fixed gear bike conversion

[Cush]

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?

 

[MeatyMax]

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.

 

[Dillinger]

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.

 

[rideitlikeyoustoleit]

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?

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.

 

[shaneth]

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.

 

[streetrat]

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

 

[dirtyfacedan]

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.

 

[Double-A]

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.

 

[severegout]

hipsters.

 

[Double-A]

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.

 

[streetrat]

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.
>_<

 

[elokupa]

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?

 

[finn]

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.

 

[streetrat]

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 ^_^

 

[Benny]

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.

 

[skunkpit]

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

 

[streetrat]

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.

 

[bikegeek666]

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.

 

[Benny]

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.

 

[Double-A]

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