One of the projects on my list of ‘to do’ has been to build my own pushbike. I’ve got a mountain bike but these days all those hipster types seem to have created or rather reinvented, the urban cycle by means on the fixie. While I’d like a fixie the singularity of gears seems a little restricting. Gears are kind of handy when you hit those hilly things so I’ve decided on the old fashioned idea of a single speed chain-wheel option… a half way house as it were.

The main aim of the project is just to make the thing. I particularly wanted to take something trashed and rebuild, I wanted something in need of some TLC. I wanted a project. With this in mind I scrounged around eBay and Gumtree for a while but trying to find a frame in the 59-60cm size proved tough.

Luckily the local council decided to help out by proclaiming the annual hard rubbish collection. I won’t get into the woes of modern times and the stuff that people throw out but suffice to say while walking the dog I retieved this five speed, rather vintage looking 59cm frame from a neighbours nature strip. After removing the associated spiders-webs, buckled wheels, perished tyres and half a can of paint-stripper later we have the above. A blank canvas.