Single Speed and Fixie Bikes

[TimmyBoston]

I've recently become very fascinated by these bikes. I'm really wanting to convert my old 12 speed Schwinn to either a single speed that will coast or a true fixed gear that won't.

Which do you feel is better a single speed or a fixie and why?

Especially now that the weather is getting warmer, I'm trying to commute as much as I can and run as many errands as I can on the bike and I think a simpler bike would be great for that purpose.

So if anyone has any advice on conversion, I have no idea what to do, I would greatly apppreciate any help on that front. I was looking at a kit on Nashbar but it states it's only for 7,8, or 9 speeds and mine rear cassette is a 6.

Of course any other discussion on single speed bikes or commuting or any other related topic is welcome too.

 

[Mejnoon]

How much are you willing to spend on the conversion? You can buy a wheelset with a flip flop hub (ss on one side, fg on the other) for <$150.

Check Sheldon Brown's site for tons of great info...

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

 

[TimmyBoston]

How much are you willing to spend on the conversion? You can buy a wheelset with a flip flop hub (ss on one side, fg on the other) for <$150.

Check Sheldon Brown's site for tons of great info...

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

That's the site was reading early. Honestly I'm looking to spend less than that. Really I'm looking to spend as little as I can.

 

[Miles]

What are the advantages to reducing the gearing of an existing multi-geared bicycle? I am familiar with the popularity of "fixies" in some circles, but it was my understanding that they are popular due to being relatively inexpensive to purchase. Can you please enlighten this confused member?

 

[erde]

I just found this definition on above mentioned site. Think it might help other members reading about fixed-gear:

The oldest and simplest type of bicycle is the "fixed-gear" bicycle. This is a single-speed bike without a freewheel; that is, whenever the bike is in motion, the pedals will go around. You cannot coast on a fixed-gear machine.

M track bicycle any enthusiastic cyclists ride such bicycles by choice, at least part of the time. Why would anybody do that? It is not easy to put into words. There is an almost mystical connection between a fixed-gear cyclist and bicycle, it feels like an extension of your body to a greater extent than does a freewheel-equipped machine. If you are an enthusiastic, vigorous cyclist, you really should give it a try.

There are many reasons, including: fun, fitness, form, feel & 'ficciency!

But on your question:
How often miles or km / week are you using your bike(s) ?
Are there many hills where you life ?

I personally go like 100km+ /week with my bike for about 8-9 month a year. Which is not that much. But I have hills around me.
I would never ever limit myself to a single speed or even a fixed-gear.

If I ever wanted to try a fixed-gear I would look for an old bike -second hand, remove the gear changer or fix it - so it's single speed and if I'm really mad I would find me somebody to weld the back chainwheel with the hub - so it's fixed gear then.
Sounds like you already have a second bike and are now looking for the right procedure to create a single speed or fixed-gear, right ?
Maybe you just start with the single gear for the first shoot. That at least would cost you nothing.

 

[dpmtherrien]

I might be missing something here, but I remember as a kid we all had those one gear bikes. You could coast on them, and when you applied pressure back on the pedals, you were applying the brakes. About the only other bikes around were the "English" bikes that were 3 speed bikes, were very light and had really skinny tires. This was back in the mid to late 1950's.

 

[thebikingengineer]

I might be missing something here, but I remember as a kid we all had those one gear bikes. You could coast on them, and when you applied pressure back on the pedals, you were applying the brakes. About the only other bikes around were the "English" bikes that were 3 speed bikes, were very light and had really skinny tires. This was back in the mid to late 1950's.

You're thinking of coaster brake bikes. Those are different. Fixed gears won't let you coast because there aren't any pawls in the hub to let you, the rear sprocket is rigidly fixed to the hub.

