Fixed gear conversion or new?

August 22, 2005 5:49 AM

BikeFilter: i'm scheduled to buy a used bike this evening and i plan to convert it to a fixed gear bike. should i go used and convert or just buy new? also, what should i look (out) for when buying this bike?

used bike: complete 65cm single speed freewheel fuji $95, flip flop hub $40
new bike: complete 64cm fixed gear fuji $499 (closeout sale)
considerations: i am 6'4" so finding a used frame my size (60cm+) is/was near impossible. i can afford the new bike, but it would be a stretch. i have no technical expertise with bikes, but i want to learn.

basically: is it worth me getting this bike and then spending the extra cash to transform it (new hub, new crank, worrying about chain tension in a straight chainline etc.) or should i just buy a new bike outright and avoid the hassles?

also: what should i look for when buying this bike? never bought a used bike before.

posted by whatitis to sports, hobbies, & recreation (14 comments total)

Does the used bike have a horizontal dropout?
posted by veedubya at 5:55 AM on August 22, 2005

veedebya - i emailed to find out but haven't heard a response. going to call later. i've found one hub that would allow chain tension to be adjusted with a vertical dropout, but i'm considering that to be a dealbreaker. if it's vertical, just get a new bike.
however, since this is already a single speed bike i'm guessing it's horizontal.
posted by whatitis at 7:33 AM on August 22, 2005

Yeah, an elliptical hub will allow tensioning with a vertical dropout, I'd guess they're expensive, though.

For $95, I guess that you can't expect top-end components. Check that the wheels aren't tacoed, and they run true. Whether or not you care about the quality of the brakes probably depends on how hardcore a fixie you are.
posted by veedubya at 7:39 AM on August 22, 2005

It's not the end of the world but you're going to have to be more careful not to bottom your pedals on the single speed; it will likely not have the high bottom bracket position found on track bikes and road fixies. As to veedubya's point, you should definitely make sure that everything - hubs, bottom bracket, headset, pedals - is running smooth, that the bearings are clean and you don't feel a click or a hitch when you spin them (this, in particular happens when cup-and-ball bottom brackets get "pitted"). That said, I don't really think you can expect top-end components on a $500 new fixie. You may, in fact, find higher quality, if older, components on the used cheapie.
posted by leecifer at 7:50 AM on August 22, 2005

Just get a cog to start off. Throw a BB ring on it to lock it and try it for a couple of weeks. I did this and ended up loving the FG and won't be spending the cash on the flip flop any time soon. Make certain to tighten up and true the rear wheel very well. You wouldn't believe how much difference a perfectly trued wheel makes for skid stops and performance in general.

As far as bottoming out on the pedals - yeah you have to watch it, but I've only noticed it as a problem when going over curbs.
posted by jmgorman at 8:09 AM on August 22, 2005

Info here and here
posted by flummox at 9:06 AM on August 22, 2005

flummox - thanks for the links. i've read those sites at least twice over already. (=

also, just got the word that the used bike is not a vertical dropout
posted by whatitis at 9:41 AM on August 22, 2005

If you want to do the conversion yourself, there's more to this subject than can be neatly summarized here. Matching the frame geometry, fittings and configuration to your own style of cycling is important in fixie conversions. Then you need to choose the right components... the right gear ratio... understand a little about component compatibility...

I'm not saying don't do it, fixie conversions are major fun, but a little research in advance goes a long way.

flummox already linked it, but it's well worth repeating, Sheldon Brown is THE online authority for the beginner in this area.

Bear in mind that an off-the-shelf fixed-gear bike is usually a track bike, or a pseudo track bike with a fronbt brake. Fine if you like twitchy, bum-in-the-air bikes, not so good if sedate commuting at touring speed is your thing.

For pictures of what's possible, or just for drooling over, you can't beat Fixed Gear Gallery.
posted by normy at 10:07 AM on August 22, 2005

Dude, get the used bike. Doing it yourself is part of the journey. Besides, you can buy a LOT of upgrades for $400 later. I agree w/ jmgorman -- get yourself a track cog and a english threaded Bottom bracket lock ring and some locktight (or nail polish). There's some risk that you could unlock it, but it's a very small risk with locktight and a BB lock ring. That's what I'm riding right now and I've had zero problems. FYI: I used the 'permanent' locktight to be on the safe site.

If it's single speed now, I'm not sure why you'd need new hubs and cranks. I run 175 cranks on mine, no prob. Make sure what's on there is OK now (wear wise) and you should be fine.

Re Chainline: The singlespeed hub that's on there should give you a pretty good indication of how much work you have to do, if any. For me, I found that running on the middle front chainring and the track hub threaded on the wrong way (shoulder facing chainring) I was incredibly close (off by like .25 mm).

Re Chain Tension: find out if Mr. Man's got a tensioner on there now. If not, you're probably golden. If so, you're gonna have to muck about w/ the chain a bit, but since it's not Veritcal you should be OK.

Biggest deal to look for on a used bike: Fit and Ride. It doesn't have to be perfect, but if it's wrong the $100 cheapie fixed gear isn't going to get much use. This isn't something you can change for your extra $400, so figure out what size you really need and measure/ride the used bike long enough to figure out if it'll work for you.

Other FG links of note: FG Setup at Old School Track. This site is a wealth of information (more than Sheldon's actually) for FG. These are hard core no-brakes guys, but give them a read, they have LOTS of good tips including the FG 101 article.
posted by daver at 10:20 AM on August 22, 2005

thanks so much for the info!

daver: any links for what this ("track cog and a english threaded Bottom bracket lock ring and some locktight") looks like/is/where to purchase? i'm not technically inclined in the art just yet ...
posted by whatitis at 10:34 AM on August 22, 2005

Hey Wjatitis:
Try these:
Wikipedia

Bike Forum

Also, try variations on this google-fu

You should be able to find both at your Local Bike Store, depending on how big/good they are. If it's small/not so good, call in advance so they can order them in. Or, order from Sheldon, he's a good cause.
posted by daver at 1:34 PM on August 22, 2005

also discussed here.
posted by RockyChrysler at 4:09 PM on August 22, 2005

I used bmx half links on my old vertical dropout and it worked like a charm.
posted by Dr_Octavius at 6:22 AM on August 23, 2005

Half links! Cool shit, I've never heard of them. Thanks for the tip!
posted by daver at 1:11 PM on August 24, 2005