I’ve become intrigued by this Fixed Wheel SS idea and would like to try and put together a cheap conversion of an old 2nd hand 10 speed road bike. I’m in Sydney.
I’ve been reading Sheldons page about it and its a bit daunting. Redishing particularly. ?!?
what sort of 2nd hand bike shoudl i be looking for? I had a look down at the bower on Addison Rd and they have some rubbish frames out the back Apollo etc…
and very rusted.
Is the Nunnery happening at the moment I thought i might try there?
Will bike shops Redish wheels for you? and howmuch can you expect to pay?
are you better off buying some new wheels?
I’m not sure what my frame size is, but I got mine from a Brotherhood of St Laurence store in Melbourne for $30. It’s an old long wheel base steel frame (Graecross I think), probably around 56cm. I’m about 6ft and it suits me perfectly.
Anywhere from about 54cm to 58cm should suit you fine.
first time up, maybe, but take it a bit at a time and it’ll work out OK
any old iron will do - check the weekend papers, garage sales, lifeline etc, anyone with a busted derailieur will throw out reasonable bikes - you’ll be happier with something lighter/better than the average repco/shogun/malvern star but any will do. something with colnago/pinarello/anything italian/french is not suited and you should send on to me for disposal.
“the right size” matters, i’m old-school (and old) and ride larger frame sizes than current fashion, but guess anything 56 - 60 cm can be made to fit
re-dishing isn’t too hard and can be done in the frame OK, chase back to 10/12 speed and get the freewheeel removed at a friendly lbs, the cog just spins straight on, replace the QR with a nutted axle and space it to suit whatever you have as the chainwheel spacing, then centre the rim. if you’re not running a rear brake doesn’t even matter much.
dunno who the “recyclers” are in sydney, both bris & mel have 2nd hand shops where you can find bits, maybe crap quality, but cheap
PM me your contact details if you want to talk it over, but have a go and let us know where you end up
Old road bikes (6sp and earlier?) have a screw on cluster, rather than the modern splined cassette. It jsut so happens that the threading on a screw-on freewheel hub is the same as the threading on a fixed track cog as well as a singlespeed freewheel. That’s why the cheapest option is generally using an old screw-on hub.
If you do that, the cog won’t line up with the chainring straight away, hence the redishing. Redishing is just the process of centring the rim over the hub. Otherwise, the rim won’t be along the centreline of the frame which means at best it won’t handle properly, at worst the rim will rub on the frame or won’t even turn at all.
Anyone who can true/build a wheel can redish it for you. Expect to pay the same sort of costs for truing and tensioning a wheel, because redishing is essentially the same thing. Depending on the shop you’ll pay upwards of $20 to get it done. The only problem with converting an old road wheel is that there is no lockring thread, so it’s possible to unscrew the cog while you’re riding. You can screw an old bottom bracket lockring straight on to help but it’s not foolproof. If you’re going to be skidding, this is probably not the right way for you to go. Skidding really requires a lockring otherwise you’ll cause problems for yourself.
Once you’ve removed the derailleurs, cables and gear shifters and redished the wheel you’ll need to shorten the chain (or most likely get a new one anyway, if you’re starting with an old bike).
About the frame, I’m probably around 5’10 or 5’11 and I ride a 57cm comfortably. I could ride a frame a couple of cm either side of that with some adjustments. Also, older road frames tend to have longer wheelbases and slacker geometry. The only real necessity for a fixed conversion is long dropouts, so you can adjust chain tension. You can use vertical dropouts and a ‘magic gear’ (google it) but I think that’s usually more trouble than it’s worth.
Now that I’ve answered some of your questions and raised a whole lot more, ask away
yes the nunnery is open… monday evenings 40 forbes st newtown, I wont be there tonight but just before christmas there were a few large ( ~60cm ) rode frames there, also just around the corner is cheeky transport, they know fixed gear and can help with a cog etc… enjoy!
Thanks for all that info and advice from everyone.
The only problem with converting an old road wheel is that there is no lockring thread, so it’s possible to unscrew the cog while you’re riding. You can screw an old bottom bracket lockring straight on to help but it’s not foolproof. If you’re going to be skidding, this is probably not the right way for you to go. Skidding really requires a lockring otherwise you’ll cause problems for yourself.
Yeah this is of concern. I saw something about it on Sheldons pages. that if i convert a freewheel it may unscrew.
So is it easier / just as cheap (with the redishing + new cog ) to buy a new rear wheel with a fixed hub/cog ?
chase back to 10/12 speed and get the freewheeel removed at a friendly lbs, the cog just spins straight on,
Also what about Brakes?
do you need a front brake? safety concerns?
and how does the back brakeing work?
does it “lock in” the way old back brake BMXes used to do it? or do you have to “manually” apply pressure to slow down?
