# fixed gear bike conversion



## Cush (Feb 14, 2008)

i tried posting this thread on a bike forum and i got a whole lot of responses full of technical bike terms that i don't know. i can ride them and fix them but don't ask me what the parts are called.

anyway, i just recently was given a 10 speed bike with everything. brakes, two wheels, ETC. it's completely rideable. i already have a perfectly good ten speed so i don't need this one so i want to turn it into a fixed gear with a single speed flip flop hub.

the bike is about 30 years old. on some sites it has said that some older styles of wheels work for both fixed hubs and freewheel hubs. How do i find out if this bike has this type of wheel?

if my wheel is in fact able to receive this hub i have a couple questions: what sort of hub should i buy? what is a good gear ratio for riding around a relatively flat city (specifically new york)? should i just take it to a bike shop and ask all these questions?

if my wheel isn't able to and i need to buy a new wheel then what type of wheel do i need to get?


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## MeatyMax (Feb 18, 2008)

If you buy a hub you have to spoke/respoke your rim....duhn duhn duhn. Ebay has some flipflop wheelsets ready to go but can get pretty pricey......yet again duhn duhn duhn. Other than that horizontal dropouts are better then vertical (the thing you slide your back wheel into) because you can tighten up the tension on the chain since you wont have the tensionor thing that you would have when switching gears and whatnot. hope this helps.... no expert here either.


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## Dillinger (Feb 19, 2008)

I'm not sure where I could dumpster a bike frame in my part of town.
Haha I'd really like to make myself one of these though.


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## rideitlikeyoustoleit (Mar 4, 2008)

Cush said:


> i tried posting this thread on a bike forum and i got a whole lot of responses full of technical bike terms that i don't know. i can ride them and fix them but don't ask me what the parts are called.
> 
> anyway, i just recently was given a 10 speed bike with everything. brakes, two wheels, ETC. it's completely rideable. i already have a perfectly good ten speed so i don't need this one so i want to turn it into a fixed gear with a single speed flip flop hub.
> 
> ...



First of all, you need to determine if the spoke count is going to be compatible between your rim and your new hub. The kind of hub you buy really doesn't matter since you don't have some thousand dollar carbon fiber bike. You can probably find a flip flop fairly cheap. Seeing how you are going to be riding fixie with brakes, you don't need a really dinky chain ring for easy stopping. You will probably be fine with the average 42 tooth chainring and 16 tooth cog. If you want to buy a whole new wheel, you can get a cheap flip flop wheel pretty much anywhere, but you need to determine if you wheelset is 700 or 27, and buy accordingly. Also, your drop outs are important. Longer drop outs give you more space to move your axle around for chain tension. If the drop outs are really short, you won't have room, and you will either just get lucky or have to invest in a singulator. You should check the Sheldon Brown site (http://www.sheldonbrown.com) for more information.


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## shaneth (Mar 5, 2008)

cheapest way i would make a conversion is to bring your rear wheel into a bike shop and have them remove the freewheel. then, buy a track cog and put some blue loctite on your hub threads and use a chainwhip to tighten in on as much as possible. if you dont have a chainwhip, tighten the cog on as tight as possible with your hands and then ride your bike up a steep hill. this will tighten it further and then you can just let your bike rest so the loctite can cure up. as for your bike, take off the derailleurs and shorten your chain to the appropriate height with a chain breaker. you need to make sure the chainline is running straight on your fixed gear so you should probably use the inside chainring on the front. you should also get some axle spacers and use those to line up your chain. theres more detailed how to's on the web, but this is the general outline. i've also seen people use regular bmx cogs and JB weld them to the hub. whatever works for you, just make sure you keep the brakes on.


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## streetrat (Oct 30, 2008)

if you dont know how to do it yourself
you probably shouldn't be riding a fixed gear...


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## dirtyfacedan (Oct 30, 2008)

I need to get my fixie back on the road pronto!! Old Cove bike i bought in the skids a few years ago....i stripped it down a lot.


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## Double-A (Oct 30, 2008)

yeah, that whole chainline detail is pretty important. the flip flop hub may work, but you may have to space it after you get your hub in order. if you DO want to be super trendy and learn to skip stop, you should either buy an actual track flip flop hub or, if you don't mind not having the one speed freewheel option, you can get a cheap track cog and then a bottom bracket locknut to lock that in place. just make sure you torque the hell outta it so you don't end up unthreadin it. i did than and it damn near cost me my brain.


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## severegout (Oct 31, 2008)

hipsters.


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## Double-A (Nov 3, 2008)

don't get me wrong. i think these bikes are fun and addicting to ride, but i think that it's becoming a dangerous trend as of late. they were only made for one thing, racing on a wooden track. good for messengers and racers, not good for unexperienced riders on city streets.


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## streetrat (Nov 5, 2008)

not only are these hipster dicks making us kids who actually know how to ride. look bad
they are seriously just asking to get themselves hurt.
it pisses me off.
>_<


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## elokupa (Nov 5, 2008)

ok i really dont get fixed gear bikes

i got talking to a guy a while ago cos im interested in doing some touring, and when i told him i have a normal bike he laughed and told me i didnt know shit.

maybe i dont know shit about bikes but i dont see what possible advantage not having gears would give (when touring)

isnt it a bit like a guy on a 50cc moped laughing at a guy with a 1000cc superbike?


