In an earlier post I talked a lot about the benefits of training fixed. The Pearson Touché really got me into this and I’m now in the process of building up a new ride, a Planet X Stealth Pro Carbon fixed-gear time trial bike around their excellent new frame and this will become my new companion along my trusted Bianchi 928 Carbon from 2006. This bike I still can’t bear parting with and with it’s Mavic Ksyriums it rides like a dream too - but more about that later.

So in the meantime - what to do with the Pearson? I love it, dread to get rid of it and well, when it gets horrible out there I will probably revert back to it again for training and keep the Stealth Pro for nice weather.. Why not pimp it up I thought - change the ride characteristics completely and set it up for racing around town instead?

So enough said - I set out to do this by changing the bars for some straight ones, brake levers for a simple front brake lever and taking the rear brake off altogether, switching the wheels that the Pearson came with back on. For added cool-factor I went for a black, white, silver colour scheme so out went black stem and seatpost - in came alloy post and stem, hope spacers, bottle cage - some naughty NC-17 grips and Deity saddle for that grungy Rude Bwoy look. Schalbe Fortezza Tricomps make it pretty nippy, an 18T sprocket on the back (it has a 48T chainring) means it’s faster from a standing start and pedals can alternate between these and double-sided SPDs. For a full run-down on process, steps and pictures have a look here.

Pearson Touché pimped - all hail the Pearson Deity