Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - need your insight! and suggestions

whats up guys. im new to biking and wanted some suggestions about road bikes vs fixed gear

i know very little about pros/cons of both
uhh i plan on riding around with friends mostly. just casual nothing serious

i just recently got my first road bike but rode my friends fixed gear and had alot of fun on it

are fixies alot slower than 14speed bikeS? and what do you guys think? i heard you can convert road bikes into fixed gears

Please go to this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?639445-Comtemplating-a-fixed-gear-bike-but-I-just-dont-get-it.....)

Mods, I suggest merging this thread to the one I linked to.

Yeah and no.
They are slower than a roadbike over any great distance or over any big climbs. But for day to day getting around type stuff they're not really any slower. And even though they're slower they're still not that slow. I used to have a 45 minute commute that wasn't any faster on a roadbike vs a fixie. It just really didn't make much of a difference. Hills should be factored into this though, small hills are no problem and guys on fixies sometimes get up them faster than people on geared bikes just cause you don;t wanna lose your momentum on a fixie but big hills suck. Same goes for singlespeed, going up big hills can really suck.
But if you live in a reasonably flat area with maybe some hills and you're just commuting in traffic than a fixie should not make you any slower than on a roadbike. Ultimately if you want it to be the road bike will go faster than a fixie, but if you're just getting around you're probably gonna be riding it as fast as you would the fixie.

If your road bike is old an has horizontal dropouts then you can convert it. But for the price of converting it you could just buy a cheapo bikesdirect bike that will probably be slightly better anyway. Many people convert and then end up buying a cheap fixie anyway cause their conversion sucked..(many people also have sweet conversions though).
I would just keep the roadbike as is and maybe try to add a second bike to the garage.
And then you could find out for sure which is fastest... heh

Please go to this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?639445-Comtemplating-a-fixed-gear-bike-but-I-just-dont-get-it.....)

Mods, I suggest merging this thread to the one I linked to.

Nah, we shouldn't. The topics are very similar but he also wants to know if he should convert his bike. We should maybe discuss with him what bike he has, if its a particularly sweet old frame that would make a good conversion then maybe we could encourage him to do so. If its a really sweet old bike that really should be left the hell alone as a geared bike then maybe we can also suggest that too him. This thread could be a very different discussion from the other one...
Just sayin'.

And also OP, what kind of bike is it you have?!? Does it have horizontal drop outs? How much money would you be able to put into converting it?

Go read http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html

http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

Do a search of this forum about conversions.

robertv thanks a ton! thats exactly the kind of help i needed. sorry everyone for posting in the wrong place and ill do some more research regarding horizontal dorp outs and whatnot because i have no idea what that is. thanks everyone


ill probably keep my road bike and pick up a fixie,
my bike frame is a little too big for me(its like 56 or 58 and when standing over it, it touches my crotch). my friend told me to change my tire and rim size so itll fit better. as of now i have 700 cc? sized rims and he recomended moving them down to 650. is that an expensive change? and is it possible to lower my brake things? should i be changing my rim size?

If your road bike is really a 56 cm or 58 cm frame, it will always provide ou with a miserable riding experience.Smaller wheels will only protect your crotch, everything else will be out of place and uncomfortable. It's like trying to polish a turd, it just won't really ever shine.

deng alright so i should keep my bike and buy a seperate fixed gear?

deng alright so i should keep my bike and buy a seperate fixed gear?

You should not keep a bike that is 56 or 58 cm, if you're 5'3".

im 5'9!! i can ride it fine. its just an inch too big

speaking of frame sizes, my 5'6 friend is wondering what frame size is good for him

This has to be a troll.... and not even a good one.

im 5'9!! i can ride it fine. its just an inch too big
First of all, I apologize: I must have confused you with someone else/some other thread.
The bike size you mention still doesn't fit you, though. 51-52 cm is more like it.

i know very little about pros/cons of both
uhh i plan on riding around with friends mostly. just casual nothing serious

If your objective is "to ride around with friends", you'll want to have a bike similar to what your friends ride.

first of all im not a troll adn dont know what that even means.

thanks for your input everyone. ill probably buy a new bike then..
and i used http://bicycling.about.com/od/howtoride/a/bike_sizing.htm to check my sizes when i bought the road bike.

i do trust your word over the sizing chart though but is 51-52 really the biggest size i should be getting?
or is it that fixed gears should be generally smaller?

and i have 3 biking buddies. 2 with fixies and 1 with a road bike
i do wish i had a fixie though

lol you want a sweet fixie bro? I suggest something more noob friendly as your first bike.

lol you want a sweet fixie bro? I suggest something more noob friendly as your first bike.

i know how to ride bikes!! haha ive only rode mountain bikes until i got my first road bike.
the reason i want a fixie instead of a road bike now is because i was riding my friends the other day and i just feel like i have os muhc more control and i like the fact that i can manually slow myself down by pedaling slower

how hard can fixies be? what am i missing

lol you want a sweet fixie bro? I suggest something more noob friendly as your first bike.

What's up with you dude? You've been cranky for the past few days.
Besides, most kids' first bike is a fixie.

final update: i DO want a fixie over a road bike
thanks alot for the help everyone i learned alot just frmo this post.
i checked to see if i had a horizontol dropout and i THINK i do! its like horizontal and vertical like kinda angled.. im a noob so i dont know what to call it
ill upload a picture later to show

my main concern for anyone who cares is my large frame size(56 or 58). its easily rideable but i would prefer something a bit more comfortable.
is it possible to change my rim size to like 600 or 650cc instead of my current size(700cc)? can i lower my brakes to fit?

my main concern for anyone who cares is my large frame size(56 or 58). its easily rideable but i would prefer something a bit more comfortable.
is it possible to change my rim size to like 600 or 650cc instead of my current size(700cc)? can i lower my brakes to fit?

