Pictures and comments from the build of my singlespeed/fixie:
 

This is what "Gabby" looked like after we pulled her out of the trash and carried her home. She was destined for the recycling center. The head badge was un-saveable, as it had been almost ripped in half and was hanging on by one rivet. The stem was frozen in place and the seat tube was filled with sludge.
 
Laurel put this note and a 50 Euro bill inside a jewelry boy and wrapped it up for my birthday. It was sweet and a very nice way for her to help out with my obsession. I have the note pinned to my bulletin board at home and look at it all the time. It always makes me smile.
 

This was after the initial priming and the second sanding. I put the fork and cranks on to see how they would look together and with a black frame.

   
Here she is after the final touch-up coat of paint. No drips, no bare parches, and no runs in the paint. Not to shabby for a rattle-can job. This was also the first day that my wife’s table was used for the sole purpose of bike building.
   
Installing the chainring and the forks. I decided to use a bigger towel/drop cloth on the table after I saw a raised eyebrow from someone sitting on the couch after I whipped out the grease gun... Not my first fork installation, but it was the first time I used Teflon plumbers tape on the threads. Tip from Sheldon Brown.
   
Arrrgh!! She be mine Matey! While installing my bars, I noticed that they looked sort of like a cutlass. Laurel snapped a couple pictures of me being three years old with a new toy.
   
Taken before the delivery of the rear wheel. I wanted to make sure that all of the stem/bar/seat/pedal measurements were as close to my race bike as possible even given that the frame size was larger. It wasn’t until the two were side by side that I realized how big of a difference there truly was. I have found while riding it that the frame size in THIS case isn’t a big deal and I haven’t had any problems at all with it.
   
Fixed gear porn. 90% of all fixie shots on the dedicated websites include a from the rear, straight chain pic. Sort of the “money shot” of the fixie world. I have included it here next to a shot showing what my MTB bars look like installed.
   
Pictured here is the head badge that I had made for Gabby. The original was screwed and there was no saving it. A vintage replacement would have been pricy as well. I worked this little logo up in Photoshop and it fits both the sprit of the bike and gives a nod to the city in which she was rebuilt - given that I 'jacked the center image from the city seal.
Umm… There she is on her first day out riding in the world. I made a fast run to the Hamburg University, crossed town to spend some quality time in my favourite coffee shop, weaved through tourists at the Rathaus (City Hall), and circled the Gross and Klein Alster lakes in the city center – stopping here for a few shots of Gabby as the sun went down. Click on the image for a larger one.

 
Since I am the only person that reads the postings on my site, I figure ‘what the Hell’ and advertise on my bikes. My folder has a similar sticker and I once caught a guy taking a picture of the bike and then the sticker on the train with his phone. I talked to him for a second or two and he thought it was a great site name. Hopefully, Gabby will generate some traffic as well.
 
This point at the Klein Alster is a really nice place to watch the sun rise and set. One can see the steeples on the Michael, Petri, and Nicoli Kirches as well at the clock tower of the Rathaus. Around this lake and its larger brother there is a park buffer zone, running path, and dedicated bike lane. On really clear warm days the place is covered with couples, puppies, picnickers, and children. Even then, it is a peaceful spot to come to and read or think or just sit. Click on the image for a larger one.