cleats, tight and lubed. Tried different shoes. Tick, tick. The mechanic at the bike shop told me to "ignore it and get used to it." Why do singlespeeds tick?
Bill

A: That's a sweet looking bike, Bill. But, it's hard for me to tell whether or not I could help with the tick on your bike. In my experience fixies and track bikes do tend to have a little more drivetrain noise, but I don't think of it as a tick but more like a constant running noise from the chain links and sprockets. It's not anything I'd worry about. 10-speeds make noise, too.

But, if I heard a regular, tick, tick, tick like on one pedal stroke or something, I'd try to figure it out. Maybe it would be possible to get rid of it and have a quiet ride.

Have you tried loosening your chain so it seems too loose, to see if the noise goes away? Have you tried checking the alignment of the cog and chainring to make sure they're perfect? Have you looked at the cogs and chainring very carefully under a bright light, one tooth at a time, to make sure no teeth are slightly bent, or out of alignment? Has the chain got a nice coat of lube on it? Are the chainring bolts nice and greased up? Were the pedal threads greased when you put them in? Did you check your shoes to make sure nothing is loose on there. On my Sidi shoes for example, I only use 3 holes to mount my Look cleats. That leaves a couple of other holes for other cleat systems. Problem is, the metal inserts in these holes are loose in the shoe. It took me a while to figure out that they were rattling in there and on every pedal stroke I'd get a click, click. It drove me nuts. I fixed it by putting a screw in those holes to lock that part of the shoe down.

Another possibility is the chain. Sometimes people run basic coaster-brake-style chains on fixies. It's my experience that a derailleur chain, which is more flexible, will run more smoothly and quietly. You might try that if you're running the more basic, less expensive coaster-brake chain.

Maybe one of these suggestions will help you find the problem and have a nice quiet ride again. I hope so. Thanks again for the photo. I enjoyed seeing your masterpiece. Very nice! Oh, be sure to check my extensive article on finding and fixing bicycle noises if others crop up. It's here: http://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html

Jim