I'm looking to convert my road bike to fixed geared via the WI ENO Eccentric hub, but I have a bunch of questions as to how this would work:

What's a good gearing for around town riding? What's a good gearing for hilly (rolling but steep) road riding? I am definitely a spinner, pefering to pedal around 100 rpm.

Can I get a good chainline putting a single chainring on 7700 Dura-Ace cranks or will I have to pony up for some square taper cranks and a Phil Wood BB so that I can adjust the chain line?

What do I do with my downtube shifter mounts? Any functional or decorative ideas?

How many spokes for my rear wheel? Is 36 overkill? Is there extra stress on a fixed wheel meaning that 32 spokes will not be enough? I weight 150-160lbs.

Thanks!

Most people chose gearing around 70 gear inches, you might want to try mid 60s if you are a spinner.

ENO hubs will give you ~47.5mm chainline which should match up with the outer chainring of a road double.

shifter mounts - I'll leave that to someone else.

36 is definitely overkill, 32 spokes if plenty fine. Just get a well built wheel and you'll be fine.

Have fun with the conversion.

Before I built up my first fixie, I experimented with gearing by riding my road bike in a single gear, trying the various routes I expected to ride, and consciously forcing myself to pedal constantly. You can't precisely duplicate the effect (especially on downhills) but you can get a pretty good idea of what works. Try about a 70-inch gear at first, then a bit higher and a bit lower.

I also ride the fixie a lot in rolling (short steep) terrain, and for me the ideal gear is the tallest one that I can grind up the steepest hill without hurting myself. That way I don't spin out any sooner than necessary on the downhills. On the stripped-down "lightweight" bike, that turns out to be about 73 inches (39/14). On my commuter, which is heavier and typically carries more stuff, I run about a 66-inch gear.

If you're really good at turning high rpm's you might want lower gears; but be warned, you don't really know how fast you can spin until you ride a fixed in hilly terrain. I've learned to spin at a little over 150 rpm (for a minute or so) while still producing some power. It's quite a wild sensation. Some guys go quite a bit faster (if you can believe them).

Have fun. If you like it at all, you're likely to get seriously addicted.

I would second this advice as well. I experimented with different gears to see what I could suffer through and it got me pretty close. The closest approximation of what I had chosen was about 65 gear inches. I rode that for a few weeks and did ok with it, but found that I spun out too quickly on the downhills. When I switched to right at 70 gear inches, I was much happier. It was nice to have that bit of transition time with an easier gear to push though.

I have an ENO hub. I'm not sure I recall the exact number, but I believe the chainline is 47mm. I used an old Sugino double crank (square taper) off an old Centurion (small ring on the outer position) with the narrowest 107mm Shimano BB and the chainline was dead on.

[QUOTE=fishman473]
What's a good gearing for around town riding? What's a good gearing for hilly (rolling but steep) road riding? I am definitely a spinner, pefering to pedal around 100 rpm.

Start with the gear ratio you use most frequently and comfortably on flat land.

Can I get a good chainline putting a single chainring on 7700 Dura-Ace cranks or will I have to pony up for some square taper cranks and a Phil Wood BB so that I can adjust the chain line?

I dunno. Try first, pay later.

What do I do with my downtube shifter mounts? Any functional or decorative ideas?

8 balls, skulls, or leave em be.

How many spokes for my rear wheel? Is 36 overkill? Is there extra stress on a fixed wheel meaning that 32 spokes will not be enough? I weight 150-160lbs.

How ever many spokes you have on the wheels sitting in your basement. No special requirements.

Have fun, fixin' one up is almost as much fun as riding one home.

Thanks guys,

Looks like a 44x17 will get me just shy of 70 gear inches. So I'll start out with that. I already have a 16 t if I want to go faster, and I guess I can get an 18t too.

As for high RPMs, I thought I hit 160 on my rollers a couple weeks ago, but I couldn't get my cyclocomputer to work last night to confirm that, might have been 140... that being said, I'm sure the fixed gear will push my limits even more.

And 32 spokes in back sounds good to me, hadn't thought of the fact that it would be wider and dishless. It will look silly with the 36 spoke wheel I'll have in front, but maybe I'll find an excuse to replace it soon.

What's a good gearing for around town riding? What's a good gearing for hilly (rolling but steep) road riding? What do I do with my downtube shifter mounts? Any functional or decorative ideas?
How many spokes for my rear wheel? Is 36 overkill? Is there extra stress on a fixed wheel meaning that 32 spokes will not be enough?
Here's my fix for the shifter mounts. Dollar store dice, a drillbit and a gluegun and you're good to go.
I went through three gear changes until I settled at 72" (48/18) but it depends on you and your terrain.
I used my old 36h wheels as they were here gathering dust but if I had to buy any for the fixy I would get 32. That's plenty.

Here's my fix for the shifter mounts. Dollar store dice, a drillbit and a gluegun and you're good to go.
I went through three gear changes until I settled at 72" (48/18) but it depends on you and your terrain.
I used my old 36h wheels as they were here gathering dust but if I had to buy any for the fixy I would get 32. That's plenty.

Oooh, an old volumetrica? Have you ever posted pics of that bike before? I don't recall ever seeing it in its entirety here. I kinda got a thing for the old Masi bikes.

Oooh, an old volumetrica? Have you ever posted pics of that bike before? I don't recall ever seeing it in its entirety here. I kinda got a thing for the old Masi bikes.
Oh for sure. It's been at the Post pics of your fixed bike here (http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?p=602525#poststop) sticky thread for a while.

I'm not happy with its present configuration though as a Masi doesn't deserve those silly bullhorn bars, cyclo-cross brake levers and a Shimano stem. I've got a NOS brown Concor saddle and Cinelli bars & stem plus some roadie levers waiting to go on as soon as I locate more yellow brake casing.

The frame is a beauty and as close to mint as you can get for a used early '90s frame. I bought it new. The color isn't like the camera shows - it's an awesome purple with about 10 clearcoats.