#bellbikes

Unisex prototype in black with 3speed Nexus .. one size 55cm 

Steel singlespeed in matte black

For score and not long ago a great idea swished through my head. In these hot and unforgiving days of summer where using public transportation to get from point A to point B is a nuisance, the idea of getting a bicycle made perfect sense. Off I went onto the great bicycle plains, where the ever-so-growing popularity of the two wheeled vehicle has spun options one couldn’t even dream of. Early on I decided to be modern, stylish and adopted a fearsome DIY attitude. Little did I know there would be trouble in paradise. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t give up so easily on the do-it-yourself idea, but I found interesting things, people and ways how to tackle the issue of getting, servicing and finally ridding a bicycle here in the capital of Slovakia. You could consider this a guide, manual of some sort, in what to do if you decide to take the plunge and become a “road warrior.”   #1. Location, location, location First order of business is to decide where you’ll be riding. In the woods, on open roads, in the urban territory, up the hill maybe? This will be your north and south when deciding where to go to make the purchase and how much to spend. I chose urban territory. City streets are a great place to traverse and get lost. Exploring paths you would never consider taking is fun and gives you a new perspective of the city. Consider riding a bike like having a bird’s eye view —an unobtrusive field of view makes you discover you’re surroundings on a whole new level. #2. New vs. Old Let’s start with the new and shiny. A decent bike starts at €300. That’s a fact I learned browsing online stores and paying visits to local retailers. You could argue it’s too much or too little, in either case, consider it a price you’ll need to tackle. Keep in mind what you really want as the path of the used bike is an easy way out. Used bicycles are much cheaper than the threshold for a new one, but the price you pay comes with a drawback. There’s not a lot, which can go wrong with a bike, but the more complex (looking at you mountain bikes), the more prone to getting iffy. Servicing, parts, time, all that can become a frustrating experience and lead you away from the ride of your life. I’m sure I’d buy one if riding through muddy roads and forests would be my thing, but it isn’t. Remember when I said I wanted a hands-on-experience with my bike? I bought myself a one-way ticket to getting up-close-and-personal with my “new” bike when I purchased a used crimson red 1950s Liberta off this couple thorough an ad. The bike was a fairly popular Czechoslovakian road/race bike from the bygone era. As for my inspiration for the DIY approach, I got it from a company I came across on the “interwebs.” They are call themselves: Mission Bicycle. They offer a service to build your own bike. You design it, either online or come to their store. Afterwards, if you choose to, you can build it right there with the help of a store technician or have them do all the work for you. Great idea, don't you think? You learn about various parts of your new bike and connect with it on a whole new level. This is a neat way how to educate and have a hands-on-experience at the same time. #3. Facing the Facts After rummaging through YouTube I found a really inspiring and most of all detailed set of videos where the host nicely explains why and how to make a single speed bike from a [multi] speed one. It’s an older video, but has all the tidbits you’ll need when building and tinkering around while converting your bike into a single speed. There I was with my red Liberta knowing where to get the parts and had a date set up when to go get them. Something wasn’t right, though. A pattern emerged. The majority of people I talked to about my recent purchase started pointing me to the same bike repair shop here in Bratislava. I was familiar with the name, but always considered them a bit pricy. Heck, I yearned for a nice bike and I wanted to do it on my own. My pride got the best of me. After considering the odds I got to see the clear picture. It would take a lot of sweat and hours to get the thing right. I didn’t even have the right tools to begin with. A day before picking up the necessary parts I decided to get a second opinion and went to the shop my co-workers and friends told me about. Took me a bit of time to find them. The shop is actually a huge basement in an older apartment building. One of the guys came and opened the door and gave me a warm welcome. This friendly approach was nice for a change, but it didn’t stop there. The guys immediately knew what kind of look I had in mind for my Liberta and gave me a few suggestions off the bat. It all seemed nice and peachy until I broke the budget news to them. They smiled and said: “No problem,” adding “You can leave the bike here and we’ll take care of everything.” After two days the bike was ready for the taking. My 150 Euro got me a new set of Csepel wheels, Schwalbe tires and tubes. They pushed the ante by installing a pair of used pedals and cranks since mine seen better days. A black tape around the drop handlebars and I was set. The bike was all shiny and looked almost new when I came to pick it up. Bellbikes boys’ approach proved me wrong. Its best to leave some things to the experts. It was their attitude towards repairing and bikes in general, which persuaded me to leave it up to them to do a great job. Did I mention they were really friendly? I learned a lot in the entire process of looking for a bike. Starting with the why, where to get one, where to repair it and most important: riding it. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still much to learn and do on the bike, but for now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to ride off. I will be definitely coming back for another round (or two) of tweaking to the Bellbikes shop.  

Bellbikes Site

Coasties’ YouTube playlist on ‘How to Build a Single Speed Bike’

Mission Bicycle