I almost bid on this an old Apollo road 12 speed at Gavin Hardy’s Auction house on the weekend. It had a Cromoly frame and what looked like alloy rims - but the tyres were shot.
The only problem with converting an old road wheel is that there is no lockring thread, so it’s possible to unscrew the cog while you’re riding. You can screw an old bottom bracket lockring straight on to help but it’s not foolproof. If you’re going to be skidding, this is probably not the right way for you to go. Skidding really requires a lockring otherwise you’ll cause problems for yourself.
I rode for a year without a lockring and never had a problem. If you’re not going to skid and you use a front brake (and you install the cog properly), you’ll be fine.
I think converting a freewheel hub and redishing is pretty much always going to be cheaper than buying or rebuilding the rear wheel. You can buy a good 700c rear track wheel for probably about $170 or more, so it comes down to how much you can afford to spend. If budget’s tight, convert a freewheel to start with, then you can upgrade later on if you want.
I would recommend you use a front brake at least until you’ve had enough experience to decide that you want to go brakeless. In general, riding brakeless means you’ll have to ride slower and with a shorter gear to give you more stopping ability. If you want to ride fast you should have a brake, IMO.
BMX or coaster brakes are a different thing. You won’t really need a rear brake on a fixed unless you do lots of fast descents.
And, try to stick with frames that aren’t any older than early 80s or so. It’s easier to have a 700c frame rather than a 27" if you want to use 700c wheels and a brake.
Short answer = don’t worry about it. Road BBs are around 270mm off the ground and I’ve never had a problem with 170mm cranks. Track BBs are probably a couple of cm’s higher I suppose. I probably wouldn’t use cranks longer than 170mm though.
If you put the cranks at 12 & 6 and lean the bike over (while you’re not riding it), you’ll realise that the bike can lean quite a long way over before the pedal hits the ground.
I’m also looking to convert an old frame to a fixie a the moment. (for <$100)
As far as drop outs go, is horizontal in either direction ok? As in pointing to the rear, or pointing forward in the c configuration, but still fairly horizontal? (if that makes sense?)
As for wheels, assuming on converting the hub and redishing? Are any decent rims okay? Is there an optimum size / width / spoke config / etc?
I’m off to CERES on the weekend to source some parts / bikes? Are their somethings that are cheapish and just better to get new(ish) like seats, bars, stems, brakes, etc?
Probably for everything other than pose value forward facing “semi-horizontal” drops are better for fixed than rear facing “track ends”; they’ll sure be more findable and affordable!!
Likewise almost any wheel config can be made work, just that 700s in 27" frames need long reach brakes, and with converted/suicide hub you gotta have a brake.
Down the track you’ll want chase the bling, but where cost matters, just be patient and see what turns up at the op-shops and roadside dumps. Elbow grease and Autosol can make od s*** look like you paid for it!!
oh yeah, with the brake issue you just mentioned. On a suicide hub, do you reccomend front and rear brakes, or just the front? The thread wont unscrew if you are just slowing down will it? (not skidding)
Whats the best/cheapest/most knowledgable bike shop(s) in Melbourne metro area to get help with this project?
henry ford said you could light, strong, or cheap. pick any 2.
don’t think best and cheapest come in the same sentnce unless it’s one that says that they don’t come in the sentence.
as has been mentioned in other threads, there is a good article on setting rear sprockets so you have the best chance of survivng a ride. google rotafixing and you’ll see how to do it.
a good lock ring for a standard cassette thread can be made from a bottom lockring from a a 3 piece bottom bracket. also spoke to a guy who suggested making very thin shim that is slightly larger in diameter than the lockring, that will help to stop it unwinding. he suggested a soda or beer can to make the washer.
hope this helps.
Front is plenty, this wheelset has been running suicide for nearly 2 years, rotafixed, never spun off with minor skipping/skidding just stay away from aggressive skipping/skidding
(Assualt is likely to get it off after exposure to the Melb tyre destruction crew!!)
PM your contact details if you want to talk it over
If any one has any parts, like seats, handle bars, stems, brakes etc, they have lying around and wanted to sell cheap please PM me, as I’ll more than likely be happy to take them off your hands.
What tubes and tires do you guys reccomend for road use? (with a budget in mind)
Any body have any tips for cleaning older parts, like frames and wheels?
I get cheap whatever tubes whenever I can get them for a good price. Having several bikes means I can justify buying 10 at a time to get a good discount and that lasts for years.
Maxxis Fuse tyres can be had on eBay or at some online bike shops for around $45 a pair. They’re good and not expensive.
