if you can stretch your budget to a rear continental gatorskin, do so. last forever, never flat, best fixie tyre ever.
well i think so anyway.
got 2000K+ out of the rear, and that was on a work bike with plenty of skidding fun.
so worth the effort.
by “Suicide” you are all just referring to the possibility of the cog unscrewing when braking?
Correct. Not a good thing to happen if you are brakeless… hence the term.
So I got a frame on the weekend!
Its an 59cm Apollo frame, with horizontal drop outs, the crank and gears were missing, but there were five cogs on the back so I assume it was a 10 or 15 speed?
It’s got 26" rims, but I also got a slightly bent 27" rim with a flip flop hub that I will get rebuilt on to the rear. I think i’ll get both front and back wheels respoked. I was going to take it to Abbotsford cycles this saturday.
What would be the best gear set and ratio to put on it, provided it will be mainly commuting, and I havent been riding for a while?
If it’s got 26" rims then it’s a mountain bike I guess.
As far as gearing goes, just look for some secondhand road cranks. Older Shimano cranks are usually good and cheap. You’ll probably need a new bottom bracket toget the right chainline.
I’d be suggesting a gear ratio around 65-70 inches.
I might measure the rims again then. I was told they were 26" but it is definatley a road bike, (road style handle bars, gears on frame, road tyres on it) maybe they are 700c.
The 27" I have will probably be slightly to big to fit the frame, if they are 26" what are the chances a 700c would fit, and does it really matter that much, assuming I run similar tyres etc.
If it was a mtb frame, 700c would probably fit. If it’s a road frame made for 26" wheels, 700c probably won’t fit.
Well I had a look at the wheels again last night and I didn’t realise before, but the the back one has 27 1/4 stamped on the back of it.
So does this mean I could run 700 rims? Are they better or just different? The rims I have at the moment need to be respoked and there is some surface rust on the inner rim, is this bad?
How much could I get decent second hand rims for, assuming they will need to be rebuilt with the flip flop hub and possibly have new spokes addeed?
700c rims will fit because they are slightly smaller than 27", but you’ll need a long reach brake caliper because most calipers aren’t long enough to reach a 700c rim on a 27" frame. 27" rims are old. 700c are the standard now. THere’s nothing wrong with 27" rims as such, but they tend to be steel, heavy and there’s not so much choice for tyres.
Personally I would get a set of wheels made up for it rather than reusing old rusty steel rims. Actually, I wouldn’t bother converting a 27" road frame.
You can get 27" rims for practically loose change at Ceres. That’s probably the best option I know of for a tight budget. You could get a rear double fixed Dimension track hub from Dan for probably $80 or so ( I can’t remember the exact price) and build that with secondhand rims.
Ive got a flip flop hub I got from ceres, I was just going to build onto the wheels. I might just go for a very cheap option to start off with, as I’ve never ridden fixed before, and becasue I plan to go overseas this year I dont want to spend heaps on something that will sit unused for a while.
When I get back, I’ll keep the “loaner” bike and build another one up from scratch on a better frame.
I’m taking it to a cycle shop this weekend, then I’ll post some pics of it when it’s done.
Thanks for all the help.
so…
I took my “bike” to abbotsford cycles, (it’s pretty much an old racer 27" frame, and steel wheels) and a guy there said I was looking at about $400 dollars to have something ridable…
I really want to get a bike going but don’t want to spend that much money on it. I’ve seen heaps of fixies around that dont look like they cost $400 dollars, so I havent given up hope.
Here are the parts I need.
Handle bar tape
Either to redish the steel wheels I have (i have one with a flip flop hub)
… or new wheels (maybe 700s)
Crank
Gear and Cog,
Chain
Tyres
Help / labour putting it all together…
Is this project a lost cause, or does it have hope?
New wheels will be $400 by themselves, but will be a great investment. You need a new crankset, or you dont have one? If you already have one it will be fine. Same with cog.
It’s not a lost cause. How much are you willing to spend?
New tyres, chain, bar tape will cost about $100 or more (maybe a bit cheaper - I don’t know cheaply you can get 27" tyres). If you don’t have cranks the best thing is to find some secondhand because decent cranks are not that cheap. You might need a new bottom bracket to go with the cranks.
If the budget is tight then you really only have 2 options:
- Save more money.
- Wait patiently for the bits you need to come up on eBay or Trading Post.
Or buy my Paconi from the Classified section ??? 
Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you don’t need to spend alot to get a conversion going. Sometimess you do. It all depends on the condition of the parts and how compatible they are to “fixing”.
Here’s your delimma. You could pay the $400 and get your bike going. Or you could save some more and buy a Fuji track bike for ~$600-700 which is a very decent setup for the price and might be a better bike for you.
IMO, people that think they can convert a bike on the cheap often find themselves spending alot more than they intended. But I don’t think that’s a lost cause. The experience you gain from putting a bike together is worth the price.
Des
$600 for a Fuji from Goldcross. 10% off if you’re an RACV member.
Only problem i’ve found with it is the front chain ring.
The RPM cranks use a dished chain ring. If i put a standard flat track ring on it the chain line is going to be off.
Ha, I woul buy your paconi in a second if it was bigger… but I’m 6’6" so might struggle. Thanks for the help guys, I might be able to work something out then.
snuffy i’m ver interested in the pug, depending on price. any pics? PM me
I’d hazard a guess that’s not Snuffy’s bike. I think he just he’s just giving you a lead. Look at the BV thread and click on the guy’s profile - his email address is there.