Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Are these dropouts really THAT bad?

When I took this frame to the LBS to see what parts i could snag for it cheap he ended up inspecting it and saying that on top of not having a fork for it (and acting like a 27" fork was going to be the hardest thing in the world to find... which 2 seconds of google and 3 seconds of alfred e bike disproved) the dropouts were going to fall off and kill innocent children and kittens. i realize they're not top notch and it's a pretty ****ty frame... but come on...


maybe it's just the eternal optimist in me that says this bike is going to be awesome?



http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/6306/dropsgv3.jpg



(vvvv before)

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1641/bike2kx4.th.jpg (http://img178.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bike2kx4.jpg)



also, there's tons of clearance with the wheels on, so i coulda just gotten a threadless 700c fork like my first friend had suggested instead of having to bother with a threaded 27" :(

It's not that they're dangerous, just that they're indicative of a low quality frame.

Have you bought the fork yet? If not, you can probably find a much better frame and fork for the same money (however much it is).

frame was free. fork was 20 bucks.

I've ridden worse. No need to worry ;)

frame was free. fork was 20 bucks.

I stand by my comment ;), but enjoy the ride (and that's not snark, if you love it, ride the hell out of it).

Well they haven't fallen out yet, why would they.

Kitties everywhere may rejoice.

Meh, it's pretty ****ty but it'll do. What kind of cranks did it have?

I hope you have dental insurance

Lisa needs braces.

You would have been better off saving the cost of the paint and the $20 for a fork (which might not be the right threading) and the bottom bracket conversion cup since that bike came with a one piece crank and putting that towards another frame. That being said, it's done, so good luck!

You usually see the "crimped" stay/dropout connection on fairly low end frames (Huffy, for instance). They will probably hold fine if you don't plan on doing crazy tricks and jumps. I would actually be a little concerned with some of the rust in the original picture. I can't tell if it is just surface corrosion or not. Any rattle when you shake it?

nice paint job

When I took this frame to the LBS to see what parts i could snag for it cheap he ended up inspecting it and saying that on top of not having a fork for it (and acting like a 27" fork was going to be the hardest thing in the world to find... which 2 seconds of google and 3 seconds of alfred e bike disproved) the dropouts were going to fall off and kill innocent children and kittens. i realize they're not top notch and it's a pretty ****ty frame... but come on...


maybe it's just the eternal optimist in me that says this bike is going to be awesome?



http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/6306/dropsgv3.jpg



(vvvv before)

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1641/bike2kx4.th.jpg (http://img178.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bike2kx4.jpg)



also, there's tons of clearance with the wheels on, so i coulda just gotten a threadless 700c fork like my first friend had suggested instead of having to bother with a threaded 27" :(

are those even brazed? they look like they were GLUED! :eek:

still I (like the others) have ridden the frickin CRAP out of much worse looking setups (my old BMX park bike had drops like those :eek: )

I too think all the kittens of the world can rest easy :D

When I took this frame to the LBS to see what parts i could snag for it cheap he ended up inspecting it and saying that on top of not having a fork for it (and acting like a 27" fork was going to be the hardest thing in the world to find... which 2 seconds of google and 3 seconds of alfred e bike disproved) the dropouts were going to fall off and kill innocent children and kittens. i realize they're not top notch and it's a pretty ****ty frame... but come on...


maybe it's just the eternal optimist in me that says this bike is going to be awesome?

are those even brazed? they look like they were GLUED! :eek:

still I (like the others) have ridden the frickin CRAP out of much worse looking setups (my old BMX park bike had drops like those :eek: )

I too think all the kittens of the world can rest easy :D

"hey! this is not suck!"

The lugs would worry me more than the dropouts.

Put it this way....without a brake, a lot of pressure is going to be put on those drops. Do they look like they can withstand a lot of pressure? To me and to your mechanic, no, they don't. Ride it but do everyone a favour and run a brake.

seriously, i used to worry about drop outs for conversion. We were always looking for the strongest ones but have you ever heard of anyone bending a dropout so bad that they fallen? It's a 70era bike, there is a reason why they are still there. Buts thats only from what I have test/seen so far.

edit after reading jet sanchez's post: yeah well makes sense if you keep in mind that this bike has never been riden fixed before.... anyway, I wouldn't change the frame because of that

Put it this way....without a brake, a lot of pressure is going to be put on those drops. Do they look like they can withstand a lot of pressure? To me and to your mechanic, no, they don't. Ride it but do everyone a favour and run a brake.


Just out of curiosity, what would make the force exerted on the dropouts by a skid different than locking the rear wheel using a hand brake?

seriously, i used to worry about drop outs for conversion. We were always looking for the strongest ones but have you ever heard of anyone bending a dropout so bad that they fallen?

The only time I have bent a dropout was on a Chicago Schwinn, when my axle failed and bent like 15 degrees at the bearings, while cranking up a hill.

you're fine. build it up and enjoy it. bad drop-outs don't kill kittens. ************ does.

dudes at lbs's are a ssholes
don't pay them any mind