Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Help with conversion - is this dropout compatible?

Hi all.
I've been interested in converting my beat up K-Mart (New Zealand original) bike to single speed or fixed gear for quite some time.
The question is, are these dropouts compatible with the conversion?
I had a look at charts but couldn't tell iv they were horizontal or vertical.
I have a bad feeling they're somewhere in between.

Help me please!

P.S. sorry the images are fuzzy.

http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc15/Toms_011/?action=view&current=DSCF3370.jpg
http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc15/Toms_011/?action=view&current=DSCF3368.jpg

I don't know how to do all this photo stuff so you can follow the link or look at my avatar which is probably too small...

images r broked.

thanks i sorted it out

ALL bikes are convertable.
It's just a question of how much you want to spend.
Your bike has Horiz drops.

Enjoy

They are 'semi' horizontal drop outs, and yes they will work. just don't use quick release.

okay so how much do you think I'd need to spend compared to if I had horizonatl or vertical dropouts?

will it be expensive?

They are 'semi' horizontal drop outs, and yes they will work. just don't use quick release.

I raf so hard I pish my pansh

Enjoy

Go buy the $40 IRO hubs and get them laced or buy a wheelset.

They will bolt right on without any trouble. Your dropouts are fine.

Go buy the $40 IRO hubs and get them laced or buy a wheelset.

They will bolt right on without any trouble. Your dropouts are fine.

What makes the IRO hubs special special for these dropouts (same as my project bike)? What would someone with these dropouts on their frame be looking for in a wheelset?

Nothing. You are overthinking it. They are cheap and lace up easy. You bend the frame a bit and boom you are riding.

The dropouts on this bike are nothing special.

It's a Kmart bike Suicide hub and two brakes is the only way to go.
Two parts and a little redish.

Enjoy

smashing thanks. over-think often.

They are cheap and lace up easy. You bend the frame a bit and boom you are riding.

Thanks thats really helpfl
two questions though
1. where and how do i bend the frame? im not strong enough to bend mettle :S
2. do i 'lace' them up my self? i wouldnt know how

also, what is the advantage of single speed (with coasting ability) over gears? I could just stick to one gear couldn't I?

Thanks thats really helpfl
two questions though
1. where and how do i bend the frame? im not strong enough to bend mettle :S
2. do i 'lace' them up my self? i wouldnt know how

also, what is the advantage of single speed (with coasting ability) over gears? I could just stick to one gear couldn't I?

Cheapest option is remove the RDR and shorten the chain. Whamo instant SS.
...or...
Take your wheel to a shop.
Ask them to remove the cogs and put a SS frewheel on and redish the wheel. BOOM you have a SS.
Ask them to remove the cogs and redish the wheel for SS. Buy a threaded cog and a bb lockring and install at home with loctite. POW you have a FG
Both shop options will cost more than the bike is worth.

Enjoy

Cheapest option is remove the RDR and shorten the chain. Whamo instant SS.

Argh i feel really stupid - thanks though
but without meaning to be a bore and annoying and all that - what is RDR?
is this instead of buying an IRO hub and threading it myself?

rear derailleur. That's what he means.

The 'ghetto' SS is just stripping off th front/rear derailluers, shifters, etc, choosing the best chainring/cog selection for chain line and shortening the chain.

the downside is that some cassettes/chainrings basically give you two SS options. REALLY HARD or really easy. otherwise the chain will try and jump to an adjacent gear mid ride and give you all sorts of trouble.

so i could just take the deraileur off and not have to buy a new hub?

so i could just take the deraileur off and not have to buy a new hub?

so long as you leave the cassette on.

geared bikes have dished wheels with hubs that have threads to spin on a cassette, so you'd need a new hub, and a re-dished wheel in order to truly convert to a fixie or a single speed. And for an old wheel, it's not worth it, probably better to buy a new wheel set.

if you leave the cassette on (the gears basically) then you don't need a new cassette, new hub, or redished wheel, but you're at the mercy of the chain line.

Some cassettes, usually newer ones, will let you take off the other cogs and put spacers in, so you can move the cog around using spacers to fill in the gaps, but thats only if your cassette is built like that. Mine wasn't.

but would it be possible to take some of the links out of the chain?
and it would look a bit weird wouldnt it?

Yes, you take links out of the chain and re-attach with the master link.

It would look slightly weird, but whatev.

would it be complicated to remove the derailleur?
youre being really helpful thanks

Kmart bike w/ forged dropouts?

would it be complicated to remove the derailleur?
youre being really helpful thanks

The derailluer should be fairly easy to remove, it's usually only held on by one bolt really.

I had no Idea what I was doing when I started my fixie project, so just take a look at it and see if you can take it apart. Putting it back together should be pretty simple.

http://sheldonbrown.com/

http://sheldonbrown.com/

You know... in hind sight, I should have just said that too.

Sheldon Brown (RIP) has a great website for people who are into fixed/ss and want to learn the mechanics of it.

right thanks a lot guys ill have a look at it and hopefully get up and running soon
can anyone tell me though, why single speed is better than just staying on one gear?

right thanks a lot guys ill have a look at it and hopefully get up and running soon
can anyone tell me though, why single speed is better than just staying on one gear?

less weight, better looking.

From a functional stand point though, the cassettes tend to wear out more if you just stay on on gear because they are designed for split use between the rest of the gears, where as SS specific stuff is more durable for that kind of riding.

Also there is less nooks/crannies for dirt and grime to get into.

No newbies were insulted in the making of this thread.

Enjoy

No newbies were insulted in the making of this thread.

Enjoy

Then surely it hasn't yet run its course.