I’m not new to standard bike riding (I currently own a bike with Shimano internal 3spd), but I’ve never ridden a fixie.
Judging by all the testimonials from this forum as well as the Sheldon Brown site, I’d like to give it a try.
I don’t want to buy a whole new fixed bike (too new and shiny). Instead I’d like to try my hand at building my own. I understand that this might potentially cost more than a new off the shelf bike, but at least it’ll be my own.
My question is, can you give me some recommendations for hubs/wheelsets and other parts please? I don’t need anything fancy, just parts that will be hardy for commuting around the city and will serve me well. I’m assuming the 46/16 ratio will be enough to potter around Melbourne - I will only use it to go to Uni and around the city at first. I’m not very knowledgable about the quality and value-for-price of parts so would appreciate learning from your experiences.
Also, since my current bike-altering experience is limited to flipping the bars upside down on my current bike for that boardtracker look, could you please direct me to some knowledgable fellows who won’t mind helping me build up the bike, or give me in-person tips? I learn much better if I see it being done rather than reading about it and then trying it out. I had a read on the Sheldon Brown site and got all muddled.
I know about the HPC and CERES facilities but they are rather far from where I live (Swanston st) and I don’t have a car so it’ll be tough to go there on the tram with a bike frame!
Hope you fellows can help me out! I’d really like to learn more about bikes, and try out riding fixed for the pleasurable experience it seems to give you all.
You could, depending on the spacing of rear dropouts, just pop a fixed hub rear wheel on your current bike and ride it around for a couple of weeks to see how you like it. Probably the easiest way to give fixed gear riding a go
I didn’t want to use my current bike because it’s an Electra cruiser, running on a 24x3 rear wheel, with a Shimano Nexus 3spd Internal hub. It’s a rather heavy bike with large handlebars that aren’t really practical for taking in and out of my apartment for commuting. Was looking for an old bike to build up so I could lock it outside without worry.
Yeah, I’m not too hard up for a frame as I can get those easily on the bay or gumtree, was looking more for your advice on quality, value-for-price parts.
I’d much rather buy those new and from reputable brands than wing it with old parts. Problem is I don’t have much money for trial and error, so if anyone could recommend their favourite hub for commuting, that’d be awesome.
HPC is near a train line, and you can take a frame on a tram or train. They’re not really that far from the city. Evan @Cyclic also does fixed/SS builds and he’s next to a train station in Flemington.
i wouldn’t leave a bike locked up on swanston st as a regular thing. just asking for the wheels to get kicked in eventually, good news is, a fixed gear bike will weigh half of your electra cruiser, and be much easier to carry inside. if you left it locked outside you should be prepared to replace parts on an ongoing timeline, going on the genera local knowledge, though your experience may differ.
By “outside” I meant the secure area the apartment honchos provide. We’re not allowed to have bikes in the actual apartment, but can lock them up in an area accessible only by residents and is monitored! However the bikes are exposed to the elements, which is why locking an older bike up there won’t give me any grief
I shall ask Evan for quotes on helping me build up wheels and stuff. Thanks for that bit of info!
Are the hubs sold by Kid Killy durable and reliable? Has anyone used them?
Yeah, the wheelset that xBBx won certainly didn’t have Velocity hubs. Can’t respace to >120mm like you could Formula, which may be an issue if you’re doing a conversion.
