I don't know a whole lot about fixed gears, but have read a little on Sheldon Browns page. I bought an older road bike today that I was gonna use as a beater to ride around town,do errands and such. But I'm wondering about converting it to a fixed gear since I hear everybody talking about how awesome fixed gear bikes are and that it's the purest form of cycling. So what I would like to know from you guys is 1) what makes a road bike a good candidate for a conversion? 2) what's the cheapest I could do the conversion for? 3) Could I do the conversion myself with hardly any bicycle mechanic skills just internet resources? and finally 4) why should I convert? what are the advantages of a fixed gear?



I know thats alot of questions but any advice or help is greatly appreciated.

btw the bike I have is a Nishiki rally 10spd

thanks Pete

I don't know a whole lot about fixed gears, but have read a little on Sheldon Browns page. I bought an older road bike today that I was gonna use as a beater to ride around town,do errands and such. But I'm wondering about converting it to a fixed gear since I hear everybody talking about how awesome fixed gear bikes are and that it's the purest form of cycling. So what I would like to know from you guys is 1) what makes a road bike a good candidate for a conversion? 2) what's the cheapest I could do the conversion for? 3) Could I do the conversion myself with hardly any bicycle mechanic skills just internet resources? and finally 4) why should I convert? what are the advantages of a fixed gear?


1)The single thing that 'makes' a good candidate is horizontal drop-outs. With vertical rear dropouts, you are either using something like and ENO hub (some money) or hoping for a 'magic gear' (a combination that just happens to give both good gearing and good chain tension.)

2) If you have that, the answer is 'free,' or at least very close. This assumes your bike has an old freewheel-style hub, which I beleive to be the case. You'll need a track cog, which costs $10-15, and a lockring (from an old-style bottom bracket) is a good idea, maybe $3 if you can't manage to beg or scrounge one. This approach does require respacing and redishing the wheel, which isn't particularly difficult and doesn't require any more unusual tools than a spoke wrench and perhaps a cone wrench or two, but it can be daunting if you're not mechanically adventurous. I believe Sheldon talks about this approach, and googling "fixed gear conversion" will give a extra references. You'll easily find all the information you need. Chain line is the only remotely fussy part of the equation, and they cover the details well. Basically if you respace a 5-speed hub to be centered and run in the position of the inner chainring on the crankset, you'll be real close. I did it for mine, and in an evening of messing around, I had a fixie. You'll note I left the brakes intact, and I recommend the same, especially with this setup. I rarely use them, but the insurance is nice (and I like the hand positions on the hoods.)

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=69513&d=1162489338

3) If you don't think you are up to redishing a wheel or running without proper track hubs and locknuts is not within your comfort zone, it's a matter of picking up a rear wheel (or a set.) $100 on ebay will do the job handily.

4) It's fun. It's different. It will make you a better (more skilled) and stronger rider. It's more reliable, with fewer moving parts and adjustments.

the bike does have a horizontal drop-outs, and what exactly is a track cog? also what do you mean by redishing the wheels?

thanks

the bike does have a horizontal drop-outs, and what exactly is a track cog? also what do you mean by redishing the wheels?

thanks

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html

the bike does have a horizontal drop-outs, and what exactly is a track cog? also what do you mean by redishing the wheels?

thanks

More required reading:

http://www.63xc.com/dennb/redish.htm

Option B is what I'm talking about.
(and keep browsing at that site)

For my 7-speed Maillard hub, I got really lucky. All I had to do was pull one cone off of the axle, flip it around and stick it back in from the other side. By whatever luck, the spacing was such that it perfectly centered the hub and created a perfect chainline (though I did need to thread the cog on inside-out to get the last few mm's.

SInce you have horizontal drops, this site isn't needed, but it's still worth mentioning:
http://eehouse.org/fixin/index.php