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## finn (Nov 5, 2008)

Fixed gears are good for urban manuevering because the constant feedback with the road makes you more alert and nimble, but they're not good for touring, because they don't do so well on rolling hills. They are lighter, but touring bikes are generally made to carry a fair amount of stuff, to be able to climb hills, and to not be twitchy in terms of handling.


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## streetrat (Nov 8, 2008)

i traveled 3 states on a fixed gear about a month ago
def dont recommend it. aha
trying to climb hills with 40 pounds on your bike and only 1 gear is fucking HARD
awesoem trip though ^_^


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## Benny (Nov 24, 2008)

This whole fixed gear fad is annoying. A new hipster bike store opened up in Long Beach and the cheapest bike is $1500.00......give me a fucking break. Who's the jackass that decided a single speed road bike is cool and why does everyone think they need one?! I don't get it.


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## skunkpit (Nov 24, 2008)

well on the plus side, you could accidentally lose a toe... or something..
fixed gear bikes for i, makes a lot of sence in totally flat places , like the prairies


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## streetrat (Nov 24, 2008)

what fucking fixed gear cost 1500?
fixedgears and or single speeds generally go for like 600 complete
unless your looking at higher end frames those go for like 700 a frame but you cant buy them complete...
must be a serious fucking track bike for 1500

and single speeds are ideal for cities
bikes with a billion gears fail frequently,
fixing them can be a hassle
which is why bike messengers tend to use single speeds or trackbikes
there reliable, light and fast
unless your traveling 2000 miles or in a super hilly area theres no need or point for multiple gears.


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## bikegeek666 (Nov 24, 2008)

those reasons are okay, but personal preference trumps them all. i liked it a year ago when i was able to have three bikes, a shitty weather mountain bike, a road bike, and a fixed gear basket bike, my main work bike. but they all had strengths and weaknesses for certain things. the fixed gear won out mainly because of personal preference for city riding. 

for distances, though...i've done 100+ mile a day rides on a fixed gear. flat midwest, though, so it wasn't hard.

but the fad? yeah, fuck the fad. i don't want gold rims and just....all that hipster shit, just fuck it.


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## Benny (Nov 24, 2008)

I came off a little harsh in my last post but I think you should ride your bike and fix it up how you want to. Do what works for you and not follow every trend that comes along. I get tired of seeing the sheep trying to be cool.


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## Double-A (Nov 27, 2008)

gold rims??? haha. i can just fucking see us kids on that shit!!!


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## bikegeek666 (Nov 27, 2008)

well, i guess i could rattle can my shit gold. bling, yo.


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## matt (Feb 22, 2009)

I know this is an old thread but here are a few things to contribute.



rideitlikeyoustoleit said:


> If the drop outs are really short, you won't have room, and you will either just get lucky or have to invest in a singulator.



You cannot use any sort of single speed tensioner with a fixed gear. You will tear it apart on your back pedal.



shaneth said:


> cheapest way i would make a conversion is to bring your rear wheel into a bike shop and have them remove the freewheel. then, buy a track cog and put some blue loctite on your hub threads and use a chainwhip to tighten in on as much as possible. if you dont have a chainwhip, tighten the cog on as tight as possible with your hands and then ride your bike up a steep hill. this will tighten it further and then you can just let your bike rest so the loctite can cure up.



If you are going to do this, and I definitely do NOT recommend it, you will want to use RED loctite, NOT blue. Blue is super easy to remove with just your hands, red needs heat applied to it to take it off. Also, use the rotafix method to secure the cog. (They're still pretty wrong about the lockring though.) Then do as Double-A suggests and put a bottom bracket lockring on their. Again, I do not recommend this at all.



Benny said:


> This whole fixed gear fad is annoying. A new hipster bike store opened up in Long Beach and the cheapest bike is $1500.00......give me a fucking break. Who's the jackass that decided a single speed road bike is cool and why does everyone think they need one?! I don't get it.



I worked in a shop where I regularly handled $15,000 bikes. Now I'm not saying that they didn't ride sweet as hell, but sometimes they were a little excessive.



streetrat said:


> and single speeds are ideal for cities
> bikes with a billion gears fail frequently,
> fixing them can be a hassle
> which is why bike messengers tend to use single speeds or trackbikes
> ...



Bikes with a billion gears do not fail frequently if properly maintained and fixing them is no hassle at all if you know what you're doing. Both have their merits.



bikegeek666 said:


> but the fad? yeah, fuck the fad. i don't want gold rims and just....all that hipster shit, just fuck it.



There's no gold like Araya Gold.


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## Raging Bird (Mar 2, 2009)

I got a cheapass wheelset from BikeIsland.com - Bicycle Parts, Accessories and Clothing at Affordable Prices with Free Shipping, it was like $90 for two wheels, which is about 1/3 of the price I've seen elsewhere.