To the OP, if you want to convert there are a few ways to go. The easiest is to buy a correctly threaded cog (5-speed or BMX threading) and screw it on to your hub with some red loc-tite. This is the cheapest, but least safe way to go due to the sprocket coming loose. The safer route is to find a fixie rear wheel already built up, it will have threading for the sprocket and slightly smaller reverse threading outside of that for the lockring. This ensures that your sprocket won't unscrew while you're applying backpressure. I've done this and it's not a good feeling. You should be able to find a wheel with a cog and lockring on various websites (craigslist to start) for well under $150. Just make sure they're not selling you some welded *** and you're good.

Personally, I'd stick with a singlespeed if I were you. I had my bike fixed for a while and then struck a pedal and went down hard enough to break my collarbone. People say it gives you more control, but this is questionable. If you do decide to switch, keep the brakes, skid stopping is scarily ineffective at slowing a bike down.

 

[TimmyBoston]

What are the advantages to reducing the gearing of an existing multi-geared bicycle? I am familiar with the popularity of "fixies" in some circles, but it was my understanding that they are popular due to being relatively inexpensive to purchase. Can you please enlighten this confused member?

The bike I want to convert is 15 years old and the gears are shot. It's either convert it or throw it away. I want to keep it alive and I think having a single speed or fixie would be a lot of fun.

 

[TimmyBoston]

Personally, I'd stick with a singlespeed if I were you. I had my bike fixed for a while and then struck a pedal and went down hard enough to break my collarbone. People say it gives you more control, but this is questionable. If you do decide to switch, keep the brakes, skid stopping is scarily ineffective at slowing a bike down.

Regardless I am keeping my hand brakes.

Any recommendations on kits for single speed conversion? I've read about a few online, but I can't find much good info and I don't know what to do. It appears as if it's cheaper than converting to a fixie.

 

[thebikingengineer]

Converting to single speed is literally a matter of unscrewing your cassette on the back and screwing on the single cog. You have to take the wheel off and you have to put a new shorter chain on. If you want to get really fancy you can put one of the chain tensioners on (the Surly Singleator is good) so you don't have to worry about setting chain tension manually. It's very easy to do and takes maybe one special ($5) tool.

 

[Stubblefield]

The bike I want to convert is 15 years old and the gears are shot. It's either convert it or throw it away. I want to keep it alive and I think having a single speed or fixie would be a lot of fun.

If the bike is 15 years old, it may not have a cassette. Have it looked at before you proceed, if you are uncertain.

If it does, a single cog kit with spacers and tensioner will be the simplest route to take. And it will require a tensioner, as I bet you have vertical dropouts. Nashbar sells a kit that runs around 20, I think. Still requires tools tho.

Converting to a fixie will require a new hub and/or new dropouts (unless you go with an eccentric hub). Big job for a toss away bike.

 

[TimmyBoston]

If the bike is 15 years old, it may not have a cassette. Have it looked at before you proceed, if you are uncertain.

If it does, a single cog kit with spacers and tensioner will be the simplest route to take. And it will require a tensioner, as I bet you have vertical dropouts. Nashbar sells a kit that runs around 20, I think. Still requires tools tho.

Converting to a fixie will require a new hub and/or new dropouts (unless you go with an eccentric hub). Big job for a toss away bike.

It has a cassette and from what I've been able to determine from pictures, horizontal dropouts. It definitely doesn't have standard vertical dropouts.

I can always post pictures and you guys can tell me if I'm wasting my time.

 

[thebikingengineer]

It has a cassette and from what I've been able to determine from pictures, horizontal dropouts. It definitely doesn't have standard vertical dropouts.

I can always post pictures and you guys can tell me if I'm wasting my time.

If it's a six speed it has a freewheel, not a cassette. It should unscrew as one piece, cassettes slide on and off of splines. You'll just need the tool to remove the freewheel and a new single speed freewheel. I picked up an 18 tooth BMX freewheel on eBay for $15 so it doesn't need to be expensive at all.

 

[Mysterion]

I'm afraid I've seen way too many half-baked fixie conversions on older road bikes--most of which are unsafe.

