April 11th, 2018:

	I've been planning a bike build in my head for the last couple of 
months, and yesterday after dinner I drew up a rough draft on scrap paper.  
Bike #6 will be a single-speed road bike with a flip-flop hub (fixed gear 
on one side, freewheel on the other), so I can have all the fun of a fixie 
with none of the commitment!

(In other words, I can switch to a freewheel if fixed gear riding gets to 
be too much for me)

My original plan was to build the bike as fixed gear only, with no brakes.  
However, several experienced fixie riders have advised me to install a 
at least a front brake for safety reasons.  Probably a good idea, as I 
haven't ridden a fixie before and I'd probably get myself killed in the 
first emergency stop situation...

I decided on a flip-flop hub so I could switch to freewheel mode (by 
flipping the wheel around) in case I want to take a nice leisurely ride 
and just coast.

As this is going to be a road bike, I decided on either 27" or 700c 
wheels, the more traditional choices.  I haven't decided on gearing yet, 
although I'm inclined to stick with my favourite combination: 44t 
chainring, 14t sprocket (3.14 gear ratio).  I'm a pedal masher, so I may 
even use a 56t chainring down the road.

I'm sticking with platform pedals rather than clipless, just in case I 
need to bail in a hurry.  That, and I won't have to shell out for special 
shoes.

The saddle will be a generic saddle, nothing special.  Won't need anything 
specific to my anatomy.  Cheap is good.

The bars and stem are where the design took an interesting turn.  I knew 
going in that I'd build the bike with flat bars.  Seems to be the norm in 
fixie culture.  In pricing these out, I came a cross a Pinterest post that 
showed a bike with a beautifully lacquered hardwood flat bars and thought, 
"That would look great on an all-white frame!".  A quick browse of my 
favourite bike shops online came up with several hits, so I've decided to 
go that route, paired with a y-stem.

"How is that interesting?" you may ask.  Well, I hear you ask.

While I was sketching the bars into the design, I thought it would be 
funny to sketch wing-nuts onto the y-stem's clamps instead of hex-head 
bolts, so I could loosen the clamps and pull out the bars for use as a 
bludgeon, should the need arise.

Of course, this would be wildly impractical if the bike was in motion (as 
there'd be no way to steer), so I thought back to all those Kung Fu movies 
I've watched.  A better idea would be to have flat bars that could be 
separated into two by a quarter-twist.  That way, I could steer with my 
left hand and wield the other half with my right!

Then I thought, wait a sec, the right half of the half bars would only be 
a foot long at most, hardly enough to be used as an effective bludgeon!  
Once again using Kung Fu movies as inspiration, what if the right bar had 
a concealed blade built in?  Yeah, pull the bar out and out snaps a 6-8" 
blade!  That'd work!

I had visions of engaging would-be thieves and muggers along the bike 
trails in Assiniboine Forest (near my place), and cutting down any fishing 
line strung across the trails to catch unwary cyclists and joggers.

I snapped back to reality and gave my head a good thorough shake.

I mean, when has any of the above ever happened?  Sure, there are the 
occasional homeless people camping out in Assiniboine Forest, but 
they are typically harmless.  The trails are well-lit and well-travelled, 
so the likelihood of attack is slim, and violence is never the answer.

Fishing line traps are always a possibility, although to my knowledge it 
has never happened here.  Besides, I doubt I'd have time to react even if 
I *DID* spot the trap in time (unlikely given my poor eyesight).  I'd be 
better off braking, dismounting, and cutting the line rather than 
heroically drawing my blade, swinging it and cleaving the line just in 
time to ride through it.  I'd probably end up missing, falling off my 
bike, and somehow end up stabbing myself!

Anyhow, even if brigands, cutpurses, and deathtraps became commonplace in 
the forest, I'd be better off avoiding the area altogether and riding one 
of the many trails that goes AROUND the forest...

Yeah, when you start adding hidden daggers to your bike build plans, it's 
time to re-examine your motivations...

At that point, I redrew the bar section with the y-stem and 
(non-weaponized) wooden bars.  I added a front brake as suggested, and 
even drew an alternate with studded tires for winter(!) use.

I'm hoping to start the build by mid-summer.