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## bikegeek666 (Mar 13, 2009)

matt said:


> I know this is an old thread but here are a few things to contribute.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




ha ha...araya gold...yeah, first thing i think of is gold anno'd nitto risers and shit.

as far as rotafix, it works. and use red loctite. and a lockring. rotafix doesn't use a lockring because it's for the track and there's no skidding on the track.


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## bikegeek666 (Mar 13, 2009)

oh, but on old freewheel threads a lockring won't help nearly as much as it will on a proper fixed gear hub.


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## matt (Mar 21, 2009)

bikegeek666 said:


> as far as rotafix, it works. and use red loctite. and a lockring. rotafix doesn't use a lockring because it's for the track and there's no skidding on the track.



While you may not skid on the track, you still apply back pressure. If you drop you're cog not only are you going to hit the wood hard, you are also going to be laughed out of the velodrome. It's a great way to put on and take off cogs but its so simple just to put that lockring on.


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## Mor (Sep 29, 2009)

my dog is fixed.

my bike sure isn't! haha




If I had room for more than ONE bike I would definately build a fixie. 
They're really fun to ride.


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## The Cheshire (Oct 25, 2009)

shaneth said:


> cheapest way i would make a conversion is to bring your rear wheel into a bike shop and have them remove the freewheel. then, buy a track cog and put some blue loctite on your hub threads and use a chainwhip to tighten in on as much as possible. if you dont have a chainwhip, tighten the cog on as tight as possible with your hands and then ride your bike up a steep hill. this will tighten it further and then you can just let your bike rest so the loctite can cure up. as for your bike, take off the derailleurs and shorten your chain to the appropriate height with a chain breaker. you need to make sure the chainline is running straight on your fixed gear so you should probably use the inside chainring on the front. you should also get some axle spacers and use those to line up your chain. theres more detailed how to's on the web, but this is the general outline. i've also seen people use regular bmx cogs and JB weld them to the hub. whatever works for you, just make sure you keep the brakes on.



NONONONO!!!!!

This is really horrible advice and if you follow it your going to get hurt and not want to ride a fixed gear. DO NOT cut your chain and re-attatch. With a fixed gear you use the chain to accelerate as well as deccelerate. Your chain is super important, go buy a new one. If your able, dig through the bin at your local shop and get a new chainring as well. 3/32 chains are no good for fixed gear, get a 1/8th set up. Cog, lockring, chain and chainring. Getting a new rear wheel is a good idea too, unless your going to build your own. Weinmann LP's are cheap and durable, and easy to service (bearings). Axle spacing might work, depending on weather your wheel is a freewheel or freehub, and if your conversion kit has the right spacers for your wheels. If the wheels are as old as the bike, you really ought to get a new rear... cant stress it enough. Anything else you do isnt as major, but you absolutely have to have a strong and effective drivetrain.

So, NO LOCKTITE. No Rotofix unless your on the velodrome, and NOT the street. Get a new chain, and some tight ass levis your gunna need em.




Benny said:


> This whole fixed gear fad is annoying. A new hipster bike store opened up in Long Beach and the cheapest bike is $1500.00......give me a fucking break. Who's the jackass that decided a single speed road bike is cool and why does everyone think they need one?! I don't get it.



Is it LBFG? My buddy paul owns that shop, overpriced but hes a good mechanic.


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## bikegeek666 (Oct 26, 2009)

3/32" chain is just fine for fixed gear. i used it for many moons as a messenger until i won a 1/8" chain in an alleycat. i don't believe the plates on 1/8" chain are any thicker, just the gap between them, to accomodate wider cogs.

edit: also, rotafix is good for a quick way to get a cog on and off. never on the street without a lockring, and not without tightening it down by jamming up a hill really hard or something to twist it on tight. loctite...red loctite i've heard can be okay. no personal experience, but i've been told that it holds. that said, i still wouldn't do it without lockring and brake.


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## coolguyeagle76' (Feb 14, 2010)

im sure you figured it out somehow by now locktighting the cassette is the cheapest and easiest and most punk way to make a fixed gear.


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## xbocax (Feb 14, 2010)

I have 2 bikes my Fixed Iro, and My touring/road panasonic. When i wanna hall something take it easy and feel the breeze i take the Panasonic. When i wanna get somewhere fast i take my IRO. Fixed are fun but can get annoying after a while and you needa break. Everything about how to make the conversion that i know of have already been stated. My only 2 cents on this is i payed a bike mechanic when i first started geting into bikes to convert this old sr i had into a fixed. He just ended up doing the locktite thing and i didnt know the better till another mechanic told me. So i guess what im trying to says is as long as your not mashing the locktite thing will work in the short run (1-2 months) until you can get yourself a proper fixed gear hub.


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## bananathrash (Feb 28, 2010)

you can thrash harder on singlespeeds with a freewheel.

im pretty sure the loctite idea is only in addition to a bottom bracket lockring.


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## nuckfumbertheory (May 8, 2010)

I <3 Coasting.


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