The current popularity of fixed-gear bikes is directly related to "courier chic." Once upon a time, the most aggressive of the urban messenger set rode track bikes with fixed gears--they were light, simple, and had a very quick geometry which made for fast city riding. Converting an older road bike to fixed is relatively simple, but you'll never have the geometry of a track bike's frame; in fact, because of much greater bottom-bracket drop (and, likely, longer crank arms,) you'll end up with a bike that's eager to plant a pedal in the ground while cornering, as one of the above posters learned.

If you really wanted to do it "properly," you'd need to convert to a solid rear-axle rather than a quick release, incorporate some sort of chain tensioner, and at the very least, run toe clips with double straps--if not proper, laminated track straps, which are wickedly expensive. You'll also want to change to a 1/8" pitch chain, rather than a normal 3/32" pitch unit. A KMC-brand BMX chain will work fine, and it's dirt-cheap, but it's another expense. Don't do it, unless you want to spend more time and money than the bike is worth.

If you want to convert to single-speed, that's pretty easy, and a tempting option for a knock-around bike ridden on fairly flat ground. If it's six-speed, it's almost certainly a freewheel, not a cassette--the conversion should go pretty easily with a single-speed freewheel, but you'll want to have the rear wheel re-dished to get a halfway-decent chainline.

Final word: Fixed-gears are awfully hard on the knees. For some folks, this will not be a problem; for people who are pre-disposed to knee issues, it's a questionable choice. Physical therapists I know report a noticeable uptick in knee rehabs with the recent popularity of fixies.

EDIT: Final, final word: That 15-year old ride probably needs an overhaul, too. Plan on greasing and replacing bearings in the headset, bottom bracket, hubs, and pedals. Cheap and easy, if you have the tools, but time-consuming. Also a good education in more advanced maintenance. If you want to have a shop do it, it will get expensive quickly.

 

[TimmyBoston]

Mysterion, what's the best book you know of for Bicycle Maintenance?

 

[Kyle Hyde]

I'm interested in fixed gear bikes too. But can someone explain to me why hipsters love their fixies so much? I don't get it.

 

[chicken neck]

I live in London and would not ride anything else around the city (for rides outside the city or off road, I use gears). There are LOTS of advantages:

- v low maintenance
- more control in slippery conditions
- more deliberate riding (you may ride a little slower than on a freewheel bike but that is a good thing in traffic)
- you and the bike are one - when everything is well adjusted it is such a great feeling
- good for fitness
- better for going up hills - lighter bike and some momentum

Some of the disadvantages are unfounded
- you don't have to use your knees to brake, you can use brakes!
- hitting a pedal when cornering is actually extremely rare - you will soon get used to how far you can tilt the bike (its a lot further than you think)

As for single speeds, to be honest apart from simplicity, I don't see the point. Fixed is much more fun!

Trust me, you will never regret trying a fixed (in a flattish city)

 

[Legion]

I own four bicycles and none of them are geared. Three are single speeds and one is fixed. I must admit, I prefer to ride the single speeds most of the time as my tired old body enjoys a coast from time to time.

All of my bikes I converted myself except my mountain bike, a GT Peace 29're.

Here are a couple of my conversions. The top one is single speed, the bottom my fixie. Same Brookes saddle is on both in these pics.

 

[thebikingengineer]

To be fair, when I struck my pedal I was very much on top of about 80 Gear Inches and going about 30 mph. I had been doing cornering drills on my road bike and was comfortable with some serious lean angles. You'd likely never run into such problems unless you like taking tight turns at above the speed limit on a bicycle, and you need to be putting out some solid power to do it.

 

[Legion]

Thought you might get a kick out of this. It's a tiny vintage child's bike with a Brookes style seat and a fixed hub, no breaks...

Those were the good old days! Kids these days, with their breaks. Why, in my day....

And talk about grounding your peddle on cornering? I have the bike resting on its peddle in this shot and it is almost upright. Kids were tougher back then.