Why don't you take a tape measure and measure your frame? Then, post a photo of you on the bike so we can see how it fits you. Can you describe in what way your bike isn't comfortable? I'm just curious.


You can put smaller 650c wheels. Should you? No, because it won't make the frame fit your body any better

You can not 'lower' your brake calipers, you will need a new set of brake calipers anyways since you are going from a 27" to 700c.
As the other said, a smaller wheel will not make ride anymore comfortable, it will only bring it closer to the ground.

ok well if the frame is lower to the ground, wouldnt that make things better? i mean the problem is that the frame is too close to my crotch when standing over it.

bike itself http://tinypic.com/r/xelt3q/5

the dropout http://tinypic.com/r/2hz2443/5


me next to bike http://tinypic.com/r/xnb1c7/5

ill get real frame size tommorow but i meaured from the top tube to the bottom bracket area and it was around 23 inches

Do you have to reach really far to grab your handle bar?
But from what I can see, your seat post barely protrudes out of your seat tube, that's a sign that the bike is a tad too big for you. You should be able to lift your wheels at least an inch or two when you are straddling on your top tube.
Other than the fitting issue, your bike is a perfect candidate for a conversion.

thanks a bunch vixtor, no the handles are fine and do you think if i changed to 650 tires. itd give me that extra inch or two when standing over the top tube?

can i lower my brakes to fit?No.

I would not recommend you to get a 650c because there would be a narrow range of tires and tubes to choose from, also smaller wheels will bring your bike closer to the ground which increase the chance of pedal striking the ground when turning corner and maybe a shorter set of cranks so you won't pedal strike. 5'9" is too small for a 56/58, I'm 5'11 and I ride a 55, I've tried a 58 once, it barely fits. You should really consider to get yourself a smaller frame.

aw alright. i dont have the money to drop for a new full bike. do you think i could just buy a new frame? and use some of the old parts?

whats the best direction to go for me? =/

If I were you, I'd use the parts from the bike and sell the frame if possible.
Parts that you could keep:
-Stem, handlebar, brake levers, brake set if they are for 700c, front wheel if it is a 700c, tires and tubes, seat post, saddle, pedals, maybe the crank set but looks like it could be a little bit too long, check on the back of the crank arms to see if it says '170' on them.

This could be a fun project to do on your own but if take it to the local bike shop if you want to complete it faster. This could be an expensive project as well...how much are you willing to spend on this?

vixtor you dont understand how helpful this is honstly.. reading my mind bfore i ask

uhm im down to try learning all of this and doing this myself. you say its expensive, what would i need to buy besides a new frame?
isnt a fixed gear just like a stripped down road bike?

and how much money are we talkin? i can probably pull up 100-200 dollars

Actually, if you are lucky to find parts for cheap, you might not need to spend a lot of money.
Fixed gear conversion bike is basically a stripped down bike with a fixed rear wheel.
All you need is basically a new rear wheel, a cog with lock ring and a new chain. Possibly a new crank set and a bottom bracket. I am the wrong person to ask about price and whatnot...but a rear wheel and cog + lockring would probably eat up 120 or so, a chain is around 10 dollars. Tools could easily cost you 50 dollars and up. Cost could be more if you are buying stuff online with shipping fees and whatnot.
Where are you from anyways?

You should read these two pages.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/deakins/how-to-fixed-conversion.html

im from chino hills haha small city in socal

deng so i cant use the wheels i have now? =[ im gonna do my research on what the rest of those pieces are. uhm what kind of tools would i need because my friend may have some of them. and would you recomend buyying parts from online or from local bikeshop

ill get to reading those 2 sheldon brown pages

edit: i need to learn the basics of bike parts before i read his conversion page. so many things he expects his readers to already know that i have NO idea of. haha ill bookmark em for later

it's a bit of a drive, but might want to drive to LA and spend a day or two at the Bicycle Kitchen or Bike Oven. There you can get someone to teach everything you need to know about fixing your bike. If you get the frame, wheel, cog/lock ring, and chain they will help you part your current bike and assemble your new one. You may not even need to buy a new frame because they might have one your size and they'll have plenty of other bike parts you may need. The price you have to pay is how much you're able to donate to the Kitchen. Unless you have someone that can spend the time to teach you, this will be a good investment of your time.

Give them a call so you can ask about cost, when to come, and reserving a work stand so you don't have to wait in line. They want to teach you.

http://www.bicyclekitchen.com/

http://bikeoven.com/

im from chino hills haha small city in socal

deng so i cant use the wheels i have now? =[ im gonna do my research on what the rest of those pieces are. uhm what kind of tools would i need because my friend may have some of them. and would you recomend buyying parts from online or from local bikeshop

ill get to reading those 2 sheldon brown pages

edit: i need to learn the basics of bike parts before i read his conversion page. so many things he expects his readers to already know that i have NO idea of. haha ill bookmark em for later

Look, it's not so hard, really. check out Sheldon Brown's website (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/), and if you have any questions, ask in the Bicycle Mechanics forum. (http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?10-Bicycle-Mechanics) People there are quite kind and helpful (like me), if you ignore the occasional "chain lube" thread :D

That's because chain lube is like religion. Many a war was started over the correct chain lube, and many will certainly follow.

thanks alot guys. i think im going to spend a few weeks researching but may end up at the bike kitchen because i just dont have the right tools and equipment. but once i do end up in the kitchen ill know enough to do some/most of the work myself :p

thanks a bunch everyone ill end this tread here. hUUUUge help!