How do I make my bike fixed gear?

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Wulfheir

I have a kona mountain bike with 3 rings and 7 gears. What does it take to make it fixed gear for the winter? When I was out in kananaskis one time, i totally toasted my rear derailer and made it fixed for the ride out, but the chain kept falling to the smallest gear on the back, so i'm sure there is more to it than just removing derailer and shortening chain.

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* jack *

To convert a MTB, you should consider going single speed, rather than fixed.
My suggestion (if it's an option for you) is to find a beater bike to convert as your bad-weather steed.

- gotta provide the obligatory Sheldon Brown reference for ya:
http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html
enjoy!

Wulfheir

Thanks for the great link! You are right, i meant SS, not fixed. I used my kona last year thru the winter and required under $100 of repair in the spring. If that's all it's going to cost, I think I'll enjoy it more than my canadian tire special. But it's something I should put some thought to.

CBBaron

I perfer fixed but SS is easier especially if you have verticle dropouts. All it requires is replacing the 7-speed freewheel with a single speed and replacing the rear derailer with a Singulator or similar tensioner. Then remove those shifty bits. It may also require respacing the rear wheel which is a little tricker but not difficult.
Craig

naisme

I have used and old derailure, you shorten the cable and adjust the chain to the different gears that way. It's a fun way to use the old derailure.

milwaukeecyclis

Check out the single speed and fixed gear forum here, also www.fixedgeargallery.com

thelung

Thor29

harris cyclery sells shimano bmx cogs and spacers to convert your shimano cassette wheel to a single speed wheel. $25. They are on this page. http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/singlespeed.html

Then just take off the chainrings youre not using, and the deraileurs.

Wrong. You still need something to take up chain slack, either a rear derailleur or something like a Surly Singulator. Bikes that are made to be single speeds usually have horizontal dropouts so that you can adjust chain tension, but most derailleur equipped bikes have vertical dropouts. (The only exception is if you have the patience to try and find a perfect gear combo which limits your choice in gearing).

thelung

Wrong.

Calm down dude. I dont know what kind of dropouts are on his bike. If they are vertical, he will also need a tensioner, if they are semi horizontal or horizontal, he wont. Either way that does not make what I said "wrong."

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